We manage our dairy farm after organic principles since 1988 (most important feature: no use of chemical fertilizer and chemical pesticide). Our 150 hectares pure grassland nourish approx. 95 milk cows and about 80 female descendants of these cows.
All our cattle are kept species fair (not tied up) in a bright, very roomy and airy stable. Each cow has got a straw interspersed box to lie on. The very strict European Union organic guidelines for animal husbandry - being valid since August 2000 - have been fulfilled already two years before in all points: E.g. our cows can expose themselves in an outdoor yard to the external climatic conditions all over the year, as well as there is a limited number of straw beds in an external shelter to the cows' disposal. Our calves are not tied as well and they live on straw.
The entire harvest of the winter fodder (grass silage, hay) is done by ourselves with the appropriate technique (4 tractors, mower mechanisms,...).
During the summertime our cows eat fresh grass.
Our organic milk is processed in the dairy Weihenstephan into diverse products.

Regenerative energies

We are taking care to use regenerative energies:
Since 1985 we use the heat resulting from the milk cooling, from which about 1000 litres of warm water of about 55°C are produced and used to warm up industrial water for house and farm. A small part of it also supports the heating.

Via a photovoltaik system we additionally use the force of the sun since 2001 to produce electric energy. After extensions of the solar cells in 2004 and 2008, today we produce approx. 80.000 kWh electric energy per year, what corresponds to the consumption of about 20 households.

In 2004, son Andreas went into regenerative energy production in a large scale by installing a biogas system. In opposit to e.g. photovoltaik or wind energy, biogas is an energy source available around the clock and independent of seasons!
Besides of the upcoming cows' liquid manure, our biogas system is run only with renewable resources (mainly grass silage) and transforms these organic substances via a combined heat and power unit (CHP) into electric energy and heat. For it, the organic mass is heated in two fermenters to about 40°C, a temperature where the bacteries "feel fine" and produce methane which is then burned in a combustion engine (CHP). Eventually a plugged generator transforms the mechanic energy into electric energy, whereas besides approx. 250 kWh electric energy the same amount of heat can be produced within one hour. The electric energy is sold to 100% and is sufficient to supply about 500 households. From the upcoming heat, 50% is necessary for the process itself and the other half is used to heat our dwellings, the vacation homes and a swimming pool.

Since the installation of this technique, our ultramodern central heating running on wooden chips is only used within a few hours of the year (when something is going wrong). Besides this, the upcoming heat is enough to heat the dwellings even in extremely cold winters.