In late June, I attended the DLG (German agricultural society) field day near Halle. This is a crops demonstration with a focus on crop types, varieties, inputs, technology and soils. It also incorporated demonstrations of sprayers and spreaders, a test of student-constructed field robots and a section on drone technologies. As always, that was an interesting visit and we will feature some of those items in our ploughing supplement in September.
During the tour, we visited Beberbeck state farm – an 898ha farm comprising arable, grassland and forest. The farm was the ancestral home of the Grimm brothers of fairy tale fame and is now owned by the state of Hesse. It is located on the western slopes of the Reinhardswald hills in the middle of a 20,000ha forest. It is between 240m and 310m above sea level and has an average rainfall of 800mm, ranging from 590mm to 980mm in recent years.
Bernd Köhling manages the farm, which is close to Kassel. His family has managed this farm for more than 60 years and it is unique in many ways. With the exception of 70ha all of the total area is in one block around the farmyard but there are many different aspects to an estate farm.
In Germany, it is a requirement that all old buildings be maintained, regardless of their usefulness. For this reason, farm buildings are often converted to provide accommodation and apartments and leased out to provide an alternative income stream. But this also means a significant overhead on the farm to service and maintain these premises.
The farm has 716ha of utilisable agricultural area, of which 600ha are in crops with 116ha in grassland. There is a further 122ha in woodland. Bernd told us that a further 40ha (100 acres) is taken up by farmyards, paths and water facilities around the farm, along with a further 20ha taken up by farm avenues, groups of trees and pasture tracks. The grassland is used for a pedigree Angus suckler herd that is being developed on the farm.
Forest challenges
The forest location presents many additional challenges for a tillage farm as some crops are particularly threatened by forest dwellers. An immediate Irish reaction would be pigeons and other birds but these are small fry in comparison. Bernd said that crops like rape and wheat just cannot be grown in certain fields that bound the forest because they would be completely destroyed.
The major problems are red deer, wild boar and racoons. The first two I expected in a German forest, but the latter was a surprise. Peter told us that racoons were imported by American forces and they have thrived and multiplied there ever since.
Bernd said that wild boar, like crows, love wheat at the milky ripe stage, so you can only imagine what a sounder of wild boar would do to a nice field of wheat on the edge of a forest.
Elevated shooting huts are visible everywhere in the German countryside, but the potential for damage is even greater on this farm, so there are more huts. Management of the farm is a delicate balance between the hunting fraternity that shoot as a hobby and the need to operate in a commercial farming environment.
An agreement with the hunters means the farm can be paid a basic maximum amount for damages caused to crops, etc. But Bernd said that this is far less than the level of damage and disturbance generated. Many of the boundary fields can only be used to produce grass, not because it will not be grazed but because its height means that the hunters can see their prey more easily.
Farm businesses
The main farm businesses include tillage crops, pedigree sucklers, forestry and property. But the structure of the estate means that roads and water facilities must also be maintained through the estate, adding to overheads.
The farm unit is virtually self-sufficient in machinery with sugar beet harvesting being the only service that is contracted in for about 80ha. The beet factory is only about 27km away and this is seen as a significant advantage. Bernd believes that sugar beet will come under pressure as a result of a drive to increase cane production in some African countries.
Cereal crops are generally established using min-till. But getting stale seedbeds is a challenge due to time and rainfall. He will occasionally plough ahead of winter barley to help bury a weed problem.
Bernd has been experimenting with hybrid winter barley seed production, but it is not without problems. This needs to be sown early and it must be planted after rape to help make it fit. But low winter temperatures can be a problem in early-sown crops and prevent hybridisation.
The crops grown include winter wheat, winter and spring barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet and grass seed. Bernd put the average yields from these crops at 8.5t/ha, 8t/ha and 7t/ha, 4t/ha and 70t/ha, respectively, excluding the grass seed. He believes that grass seed production will increase in the future. He is growing about 10ha of Poa pratensis, one of the meadow-grass family. We call this smooth stalked meadow grass but it is better known as Kentucky Bluegrass.
The grass seed is generally harvested prior to winter barley and it is undersown in winter wheat initially. This year, Bernd swathed the grass seed for harvest. He said it is a low-cost crop to produce with very low inputs. It received about 100kgN/ha, plus growth regulator. And it is produced on contract.
He will also grow rye and triticale on parts of this farm. Bees are also kept on the farm by local producers and local sheep farmers graze the grassland late in the season. Bernd is beginning to look at field beans and oats as other crop options for local feed mills.
Catch crops
The farm has been experimenting with catch crops for the past 25 years as a means of improving soil. They have helped to prevent soil erosion over winter in fields destined for spring crops. Soil organic matter and humus levels have also been improved, as has water holding capacity.
Bernd acknowledged that catch cropping is not easy. For him, it is important to plant in late July/early August and this coincides with wheat harvesting and other farm operations. But it could also be either too wet or too dry during this window to achieve optimum timing.
Because of these challenges, he has developed min-till systems to get over the ground faster to help meet his various objectives. Spring cereals, beans and sugar beet follow catch crops such as yellow mustard and oil radish. These can help against soil nematodes.
Grass undersown in winter wheat is also used as a catch crop. This is cheaper to establish and can provide useful grazing after the wheat is harvested. While establishment is a real challenge, Bernd indicated that catch crop production will continue and will provide EFA in the new CAP.
Organic manures
Bernd now applies about 2,000t of bio-compost annually. It is delivered at no cost and stockpiled until it can be applied. This material is described as nutrient-dense and, therefore, is very useful for both short-term and long-term nutrient supply in the soil. It also adds to soil humus levels.
Bernd also applies slurries for crop production but these are only applied ahead of either oilseed rape or catch crops in the autumn.
There is an oversupply situation with manure in the intensive regions, so farmers in these areas are having to pay to have surplus manure moved elsewhere for use within nitrates constraints.
Land costs
Land price in the region around Beberbeck is around €15,000/ha, but would be around €25,000/ha closer to Kassel. Biogas production has helped push up land prices in that region. And the situation with rental cost is broadly similar. Annual rental is around €200/ha to €300/ha near Beberbeck, but this increases to between €600/ha and €700/ha closer to Kassel.
Asked about the impact of the new CAP and changing entitlement values, Bernd indicated that he expects his entitlement value of €300/ha to increase in the future, as a result of a special programme that will become available to him originating from the 116ha of grass.
Big farms can also have big problems.Beberbeck farm is state-owned and located in a 20,000ha forest.Red deer, wild boar and racoons constitute major crop pests. Catch crops and bio-composts are used extensively to aid soil health.
In late June, I attended the DLG (German agricultural society) field day near Halle. This is a crops demonstration with a focus on crop types, varieties, inputs, technology and soils. It also incorporated demonstrations of sprayers and spreaders, a test of student-constructed field robots and a section on drone technologies. As always, that was an interesting visit and we will feature some of those items in our ploughing supplement in September.
During the tour, we visited Beberbeck state farm – an 898ha farm comprising arable, grassland and forest. The farm was the ancestral home of the Grimm brothers of fairy tale fame and is now owned by the state of Hesse. It is located on the western slopes of the Reinhardswald hills in the middle of a 20,000ha forest. It is between 240m and 310m above sea level and has an average rainfall of 800mm, ranging from 590mm to 980mm in recent years.
Bernd Köhling manages the farm, which is close to Kassel. His family has managed this farm for more than 60 years and it is unique in many ways. With the exception of 70ha all of the total area is in one block around the farmyard but there are many different aspects to an estate farm.
In Germany, it is a requirement that all old buildings be maintained, regardless of their usefulness. For this reason, farm buildings are often converted to provide accommodation and apartments and leased out to provide an alternative income stream. But this also means a significant overhead on the farm to service and maintain these premises.
The farm has 716ha of utilisable agricultural area, of which 600ha are in crops with 116ha in grassland. There is a further 122ha in woodland. Bernd told us that a further 40ha (100 acres) is taken up by farmyards, paths and water facilities around the farm, along with a further 20ha taken up by farm avenues, groups of trees and pasture tracks. The grassland is used for a pedigree Angus suckler herd that is being developed on the farm.
Forest challenges
The forest location presents many additional challenges for a tillage farm as some crops are particularly threatened by forest dwellers. An immediate Irish reaction would be pigeons and other birds but these are small fry in comparison. Bernd said that crops like rape and wheat just cannot be grown in certain fields that bound the forest because they would be completely destroyed.
The major problems are red deer, wild boar and racoons. The first two I expected in a German forest, but the latter was a surprise. Peter told us that racoons were imported by American forces and they have thrived and multiplied there ever since.
Bernd said that wild boar, like crows, love wheat at the milky ripe stage, so you can only imagine what a sounder of wild boar would do to a nice field of wheat on the edge of a forest.
Elevated shooting huts are visible everywhere in the German countryside, but the potential for damage is even greater on this farm, so there are more huts. Management of the farm is a delicate balance between the hunting fraternity that shoot as a hobby and the need to operate in a commercial farming environment.
An agreement with the hunters means the farm can be paid a basic maximum amount for damages caused to crops, etc. But Bernd said that this is far less than the level of damage and disturbance generated. Many of the boundary fields can only be used to produce grass, not because it will not be grazed but because its height means that the hunters can see their prey more easily.
Farm businesses
The main farm businesses include tillage crops, pedigree sucklers, forestry and property. But the structure of the estate means that roads and water facilities must also be maintained through the estate, adding to overheads.
The farm unit is virtually self-sufficient in machinery with sugar beet harvesting being the only service that is contracted in for about 80ha. The beet factory is only about 27km away and this is seen as a significant advantage. Bernd believes that sugar beet will come under pressure as a result of a drive to increase cane production in some African countries.
Cereal crops are generally established using min-till. But getting stale seedbeds is a challenge due to time and rainfall. He will occasionally plough ahead of winter barley to help bury a weed problem.
Bernd has been experimenting with hybrid winter barley seed production, but it is not without problems. This needs to be sown early and it must be planted after rape to help make it fit. But low winter temperatures can be a problem in early-sown crops and prevent hybridisation.
The crops grown include winter wheat, winter and spring barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet and grass seed. Bernd put the average yields from these crops at 8.5t/ha, 8t/ha and 7t/ha, 4t/ha and 70t/ha, respectively, excluding the grass seed. He believes that grass seed production will increase in the future. He is growing about 10ha of Poa pratensis, one of the meadow-grass family. We call this smooth stalked meadow grass but it is better known as Kentucky Bluegrass.
The grass seed is generally harvested prior to winter barley and it is undersown in winter wheat initially. This year, Bernd swathed the grass seed for harvest. He said it is a low-cost crop to produce with very low inputs. It received about 100kgN/ha, plus growth regulator. And it is produced on contract.
He will also grow rye and triticale on parts of this farm. Bees are also kept on the farm by local producers and local sheep farmers graze the grassland late in the season. Bernd is beginning to look at field beans and oats as other crop options for local feed mills.
Catch crops
The farm has been experimenting with catch crops for the past 25 years as a means of improving soil. They have helped to prevent soil erosion over winter in fields destined for spring crops. Soil organic matter and humus levels have also been improved, as has water holding capacity.
Bernd acknowledged that catch cropping is not easy. For him, it is important to plant in late July/early August and this coincides with wheat harvesting and other farm operations. But it could also be either too wet or too dry during this window to achieve optimum timing.
Because of these challenges, he has developed min-till systems to get over the ground faster to help meet his various objectives. Spring cereals, beans and sugar beet follow catch crops such as yellow mustard and oil radish. These can help against soil nematodes.
Grass undersown in winter wheat is also used as a catch crop. This is cheaper to establish and can provide useful grazing after the wheat is harvested. While establishment is a real challenge, Bernd indicated that catch crop production will continue and will provide EFA in the new CAP.
Organic manures
Bernd now applies about 2,000t of bio-compost annually. It is delivered at no cost and stockpiled until it can be applied. This material is described as nutrient-dense and, therefore, is very useful for both short-term and long-term nutrient supply in the soil. It also adds to soil humus levels.
Bernd also applies slurries for crop production but these are only applied ahead of either oilseed rape or catch crops in the autumn.
There is an oversupply situation with manure in the intensive regions, so farmers in these areas are having to pay to have surplus manure moved elsewhere for use within nitrates constraints.
Land costs
Land price in the region around Beberbeck is around €15,000/ha, but would be around €25,000/ha closer to Kassel. Biogas production has helped push up land prices in that region. And the situation with rental cost is broadly similar. Annual rental is around €200/ha to €300/ha near Beberbeck, but this increases to between €600/ha and €700/ha closer to Kassel.
Asked about the impact of the new CAP and changing entitlement values, Bernd indicated that he expects his entitlement value of €300/ha to increase in the future, as a result of a special programme that will become available to him originating from the 116ha of grass.
Big farms can also have big problems.Beberbeck farm is state-owned and located in a 20,000ha forest.Red deer, wild boar and racoons constitute major crop pests. Catch crops and bio-composts are used extensively to aid soil health. 
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