For economic reasons, technological innovations on a global scale are heavily geared towards large farms in favorable locations, but initial solutions are slowly emerging for family farms in mountainous regions as well. At the symposium "Innovation, Digitalization and the Farm of the Future – How New Technologies Are Changing Agriculture," held at the Alpen-Adria 2023 agricultural fair in Klagenfurt, two technologies were presented: the FarmLife farm management tool and the use of GPS collars for grazing animals. These technologies are significantly supported by the HBLFARaumberg-Gumpenstein agricultural college. Hans Egger and Eduard Penker, both from the Carinthian Chamber of Agriculture, presented the tools. Following the event, the 2023 Innovation Award was presented in three categories.
The Eco-efficiency research group, which developed FarmLife, is delighted to congratulate the Unterweger family from the Lesach Valley in Carinthia on their 3rd place finish in the agricultural and forestry category. Their dairy farm is situated at an altitude of 1,350 meters on a very steep slope. Through the family's positive values, production methods perfectly adapted to the location, and the processing of milk in their on-site dairy, the Unterweger family demonstrates how successful even small mountain farms can be. In FarmLife, this fundamental approach, combined with the farm's data, led to a life cycle assessment with the "Eco-efficiency" rating. We congratulate them on this achievement and also on their recently received innovation award.
Team
Dr. Thomas Guggenberger, MSc
Institute Director Livestock Research
Dr. Markus Herndl
Department of Soil Science and Lysimetry, Head of the Eco-efficiency Research Group