The Seefeld farm is situated in the province of Hollabrunn, close to the Austrian/Czech border. It consists of 42 hectares of vineyards, 450 hectares of forest and 2,300 hectares of arable land with extensive range of crops including: winter wheat and barley, sugarbeet, maize, oilseed rape, spring barley and
potatoes. Although the farm specialises in growing high-quality milling wheat, with the introduction and investment made in the irrigation system, high-quality potatoes can now be consistently grown.The farm has a supply contract with a local potato processor, setting out minimum grades which the potatoes are expected to reach, and incentives and bonus payments for quality above that stated in the contract.
The profitability of potato production being heavily influenced by irrigation management, the Seefeld farm takes the issue of water managemnt and use very seriously. It has invested in a Dacom system of soil moisture meters which are placed in the potato fields at three depths, allowing to monitor and adjust irrigation levels to match soil conditions and crop requirements. Irrigation is provided by a centre pivot system which is capable of covering 800 hectares of
the farm.
Another important issue is limiting fertiliser use and potential leakages in water. Therefore, routine four-yearly soil tests for potash and phosphate are undertaken to ensure reserves are maintained, but not exceeded. The farm also tests the soils for mobilised nitrogen levels in two seasons:
- in the autumn, to ensure there is an adequate level of nitrogen in the soil to aid in the breakdown of incorporated cereal straw from the harvested crop; and in the spring, to guarantee that the required levels of nitrogen are made available for the growing crop.
- The targeted and specific use of pig slurry allows the farm to reduce its dependence on purchased fertilisers and in turn decreases the farm’s carbon footprint. It is applied to the land using low-level application techniques, followed by swift incorporation into the soil which minimises loss of ammonia.
In addition, the farm undertakes a wide range of environmental programmes, such as the large-scale construction of ditches across the farm and formation of wooded wetland areas aimed at enabling the formation of wildlife habitats whil providing a storage facility for irrigation water. These areas have benefitted the farm economically, as they have enabled other crops to be planted and grown in areas which have traditionally suffered from drought over summer months.
Finally, The farm plants a green cover crop during the autumn for fields which are to be sown in the spring. If these crops are established early enough, they can reduce nitrate losses from the soil, as this is used by the growing plants. This also provides the benefit of reducing the risk of soil erosion, as the growing crop covers the soil and the root system helps bind the soil particles together, avoiding windblown erosion.
In the spring, the green crop is incorporated into the soil, adding extra organic matter and providing key nutrients which improve growing conditions for the following crop.
