On May 26th, took place at the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein for a segment of the ORF Styria "Landwirt – schafft" (Farmer – Creates ). The focus was on current developments and challenges in sheep and goat farming.
Siegfried Illmayer, managing director of the Styrian Sheep and Goat Breeders' Association, emphasized in an interview the increasing demand for lamb and the associated need to train more sheep farmers. For this very reason, it is particularly important that the students of the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein acquire comprehensive knowledge of sheep farming.
In practical lessons, Stefanie Gappmaier, together with the students, checked the health status of the animals and demonstrated important aspects of veterinary care.
Maria Naynar presented the shepherd course of the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein , which not only imparts traditional knowledge but also underlines the importance of shepherding work for the sustainable management of the alpine pastures.
Reinhard Huber presented two current research projects :
The first project investigates heat stress in goats, including measurements of heart rate.
The second project focuses on grazing on alpine pastures. GPS trackers (pasture GPS) are used to collect data on the animals' movement patterns in order to analyze grazing density.
The article impressively demonstrates how practice, education and research at the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein interlock and contribute to the sustainable development of local pasture farming.
Click here to go to the report on ORF Styria
Farmer succeeds: Sheep breeding
