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vor 5 Jahren

XtraBlatt Issue 02-2018

  • Text
  • Krone
  • Machinery
  • Forage
  • Straw
  • Farmer
  • Contractor
  • Dairy
  • Bales
  • Agricultural
  • Cows

INTERNATIONAL a special

INTERNATIONAL a special ecological status and this stipulates a single cut only. This leads us straight onto the machinery used during the hay and silage harvests: an ActiveMow 320, KW 6.02/6 turner and a Swadro 46 SW tedder. The farmer sees the advantages of these implements as a good balance between construction quality and lightness which is of great importance especially in mountainside farming. He is also appreciative of the respective implements’ capability of rapid adjustment for road travel and of his Krone dealership, Hochkofler. Up until now, Peter Smolana uses another make for baling, although on the day this report was researched a Fortima V 1500 from Krone was in action on his land as demonstration. Bale wrapping is done separately, undertaken by a neighbouring farmer with his own machine. STYRIA BEEF Apropos ecology: Since 1995 the farm has been organically managed. The year before the changeover, Peter Smolana, at just 16 years of age, took over with his mother Ella his grandparents’ farm. During his time at agricultural college he calculated with the help of his farm management lecturer different business options. In view of the then approaching EU accession of Austria, the way towards organic farming seemed a most sensible one. And looking back, this has proved correct. Peter Smolana is a member of the Styrian quality meat organisation Styria Beef. However, he markets most of his production directly, mainly to restaurants in a diameter of 50 km around Trahütten. Because organic food is generally greatly valued in Austria – continuing, according to Peter Smolana, to attract a steadily growing market – the meat price is a third more than that for conventional ware. And through direct marketing to a fixed customer base, the gross margin for this farmer is even friendlier. The cattle are slaughtered as yearlings. For this reason, Fleckvieh cows are put to Limousin bulls. “The meat from the resultant animals at one year is so well marbled that it attracts an excellent market through its very special quality and taste”, he explains. Mainly, slaughtering is on-farm thus avoiding long journeys to the slaughterhouse, which are stressful for the animals and reduce the quality of the end product. And naturally the home-grown high-quality meat stars on the menus in the gastronomy enterprises of the farmer and his wife Eva. Both a guesthouse and a hotel represent a further important income source and supply Thanks to the above-average rainfall in 2018, Peter Smolana harvested around 25 % more hay and silage than usual. their share of excitement and labour-peaks during the summer season, just the same as the farm does. “In reality, I run four businesses”, smiles Peter Smolana. He’s not only a farmer. With around 100 ha forest he’s got plenty to do with his trees. Each year around 1000 m3 solid timber is felled and sold, depending on quality and strength, to regional sawmills, papermills or as wood fuel, some of the latter landing in the furnace of the farm’s own central heating plant. He’s also a bio-energy producer with two small water-driven turbines, a photovoltaic system and the above-mentioned heating plant. Annual production: around 330,000 kW electricity, with about a quarter used in his own businesses. No less important are Peter Smolana’s catering enterprises, his fourth income source, with hotel and holiday accommodation. “Without my wife Eva, my mother Ella and our fully committed team, all of this would be too much to handle, especially as my own work focusses on field and forest. But working smoothly together means everything succeeds very well.” « 22

PRESS CONFERENCE A WORLD- WIDE GUEST LIST The invitation to the Krone autumn press conference near Berlin in September 2018 brought over 100 journalists from 26 countries to the event. During two days Krone presented its business objectives and latest machinery. 23