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XtraBlatt Issue 01-2020

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28 ON-FARM

FAMILY SCHUMEIER, LACHENDORF SIGHTS FIXED ON THE FUTURE In the building front right is the milking carousel plus waiting area, milk room, bulk tanks and housing for dry cows as well as fresh calvers. In the building behind this is housed the milking herd. The monopitch shed on the left is for calves and young heifers. With new buildings and doubling of the milking herd, the Schumeier family steps out to secure continued success for the farming business in the next generation. Enjoyment of farming itself and a good portion of optimism remain requirements for the way ahead – despite bureaucracy and similar hurdles. An encouraging story. Farmers think in generations – although it’s not always simply assumed that the next generation will take over. All the more contented are Heinrich Schumeier and wife Gabriele from Lachendorf in the Celle district of Lower Saxony that both their sons Sebastian (29) and Alexander (24) are set to carry on the farm that has been in the family since 1910. The decision to start preparations for the next generation was actually made over ten years ago when Sebastian had completed his studies and Alexander said he was ready to start. Then, the central question was: How should the business be set-up so that it could offer a good future in the 21st century – and for three families? At that time, the framework conditions still featured milk quotas, although the end of this regime could be seen, which was more than could be said for milk price development after quotas, however. “Despite this, we were resolute in our course of continually expanding cow numbers. To start with, this meant buying extra quota. Later, the amount of housing space was the final restriction to expansion”, reports Heinrich Schumeier. Cow numbers thus increased gradually from 80 in 2005 to around 180 in 2015. Result: the accommodation built in 1997 and extended in 2005 was crammed-full. Room had to be found for youngstock in neighbouring barns. MANY HURDLES Parallel to stocking-up, the most stressful chapter was also underway: planning and realisation of the new dairy premises. It was quickly obvious to the family what this housing should look like – but not its location. In total, four options were investigated and then rejected over a period of six years, until the decision for the final, actual location, fell for a greenfield site 29