Grundtvig
Learning Partnership Project
»Adult
education strategies in making best compost and treating of manure
practices in order to highlight better food quality and reduction of
the nutrition losses with regards of social, initiative and
entrepreneurship key competencies«
German
Project No.: 2013-1-Sl1-GRU06-05514 2
Duration:
1. August 2013 to 31. July 2015
Minutes
of the 2nd Meeting in Darmstadt, 23. - 24. November 2013
Partners
of the project
- Germany:
Forschungsring für Biologisch-Dynamische Wirtschaftsweise e.V.
- Denmark:
Foreningen for Biodynamisk Jordbrug
- Croatia:
Centar Dr. Rudolfa Steinera (confirmation pending)
- Slovenia: Društvo za biološko-dinamično gospodarjenje Podravje.
Day
1
Date:
23.11.2013
Topic:
Best practies in making compost and treating manure – results from
scientific work
Location:
Forschungsring e.V., Darmstadt and Dottenfelderhof, Bad Vilbel
Duration:
9:00 – 21:00
Present:
Uli Johannes König, Meike Oltmanns, Erik Frydenlund, Birthe Holt,
Sandra Percać, Jasminka Iličić, Ivan Kosak, Drago Purgaj, Sonja
Purgaj, Danijela Kocuvan, Radovan Šuman, Vesna Čuček.
Afternoon
(Dottenfelderhof/Bad Vilbel): Ansgar Voortmann, Matthias König
Summary:
Visit
of “Forschungsring für Biologisch-Dynamische Wirtschaftsweise
e.V.” in Darmstadt one of the world oldest institutes for
ecofarming. Dr. König introduced the beginning of work in the early
fiftieth as a place for scientific research as well as for
fundamental work in ecofarming especially biodynamic. Contacts to
nearly all of the german Universities with an agricultural faculty
exists.
World
wide activities have been carried out over decades to improve the
world wide DEMETER-movement.
In
the morning Dr. König held a presentation with the theme “Best
practies in making compost and treating manure – results from
scientific work”. Working with compost or manure means that you
have to know first, what for the compost/manure will be: fertilizing,
cultivation or planting soil or compost extracts for plant
protection. Answering this question the treating of manure/compost
will change. Which techniques are available on farm, only small scale
handycraft or machinery equipement? Which losses from the material
have to be expected and how can they be reduced? Which different
qualities of compost can be reached depending on the materials beeing
used for making compost? Which effects of the biodynamic preparations
could be shown in practies and science?
Different
qualities of manure and compost and routh materials were demonstrated
on nearly 100 samples.
In
the afternoon a visit of the manure storage and compost making of a
public demonstration farm (Dottenfelderhof) took place. The farm
shows a wide scale of activities in organic farming reaching from
milk, grain and vegetable production on 180 hectar farmland to
education, breeding and research work. The management of manure of
different animals (cows, pigs, sheeps, horses, poultry) is a great
challenge on such a large scale farm. Farmer Ansgar Voortmann
mentioned that making stable manure is the solution for cattle
manure, composting for all other manures and green material or
organic waste from the farm. 3000 cbm compost per year are produced
consisting of 1000 cbm shrubb cuts, less than 1000 cbm rest manure,
the rest volume are waste products from the farm. The farm uses a
compost turning machine. The turning proceeder is carried out 7 to 10
times per compost. The conversion of material to finish compost takes
about 3 months. Application of biodynamic preparations was discussed.
Farmer
Matthias König showed the storrage of the biodynamic preparation on
the farm and discussed the special proceeder of making and applying
them.
In
the evening was a discussion looking to the result of the day,
specially the questions comming out of the farm visit:
- How is it possible to make 3000 cbm of compost with all the components?
- How to handle 1800 cbm of manure from the stable?
- The more than 150 working people on the farm are a challenge!
- The big amounts of preparations (e.g.800 horns) for such a farm.
- The intensive use of preparations in the stable.
- Why is the humus content after decades of organic agriculture only on a 1,7% level? Is it the result of 100 year suggar beet production before convertion?
- It should be possible to lift it up to 4 %.
Day
2
Date:
24. 11. 2013
Topic:
Is there a need for animal manure to approve soil quality?
Location:
Forschungsring e.V., Darmstadt and Hofgut Oberfeld, Darmstadt
Duration:
9:00-16:00
Present:
Uli Johannes König, Meike Oltmanns, Erik Frydenlund, Birthe Holt,
Sandra Percać, Jasminka Iličić, Ivan Kosak, Drago Purgaj, Sonja
Purgaj, Danijela Kocuvan, Radovan Šuman, Vesna Čuček.
Afternoon
(Hofgut Oberfeld): Thomas Göbel
Summary:
Mrs.
Meike Oltmanns held a lecture with the theme “Is there a need for
animal manure to approve soil quality?” The development even in
ecological agriculture is leeding more and more to a speciallization
of farms. Cash crop agriculture with out cattles is the result, based
on an organic clover manuring system. Compared with cattle manure
this system is not able to keep the humus content of soil on a stabil
level, as world wide mega studies show. Looking to the climat
influence a rising up in humus content is the challenge! What is the
special quality of farm manure? What is the influence of the clover
gras rotation?
Dr.
König showd the special quality of the digestion system aof cattles
compared with other animals: the possibility to convert straw and
gras into manure. The function of cows in ecological agriculture is
not only to produce milk and meet, but also to create this high
quality manure! This is eveb an interesting question looking to the
discussion of vegetarian or vegan farming without taking care of
animals in the farm.
Looking
back to the 1st meeting in Maribor we discussed the making of
preparations and the compost. There is a big difference between the
rules in Germany and Slovenia concerning the possibilities of storage
of manure and compost.
Planing
next meetings: the next dates are
- 29./30.
March 2014: Croatia
- 30./31.
August 2014: Denmark
- September/Oktober
2014: Germany
- March
2015: Croatia
- May
2015: Slovenia - final meeting.
In
the afternoon we visited a new biodynamic farm in Darmstadt (Hofgut
Oberfeld). The farmer Thomas Göbel gave us an introduction into the
history of this farm and the conversion to biodynamic agriculture.
This farm is situated direct outside the border of the town
surrounded three side by woods. It is a totaly public project, pushed
in the beginning by many people from the town. In this year they got
a new stabel for cattles. Chicken are hold on transportable stables
on field.
Projektpartners
at Forschungsring
Observing
compost samples
Dottenfelderhof
Compost
making at Dottenfelderhof
Dottenfelderhof:
storage of preparations
Hofgut
Oberfeld, Darmstadt
Slovenian
Project No. 2013-1-SI1-GRU06-05514 1
This
project has been funded with support from the European
Commission.
This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
