The network meeting of the Impulsbetriebe Rind (cattle farms) took place on 1 and 2 October in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. The meeting point on the first day was the Impulsbetrieb Hofgut Oberfeld. Over coffee and cake, the new and old farms had the opportunity to get to know each other. Farm manager Kathrin Goebel then presented the farm, which is very diverse thanks to its own cheese dairy, farm shop and educational farm. She then took the participants to the farm's own hay drying facility and on to the dairy cattle barn. There she explained her concept, her experiences and her motivation for mother-bonded calf rearing. There was an intensive exchange on various topics such as the barn construction system, the sprinkler system, the marketing of farm products and the calf shelter. Afterwards, farm manager Thomas Goebel showed the participants his own grassland areas and an agroforestry system embedded in a local recreation area. The participants were particularly fascinated by the seasonal gardens, which almost caused them to miss bringing the cows in from the pasture. During dinner, the exchange was further intensified and new insights were gained.

The next day began with a visit to the Hofgut Neumühle teaching and research institute for livestock farming. Facility manager Dr Christian Koch gave an exciting presentation on the topic of "Future-oriented cattle farming". He highlighted the current challenges in animal husbandry and opened up a discussion on whether animal husbandry is necessary for human nutrition and to what extent an environment without farm animals is desirable. Although livestock farms are currently facing enormous challenges, he managed to motivate the farms and emphasised that animal husbandry has the potential to maximise well-being. Afterwards, Dr. Theresa Scheu from Hofgut gave a tour of the farm, during which the dairy cattle and calf barns were visited and the milking system and feeding trials were discussed. During lunch, ideas for future network meetings were developed. After a successful event, all participants made their way home.

Author: Paulina Kluger, FiBL Deutschland e.V.