Below are some insights into our students' "Extended Practical Training".

Reels from the big practice 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student reports

Lea Stock-Wesner, Denmark

I completed my internship at a horse farm with around 120 horses and thoroughly enjoyed it. My days were packed with stable work, horse training, and tours for tourists. The team was fantastic – everyone helped each other out at all times, and some truly wonderful friendships developed.

 

Marvin and Marwin, Germany

Hello everyone!
We're sending warm greetings from our "Large Practice 2024" at the Georgenthal Estate, west of Kiel. This farm surprisingly specializes in arable farming and also runs a small horse stable. Both at work and in our free time, we've already met many interesting people and experienced numerous wonderful and educational moments. Despite the beautiful scenery and the unique experience, we can't wait to return to the Enns Valley!

 

Aliyah Lechner-Khodai, South Tyrol

An internship in South Tyrol is a fantastic opportunity to gain new experiences, create unforgettable memories, and improve your Italian. This region is the perfect place. I spent 14 weeks on the Plattkofelalm (2254m), in the heart of the Seiser Alm.
Work starts early, at 4:30 a.m., but the fresh mountain air and tranquility make it easy to stay motivated. During the workday, between seven and eight in the evening, there are many different tasks to complete. Whether milking cows and goats in the early morning, assisting the kitchen team mid-morning, serving food and drinks after lunch, or performing the daily duties of a shepherd, each task presents new challenges. Beyond work, time spent with colleagues is invaluable. Sharing laughter creates a wonderful team atmosphere. The friendships forged during the internship are precious. You learn your own limits, the highs and lows that you sometimes experience alone, but often together. Through thick and thin, nothing is set in stone, but much is spontaneous. In summary, an internship on an alpine pasture is not only a wonderful experience, but also an opportunity everyone should seize, embarking on an adventurous journey. It opens the heart and invigorates the mind.

 

David Rudorfer, Germany

Bastian, Benedikt, and I have been working on a large arable farm in Stoltenhagen since July 15th. The farm has 1600 hectares of arable land and also keeps about 200 suckler cows. Our tasks include hauling grain, tilling the soil, and other farm work.

 

Haberl Florian, Norway

Martin, Valentin, and I spent the first eight weeks of our internship in Norway. Our tasks included clearing Christmas trees and maintaining chainsaws and brush cutters. We were overwhelmed by the Norwegian landscape—from the mountains to the stunning fjords. We spent the remaining six weeks in northern Germany, where our work mainly consisted of fieldwork, such as stubble mulching, cultivating, and spreading lime. In Germany, I was impressed by the size of the machinery compared to what I use at home. Looking back, I couldn't imagine a better internship.

 

 

Stefanie Schmitt, Netherlands

I'm currently spending this time with a friend in the Netherlands. I've already learned a lot and gained some wonderful impressions. Our work here is very extensive and educational.

 

 

Hoffelner Valentin

I'm really enjoying my internship here. There are many people working here from all over the world. It's made many things easier for me, both in terms of language skills and teamwork. The boss here is really nice, and everyone speaks English. In my free time, I explore the mountains or do activities like fishing, climbing, or swimming with the others. I highly recommend an internship abroad like this, as you make lots of new friends, learn a lot at work, and gain a better understanding of the differences between various cultures.

 

 

Raphael Wipfl

 

Laura Rießner and Christina Schneeberger, Norway

“We, Laura and Christina, are spending seven weeks on a dairy goat farm in Norddal, Norway. We're learning a lot and getting a great insight into goat farming and milk processing. Our daily tasks include gardening, making goat's milk caramel, caring for the goats, both big and small, and milking them on the mountain pasture. A big part of our work also involves selling our products to tourist groups from all over the world. An absolute highlight was spending the night on the mountain pasture, which is very remote and has no electricity or running water. The farm has about 200 goats, and the owners, Jostein and Ashild, take wonderful care of them.”

 

 

Elena Leitgeb and Miriam Wünscher, Germany and Austria

“I, Elena Leitgeb, and Miriam Wünscher spent the first few weeks of our internship on a farm in Germany. More precisely, near Kiel. Our tasks were very diverse: from hauling grain to spreading compost and lime, we did it all. Then we returned to our home country, where we helped out at the EWOT Academy, a sport horse stable in Salzburg. Mucking out stalls, turning horses out to pasture, feeding them, and riding were all part of our duties. We also attended a few competitions and gained a lot of impressions and experience in show jumping!”

 

 

Mateo Bruckner

 

 

Marie-Madlen Lukas and Daria Lengdorfer, Switzerland

Marie-Madlen Lukas and I, Daria Lengdorfer, have been in Switzerland since June 16th. We're working at the Hochstross farm, owned by the Heimberg-Müller family in the canton of Thurgau. The farm has 18 dairy cows and 172 laying hens. Our tasks include going into the barn, feeding the chickens, and harvesting various fruits and vegetables. We also do fieldwork, such as grouping crops. On Friday and Saturday mornings, we bake bread, which is sold in the farm shop. Marie and I also help with the production of various products, such as the different jams, dried fruits, and syrups that are part of their range. We feel very comfortable here; the family welcomed us warmly from the very beginning.

 

Felix Grupp, Germany

Matthias Kaltenbrunner and I, Felix Grupp, are spending our 14-week practical training this year on a farm in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the Mecklenburg Lake District. Our work is varied and includes everything from transporting the harvested grain and tilling the soil to sowing seeds. The sheer size of the machinery here is impressive, and we're really enjoying ourselves up north. The work is fun, and the staff are very welcoming and extremely friendly.

 

David Pilz, Austria

I completed the first part of my practical training at the Marharterhof farm in Ramsau am Dachstein. I gained many insights into the fields of veterinary medicine and agriculture. The highlight was the excursions to the Grafenbergalm alpine pasture.

 

 

Philip Reiter, Germany

 

 

Vanessa Baumgartner, Germany

I'm currently completing my practical training at the Sümpelmann dairy farm in Schermbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia. The farm has dairy cows, their female offspring, a few sheep, breeds breeding bulls, and fattens cattle and bulls. The family also manages grassland and arable land, growing sugar beets, grain, and corn. My daily work begins at 6:00 a.m. with barn chores (cleaning stalls, moving freshly calved cows from the straw-bedded pens to the milking robot, feeding calves, and generally feeding all the animals). After that, there's always work to be done around the farm or in the fields during the day until 5:00 p.m., when there's no harvest. I often have to move machinery for the agricultural trading business run by the family's father. Like all the other employees, I have Sundays off. I've already had the opportunity to experience and learn a great deal here. I feel very comfortable here, as the family welcomed me warmly right away, and I've made some wonderful friends.

 

 

Peter-Kajetan Weiss

 

 

Paul Baier and Stefan Fuchs, Germany

Hey everyone, Paul and Stefan here.
The diverse and extensive expertise we're acquiring here at the Gut Groß Voigtshagen farm, right on the Baltic Sea, is still easier than speaking standard German to each other. You can tell that, even though we live 1000 km apart, we're on the same wavelength because of our diverse agricultural backgrounds. The theory we learn in school is reinforced and truly understood through the practical experience necessary for understanding arable farming. Our work is quite varied, including some farm chores; this is also because cleanliness and precision are highly valued. We're also given a lot of trust. Today, for example, two 19-year-olds and two 17-year-olds are completely on their own with the harvest. The harvest beer is always a fun time with all the young people working here. Looking forward to heading back to the mountains.
Best regards from the Baltic Sea

 

 

Magdalena Strobl, Austria

I am currently completing my practical training on a farm in Velm (Lower Austria). My responsibilities are very diverse, making each workday different. Here, I can apply my knowledge and learn a great deal. I am getting to know many new aspects of agriculture, such as the propagation of various crops and crop irrigation. The farm also offers direct sales, which gives me insight into direct marketing.
Sincerely,
Magdalena Strobl

 

 

Jessica Kopp

My internship is going very well. I was given responsibility very quickly. There's always something going on, both in the family's competition horse stable and in the cowshed. Whether it's feeding, milking, or catching sheep, there's always something to do. With the family's 700 hectares of land, it's easy to put the animals out on huge pastures. Whether horse, cattle, or sheep – they all live the best life here.

 

 

Daniel Nauschnegg and Matthias Zeiner, Germany

Matthias Zeiner and I are working on a roughly 600-hectare arable farm in Miltitzwalde, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Our main tasks include hauling grain and tilling the soil. Of course, farm work and machine maintenance are also part of the job. We were immediately welcomed into the team and feel very comfortable here. Harrowing and hauling are my favorite tasks. In our free time, we often visit our school friends who are also doing their practical training here.
Best regards
, Daniel Nauschnegg

 

 

Chiara Wille and Phoebe Leodolter, Norway

We, Phoebe Leodolter and Chiara Wille, are completing our extended practical training in Snasa, Norway, on a dairy farm that also includes young stock. We spend most of our time in the barn, but tasks like cleaning the stalls, fencing, and gardening are also part of our job. We feel very comfortable here and were immediately welcomed into the family.

 

 

Anna Polz, Leonie Anichhofer, Romania

Anna Polz and Leonie Anichhofer are completing their international internship at the Sapient Agrar SRL farm in Salard, Romania, not far from the Hungarian border. The arable farm is run by four men, and their main crops include corn, barley, wheat, sunflowers, and rapeseed. We were able to help out with the harvest, which began in mid-June, and perform other tasks around the farm. We were also given the opportunity to feed the pigs, dogs, and two ponies. Highlights included visiting the nearby city of Oradea and taking quad bike rides through the fields. Furthermore, we received a warm welcome from the family and experienced Romanian cuisine.

 

 

Alexander Münzer, Silvan Raffling and Matthias Steinberger, Germany

Silvan Raffling, Matthias Steinberger, and I, Alexander Münzer, are completing our extended practical training at Baltic Agrar in Germany. Our work is very varied; it ranges from chopping grass, hauling and storing grain, to workshop tasks such as repairing the cultivator. We enjoy the work and it's not like we'll be running out of it anytime soon. The landscape is beautiful, and there are wind turbines everywhere on the horizon. Initially, there were only three of us from Raumberg, but that quickly changed. As of today, there are six of us from Raumberg – it's a blast!.

 

 

Anika Hofbauer & Amelie Brandstätter, Germany

We're spending the first seven weeks of our 14-week internship in Germany at the Wiesenthof farm in Franconian Switzerland. Our farm has a Wagyu beef cattle operation with a fattening program for steers (around 250 head) (approximately 250 hectares of managed grassland and a small area of ​​arable land). They also operate two biogas plants. As a third source of income, the family has planted truffle trees (around 3-5 hectares). Our daily tasks include feeding the horses, typical chores in the cattle barn (mucking out, caring for sick/newborn animals/calves, etc.), tending to the young trees in the greenhouse, and all the other daytime tasks, as well as cooking for the family. We particularly enjoy working with the animals and cooking for the whole family every day. We always have weekends off. If the weather is nice enough for silage or haymaking on the weekend, we get a day off during the week. In our free time, we've already had the pleasure of experiencing many things and meeting lots of new people. We feel very comfortable at the farm, as we were welcomed warmly and felt like part of the family from day one.
Warm greetings to Austria!

 

Anna König, Ireland

 

 

Lisa Neubauer, Ireland

I'm currently in my first month here in Iceland, more precisely in Hvolsvöllur, working on a farm with cows, bulls, sheep, horses, and dogs. My responsibilities cover many areas, such as managing the cowshed, feeding and mucking out the horses, and riding. We also participate in multi-day riding tours. But other tasks include counting cans, folding sacks, raking, and bringing in silage bales.

 

 

Lisa Waidinger, Ireland

I'm completing my practical training with Anna König on a dairy farm with 377 cows in Ireland, near Carrick-on-Suir. Our main tasks are milking the cows in the morning and evening, feeding and watering the approximately 70 calves, and spraying weeds with a quad bike. The family is very friendly and gave us a warm welcome right away.

 

 

Johanna Fürstauer-Reiter, Switzerland

BUN DI SCHWEIZ. I'm completing my practical training at the Morteratsch Alpine Show Dairy in Pontresina. Besides working in service, sales, and the kitchen, I sometimes get to help with cheesemaking in the show dairy. I especially enjoy serving the guests and explaining our different cheeses to them. In my free time, I spend a lot of time in the mountains, enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Engadine.

 

 

Johanna Rauchenwald

 

 

Magdalena Zollner

 

 

Verena Angleitner, Ireland

I'm currently completing my practical training in Ireland, near Cork. Besides the 55 dairy cows, the farm is also home to two bulls, their offspring, five dogs, and five cats. My duties include not only milking but also cleaning the animals' winter stalls, as they spend the summer grazing in the pastures. I feel very comfortable on the farm, as I was immediately welcomed and the family is very friendly.

 

 

Anna Haring, Netherlands

 

 

 Sophia Hofer, Iceland

 

 

 Tobias Kapaun, Austria

For my 14-week internship, I'm spending six weeks at home. It started off rainy, so my father (my boss) was able to do a lot of the work, like loading the livestock trailer. After the bad weather passed, we did the first cut. My tasks were lubricating the machines, checking the oils and fluids, and adjusting everything. We also looked for fawns in the meadows. After that, I mowed, tedded, windrowed, and raked the steep slopes. In the mornings, we brought the silage bales to the farm, and in the afternoons, we brought in the loose hay. I'm looking forward to the rest of the time.