Together with a group of (young) farmers and students from the University of Göttingen, the Grünlandzentrum Niedersachsen/Bremen traveled to Schleswig-Holstein from November 5th to 6th, 2024, as part of the Grazing4AgroEcology project to learn about innovative agricultural methods from both research and practice. Topics included agroforestry, various grazing practices, seasonal block calving, as well as systems like the mirrored cow barn and techno-grazing.
Thünen Institute of Organic Farming: Trenthorst Experimental Farm
The visit began with fascinating insights at the Trenthorst Experimental Farm. The Thünen Institute’s organic farming fields cover 474.9 hectares of agricultural land (122.6 hectares of permanent grassland) and include 100 dairy cows with offspring, 36 breeding sows, 120 fattening pigs, 360 laying hens, and 640 broilers. Dr. Friederike Fenger welcomed the group, giving an overview of the farm’s activities and the projects of the newly established AG Grassland.
Birte Conrad-Wagner then explained the mirrored cow barn system, where two identical barns are used to compare the management of 50 horned and 50 dehorned HF cows. Both groups have daily access to adjacent grazing areas, where rations are allocated with a pasture spindle. An additional unique feature of this herd is the mother-bound calf-rearing system, which, according to Conrad-Wagner, costs about 1,500 kg of milk per cow per lactation but produces very healthy and well-developed calves after five months.
Next, the group visited a newly established agroforestry trial on permanent grassland. In this silvopastoral system, valuable timber trees such as poplar and walnut were planted in mixed rows spaced twice the width of regular lanes. These young plants are intended to provide shade for grazing animals and support water and nutrient cycles in the future. The discussion highlighted that regional demands for tree shade on pastures vary, with some animals preferring a well-ventilated area over a shaded one.
The group then stopped at a grassland area where HF bulls are fattened. The animals benefit from additional feed access to hedges growing between plots. It was clear that the animals appreciate this supplementary feed source, although the actual feed value and intake are challenging to quantify.
The final stop involved examining a newly established trial for drought resilience in various grasses and herbs in both pure and mixed sowings. Over the coming years, yield and quality measurements will be conducted to evaluate the impact of deep-rooted herbs like plantain and chicory on these parameters. This concluded the visit to the Thünen Institute’s experimental farm.
Techno-Grazing at Gut Rothenhausen
The group’s second stop was at Gut Rothenhausen, where a community farm operates a Demeter-certified farm that directly markets vegetables, baked goods, milk and dairy products, and meat from in-house slaughtering through subscriptions, markets, and a farm shop. The herd of 24 red Holstein cows has an average yield of 5,000 kg per cow annually. A total of 20 hectares of permanent grassland and 40 hectares of clover grass are available for grazing from March to November. As an innovation, the “techno-grazing” system was introduced, where the pasture is divided into approximately 60 equally sized grazing sections, with one section grazed each day in a flash. A lightweight yet durable fiberglass fence system, inspired by New Zealand, was presented for quick assembly and disassembly of grazing sections.
Robots, Full Grazing & Block Calving
The second day included a visit to Jörg Riecken’s Grünhof in Großbarkau. This intensive dairy farm has optimized many variables to feed high-performance dairy cows from its own feed and efficiently utilize grass. The result: an average annual yield of 11,500 kg per cow in a full grazing system. Currently, 105 animals are fully automated with three milking robots, plus about 40 young animals. Grazing covers 50-55 hectares of grassland, along with 25 hectares of maize silage. The farm places a high priority on the quality of the first cut, which constitutes the winter ration of 30% grass and 70% maize. An additional 4 kg of soybean/rapeseed meal per day is fed per lactating cow.
High fertility and hoof health are primary breeding goals for his Holstein herd. Although the number of non-pregnant replacements is relatively high with 10-14 animals per year, and the average use period is around 5.3 years, no hoof care is needed. To align grass quality with high energy demand during lactation, calving is scheduled between autumn and winter (block calving), beginning in mid-September and lasting 3-5 months. By combining automated milking, adjacent areas, and in-house machinery that allows for mechanized workflows independent of contractors, the farm has significantly reduced its workload.
Lindhof Experimental Farm: Organic Full Grazing on Arable Grassland
At the Lindhof Experimental Farm of the University of Kiel, grassland farming with livestock is relatively recent, resuming in 2015 with the introduction of an organic full grazing system on arable grassland with dairy cows. Purebred Jerseys were brought from Denmark and crossed with Angler and EBI Holsteins in subsequent generations. The 170 animals (including young stock) have 110 hectares of pasture available. The focus is on low-cost milk production, efficient nutrient management, and high-yield forage crops, with grazing genetics adapted to full grazing, including clover grass mixtures, chicory, and plantain contributing a large share to the sward composition.
Grazing begins in early spring, with all fields grazed and gradually removed for the first silage cut. After the initial grazing rotation, classic rotational grazing portions are allocated to dairy cows. Stands are maintained at about 7 cm growth height; overgrown pastures are removed for bale cutting. From July, chicory, plantain, and red and white clover contribute significantly to the full grazing ration, ensuring a good summer grazing season. The high grass content and low concentrate feed require particular attention to acidosis in high-performance dairy cows. Several rumen buffering options have been tried in recent years, with in-house bio-corn supplementation proving the most effective. The species-rich pastures (arable grass) are in a crop rotation with oats, used as a cover crop for underseeding. Clover grass mixtures are sown under the oats in late spring (May) and provide forage for three years for the crossbred animals.
During the pasture tour, it was explained that purebred Jersey and Angler lines adapt well to full grazing and seasonal calving. Initially, all animals were to be triple-crossed with typical Irish grazing genetics. However, it turned out that the purebred animals also fit well into the system at Lindhof by the Eckernförde Bay. In the coming years, researchers aim to shift the calving season to autumn to better harness the higher performance potential of purebred animals, distinguishing this system from the Irish full grazing system.
