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XtraBlatt issue 01-2016

  • Text
  • Krone
  • Machinery
  • Forage
  • Straw
  • Farmers
  • Agricultural
  • Menschen
  • Dairy
  • Maize
  • Contractor

MENSCHEN ON-FARM

MENSCHEN ON-FARM Milchhof Rodenwalde OPTIMAIZED Each year on Rodenwalde dairy farm 40,000 t of forage feed is converted to almost 20 million l milk. Maize represents a large part of the ration and farm manager Hans-Peter Greve has had to find a structural solution towards increasing silage digestibility. 14

Hans-Peter Greve and Kathrin Greve with their three sons. M Milchhof Rodenwalde KG lies at the end of an old avenue lined by linden and chestnut trees on the outskirts of Rodenwalde, a picturesque village around an hour east of Hamburg. Hans-Peter Greve is managing director of the farm. Born in Schleswig-Holstein, he came to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 1991 and ten years ago took over management of Rodenwalde dairy farm. Nowadays, he’s sole managing director of the dairy with its almost 2,000 ha land and 1,900 milking cows and followers. His wife Kathrin manages as a further enterprise on the farm, a facility with horse breeding, pension and riding school. TEN YEARS OF LONG CHOP The region around Rodenwalde in the and that the feed ration for our cows is west of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district very maize-dominated.” As Hans-Peter is predestinated for livestock, as this Greve reports, there have even been years dedicated dairy farmer says: “The soil is when no grass at all has been fed. “Grass not all that heavy, but tends to be too is an expensive feed under these conditions and maize is substantially cheaper. light, with its 38 points, for purely arable farming. We are therefore in a classic On the other hand, feeding maize on its forage production location, even though own gives a forage with too little crude it hasn’t specialized in dairying so far.” fiber and structure for the demanding There is, however, one disadvantage ruminant stomachs of our high productthat also leads to a limited proportion ion animals.” For this reason, the maize of permanent pasture: “In parts, there is is chopped longer, and has been for the not enough precipitation, with just 600 last ten years. “We’ve reduced the expensive grass silage to a minimum in the to 700 mm annually. Above all, the early summer drought is pronounced. This feed ration while achieving the required means that in most years yield is limited structure through a longer chop length of 20 mm for our maize.“ 15