What are the advantages of crossbred cattle as suckler cows? In June 2023, Statistics Austria counted 157,992 suckler cows in Austria. Suckler cow husbandry provides excellent products and contributes significantly to a positive image of animal husbandry...
February 1, 2024 - Winter Conference - Grassland and Livestock Farming Day 2024 in Raumberg-Gumpenstein. The Eco-Social Forum was founded in 1992 as an independent platform for the further development of the eco-social idea by DI Dr. hc. Josef Riegler....
Research cooperation HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein and Rinderzucht Austria officially launched with two GreenFeed systems. In a large-scale research project called Breed4Green, led by Rinderzucht Austria, the next...
Animal welfare barn reduces emissions similarly to exhaust air purification. In the largest research project to date in Austria in the field of pig emissions, carried out via the EU's EIP-AGRI program, a new husbandry system based on animal welfare was developed...
What our gene pool can offer livestock: The diversity of our livestock is under threat worldwide! The intensification of animal production is leading to the breeding of increasingly specialized, high-performance breeds that produce more milk, meat, or...
Chamber of Agriculture President Franz Titschenbacher discusses the 2023 European Days. The traditional European Days will take place at the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein on Friday, November 24th and Saturday, November 25th, 2023. In this podcast interview, Chamber of Agriculture President Franz Titschenbacher discusses...
Live from the cow – What the rumen reveals: Modern rumen sensors can not only distinguish between eating and rumination in cows – they also provide live health data from the cow. Ruminants can digest grass and hay in their forestomachs...
30 years of vegetation and biodiversity management at the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein – Retrospective, innovation and future perspectives in greening technology.
Effective measures for organic arable farming! The challenges in organic arable farming have changed. Research, for example on humus building, which also helps organic arable farming, is increasing. Mechanical weed regulation is finding a...
Agriculture and forestry generate eleven times more energy than they need. Energy‑poor farms know their energy consumption and actively implement measures to remain competitive despite rising energy costs. The domestic...
The Austrian forest in climate change - an outlook Roughly half of Austria's land area is covered with forest. In addition to supplying raw materials, the forest provides further important ecological and also societal services....
Climate change influences our wildlife populations - where is the journey heading? Rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns shift the habitats of wildlife. The availability of food changes, as plants and...
Impact of climate change on the soil water balance in grassland Higher air temperatures with sufficient precipitation can lead to a longer growing season and an increase in biomass. However, higher...
Our soil - the thin skin of the Earth How is soil health in Austria? Why is the soil especially important when it comes to climate change? What is increasingly being considered in Austrian agriculture? Which...
Vegetable cultivation in times of climate change - What should be considered? Whether you have a green thumb, are an (experienced) gardener, a consumer, a farmer: Here there is something inspiring for everyone ...
Climate-friendly horse keeping - What should be considered? Even in horse keeping, heat periods not only complicate feed production or pasture management, but higher temperatures also strain the horses in the stable. In the podcast episode...
From the region to Europe: What moves our youth? What is important to young people? What emphasis does the largest youth organization in Austria place? Why does Europe need the youth from the countryside ... and why should young people ...?.
Design existing poultry houses climate‑fit Heat stress can become a major problem for the health and performance of the animals during the hot summer months in poultry farming. Poultry show few signs...
Climate change in agriculture - mountain farmer & managing director of Land creates life Hannes Royer in conversation Whoever gets to know him immediately notices: Stagnation is a foreign word for Hannes Royer. It goes from the alpine pasture to the business dinner,...
Stabilize yield fluctuations through optimal water use In many regions, years with normal yields are increasingly alternating with loss‑making years. This is usually due to extremely dry conditions, which are caused by higher...
Karl Neuhofer, chairman of the ARGE Heumilch with his experiences on climate change adaptation Karl Neuhofer has been a successful chairman of the ARGE Heumilch since 2004. He is regarded as an expert and pioneer in Austrian agriculture. Already at 20...
Achieve higher yields on dry sites through proper seed selection. A productive and site-adapted permanent grassland is one of the key foundations for sustainable and economically successful...
Steirerteich.com - the planning tool for pond sizing in Styria Directly on the affected properties carry out the pond planning and have all relevant information available with a mouse click - this goal has been set by the HBLFA...
Impacts of climate change make massive adjustments in fruit cultivation necessary. Climatic changes present Styrian fruit farms with major challenges. Late frosts, prolonged drought periods and heat waves have in the...
Climate change in viticulture – developments, strategies, perspectives extreme weather events, higher temperatures, late frost, etc. – Climate change has also arrived in viticulture and is very present each year. The climate is changing and thus...
Climate‑smart agriculture – Bringing adaptation strategies to the wider public Many farmers have already devised strategies and are implementing measures to adapt to changing climatic conditions and their impacts...
This is how grassland irrigation works - Visit to the pioneering Strasser family in Lower Austria In 2004 a grassland irrigation system was built at the full‑grazing dairy farm Strasser in Nöchling on the Danube...
The landscape produces our water and protects the soil - or not! Our natural and cultural landscape is decisively responsible for the extent and quality of water available to us. With this, it provides the...
Is the parasite load changing in the context of climate change? Reports from recent years point to an increased occurrence of non-native mosquitoes and insect species. Some of them can harbor pathogens and also ...
How can innovative digital technologies make us more climate‑fit? By applying modern methods of data collection and networking, changes in climate and weather can become tangible, and thus better understandable....
How do birds respond to changes and what measures can promote bird diversity? Birds are specialists that can react quickly and sensitively to problems in nature and cultural landscapes due to their high mobility....
Stalldachbegrünung - Ein Beitrag zur Klimaanpassung, Biodiversitätsförderung und zum Tierwohl Extensive Dachbegrünungen sind für Stalldächer, Ausläufe und Hallendächer am landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb geeignet, da diese statisch...
Kill ruminants in Austria for climate protection? No, because it is neither effective nor necessary! Austria's mountains ensure enough precipitation for agriculture in many areas. That's good, but in many regions only grass grows because of that...
What can be done to ensure silage quality at higher temperatures? Higher temperatures significantly increase the risk of mass/quality losses during the field phase, during fermentation, and especially during the harvesting phase....
Basic feed shortage can be existentially threatening - how can one respond? If it is certain that the feed for the upcoming winter months will not be sufficient, swift and targeted action must be taken. There are medium- and short-term...
What to watch for when grazing in drought conditions On sites threatened by drought, a special grazing management is needed. The plant stock must not be too short and the plants and roots need more rest periods. In this...
What cattle breeding can achieve and what to consider in feeding during heat. In cattle feeding, housing and breeding, the issue of heat stress is increasingly being considered globally. The housing environment always plays the...
Approaches to solutions and assessments of climate protection measures in agriculture Climate protection is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Agricultural enterprises themselves are strongly affected by climate change; at the same time, the...
Klimaanpassung – Wertvolle Anregungen zur Betriebsentwicklung von Franz Sinabell Die Klimakrise, die Ernährung im Wandel der Zeit, die Entwicklung der Agrarmärkte und Produkterlöse, die Agrarausgleichszahlungen, die Digitalisierung, die...
Heat stress in the pig population – impacts and potentials. With regard to animal welfare and animal protection, cooling in the breeding sow and fattening pig sector is now essential. However, an occurring heat stress has...
Through site‑adapted management to climate‑fit grassland, grassland is with more than 1.3 million hectares by far the most important crop in Austria. The management possibilities in grassland are decisive...
Prevent heat stress in cattle through appropriate water supply. Increasing heat waves in Central Europe make adapted management and suitable barn technology essential for avoiding heat stress. It is especially important,...
Observe the spring and then quickly head to the mountain pasture! The climate change that agriculture on the home farms clearly notices also occurs on the mountain pastures in an intensive form. In a long-term study between 1993 and 2018, it was...
Cultivation of new crops such as edible legumes and sweet potatoes, alongside increased resistance to drought and heat, opens the change in eating habits as an opportunity for new crops. Especially regional,...
Experiences with irrigation of grassland in the Alpine region In South Tyrol there is extensive experience with the use of sprinkler systems in grassland farming. Due to climate change, the irrigation of meadows and pastures is also in...
What to definitely pay attention to when building a new cattle barn: already the planning of a barn decides whether the climate parameters move in a positive direction. In the podcast, Engineer Eduard Zentner gives valuable tips on what to consider...
Maize silage-rich rations in dairy cattle feeding during drought. Drought in summer increasingly leads to crop failures in grassland. Such reduced yields can be compensated by silage maize, as it is less susceptible to...
Measures for cattle housing. Designing our barns climate‑fit is the stated credo of the future. Only with optimal ventilation and a sensible level of mechanisation will it be possible to make heat periods more tolerable for the...
Resilience in farm management – site-appropriate agriculture. The total of risks for agricultural enterprises is noticeably increasing. Changes due to climate change are amplified by global uncertainties....
Management and plant stock are changing: temperature increase, longer growing periods, increasing drought stress, more frequent heavy rainfalls. All these changes have impacts on...
What can fertilization technology achieve? Due to climatic changes, the duration of heat and drought periods as well as heavy rain events are increasing. Consequently – with usual fertilizer application – the time window for a...
Addressing feed shortage with reserves and loss reduction. Due to weather extremes such as drought, flooding and hailstorms, farm‑owned basic feed is increasingly scarce or runs out early on livestock farms. The...
What lies ahead for Austrian agriculture? The global climate is changing markedly. Especially the farming enterprises are heavily burdened by the increasing weather extremes. The cause is essentially the rising ...
Stay on the ground. The soil is our life basis. The temperature‑induced increase in evaporation of water stored in the soil, the increased surface water runoff due to more intense rain events, too little meltwater...
The previous part focused on explaining greenhouse gases and reducing them and their radiative efficiency. Now, in the final part of the podcast series, it is strongly emphasized that we need an energy transition if we want to...
We need to consider how we want to shape our future and how we can best reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This part of the podcast series outlines the contributions of various greenhouse gases and the reduction pathways...
The greenhouse gases described in previous episodes of the podcast series also have different effects over different durations. This is called their impact wave. CO2 becomes dominant in the following years, while...
All greenhouse gases have different effects. This effect can be compared to a filtering effect. While CH4 and N2O have a strong filtering effect, CO2 is filtered almost not at all. This interplay between the...
The breakdown of the greenhouse gases CO2, N2O, and CH4 takes different amounts of time because their extent also varies. CO2 is the most dramatic of these greenhouse gases. While CH4 and N2O can be broken down exponentially and more rapidly,...
For 150 years, Austria has been striving to give its people a better life, and as a result, it ranks among the 15 most successful countries in the world. However, it is also among the 15 countries that contribute most to the climate crisis.
In the first part, Dr. Thomas Guggenberger explains that the climate crisis in Austria can be imagined as a tsunami wave with an enormous stretch of water behind it, containing a great deal of energy. The climate crisis is not developing...
