The Office for Development of the Organic Agriculture and the farm Landhof Lindenberg

Overview:

The Office for Development of the Organic Agriculture and the organic farm "Landhof Lindenberg" belongs together. Both are situated in the in the north east of Germany, the Altmark, an area between Salzwedel and Stendal.

Projects of the Office for Development of the Organic Agriculture:

ü Research in organic plant production: nutrient management & crop rotation

ü Development of techniques for mechanical weed control within and between the rows.

ü Consulting, education services for farmers, pupils and other interested people and public relations.

Contact:

Hartmut Wöllner Am Holzweg 4 39615 Lindenberg

Phone/fax: 0049-39398 302 Email: entwicklungsbuero@web.de

 The House with the office.

 Our research project in Lindenberg

Rye with different intensities of fertilization.

Summer barley and buckwheat as summer crop

The machine, produced in the breath from 3-9 m

The work of the rolling elements in detail.

Maize after the treatment with the hoeing machine

The hoehing tools and the rolling elements have an individual fixation and adjustment, a very important aspect to ensure the exelent function for many different crops in different growth stages and under various soil conditions.

 A farm visit of a school claas

The cow stable and the roof for the machinery

Research in organic plant production:

Aim of our research is to increase the yield in organic agriculture from the typical 60% up to 80-85% of the yield in conventional farming.

Therefore we are testing a 6-year crop rotation, on two different soil types in the region. Each site has an area of ca. 6 ha with 12 lots. The crop rotation is farmed in two different intensities. The normal intensity has only the nitrogen supply from the legumes, while in the intensive crop rotation the following additional methods are explored:

ü Legumes and non-legumes as catch crops

ü Additional fertilization with Vinasse (and solid or liquid manure)

On one site (Angern) the weed control is also a question of research.

Crop rotation on the different sites:

Lindenberg: Sand, 450 mm respiration	Angern: Sandy loam, 550mm respiration
1. Lupines 2. winter-rye or triticale 3. summer-rye- oat-mixture 4. Seradella (Legume) 5. winter-rye or triticale 6. buckwheat or summer-barley	1. Lupines 2. winter-rye or triticale 3. summer-barley or oat 4. clover-grass 5. winter-wheat or triticale 6. winter-rye

The research is planed from 2003- 2008 and supported by the regional project from the German government:

Development of techniques for weed control:

Together with the Institute for agriculture in Bernburg and producers of machinery we developed a machine for weed control within and between the rows:

The combination of traditional hoeing with the new rolling elements within the row shows excellent results on a few hundred ha.

ü More effective weed control, no damage fort he crop

ü Proper use in nearly all cultures (cereals, legumes, oil-seeds, maize and sugar beets were tested) with 18cm ore more between the rows.

ü Higher speed, due to smaller hoeing-tools.

ü Multifaceted adjustable: for different crops, in different growth-stages, on different soil conditions.

Produced in spring 2005 from the Annaburger Nutzfahrzeug GmbH

www.annaburger.de

Consulting& education service:

We offer consulting for organic farmers and farmers interested in conversion. We have a rich practical background in organic and conventional agriculture.

Due to the support of the Altmark-Project the first information service is for free.

We organize lectures, seminars and farm visits for farmers, schools and other interested groups in German and English.

The farm "Landhof Lindenberg":

The farm has 330 ha of arable land. There we grow cereals, lupines, seradella (a Legume), potatoes and other crops. Very important is for us, to have a good crop rotation. Additional to our 6-year rotation we use catch crops and green manure crops to increase the soil fertility.

Also we have 100 ha grassland. These are used to feed our cattle. In the summer the cattle are outside for grazing and get additional grass-sliage and a mixture of lupines and cereals. In wintertime they get the same fodder except the grazing. All the time the cattle have enough space for movement in the loose housing with straw bedding and a paddock.

For the animal healt we use, additional to good fodder and animal husbandry, predominantly homeopathy.