Agri­culture

Plant breeding is at the heart of our company group. However, our roots are in farming and agriculture, and this has always been our defining influence. The company was founded in 1905 on a farm in what was then Eastern Pomerania – and to this day, we continue to cultivate around 7,500 ha with a passion on our farms in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein and Brandenburg.

Priorities in agriculture

Our most important assets – apart from our experienced managers and employees – are our soils and the quality of our crops. That's why we rely on varied, complex crop rotations and the cultivation of catch crops to increase soil fertility and reduce soil and water erosion.

Regenerative energies

“Growing innovation” is highly relevant for us in agriculture, too. We focus on sustainable, responsible action and innovative cultivation methods, and we use precision farming and digitalisation wherever it contributes to a better and more sustainable agriculture.

In addition to our activity in arable and dairy farming, we produce regenerative energy. Photovoltaic panels are installed on a substanstial part of our agricultural buildings; and we also operate a biogas plant. With the waste heat it produces, we can heat the greenhouse at the breeding station, and supply heat to a nearby residential area.

We spread the fermentation residues from our biogas plant back on our fields as a high-quality organic fertiliser, thus maintaining a natural cycle.

Agricultural busi­nesses

Having our roots in agriculture and being able to engage in agriculture with conviction and heart and soul also means that we are familiar with the social, political and climatic challenges farmers face in their work, as well as the day-to-day problems an agricultural business brings with it. We share the perspective of our propagators and customers, and this gives us even greater motivation in our work and in developing our services and products.

For us, being a farmer also means being rooted in the region and having a share in country life. And we want this to be reflected in our farms, too: whether that be through jobs, training prospects, support for local associations, or farm festivals at which we provide an insight into the work of farming and paint a realistic and constructive picture of agriculture.

Focus on optimisation and sustainability

Systematic data is collected on soil fertility and pest regulation, which is used, among other things, to optimise production processes. Based on the data collection, issues such as the following are discussed:

  • Optimisation of broad crop rotation cycles
  • Management of the production resources used
  • Site trials on requirements for climatic conditions and changes such as drought and heat tolerance
  • Nutrient requirements & potential savings on pesticides
  • Water management
  • Storage

Our researchers also investigate which other factors have a favourable effect on the production of high-quality seed potatoes as well as on quality stability and high marketable yields.

Each of the six agricultural facilities works with its own profile. This applies to the cultivation of crops, the use of fallow and green areas and the multiplication of seed potatoes.

More information

Potato varieties

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Breeding

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Self-conception

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