The Freiburg Regional Council (RP) has awarded eight “farms for biological diversity” in southern Baden. The main prizes of the competition in the amount of 1,500 euros each went to the companies of Wolfram Wiggert in Löffingen, Heinrich Till in Schluchsee-Äule, Heinrich Gretzmeier in Merdingen and Martin Geng in Staufen. Armin Ritter from Buggingen, Thomas Mayer from Kandern, Markus Binninger from Wutach-Ewattingen and Dorothee Manthei from Dachsberg-Urberg received special prizes endowed with 1000 euros each.
“These companies are doing an outstanding job of maintaining biological diversity in our cultural landscape,” said Elke Höpfner-Toussaint, head of the environmental department at RP, at the award ceremony today at the Kurhaus in Hinterzarten. In view of the rapidly advancing extinction of species, strengthening an environmentally and climate-friendly agriculture is one of the great challenges of our time. Höpfner-Toussaint thanked the winners for their commitment, which is both an incentive and a role model for other companies. She pointed out that a total of 25 companies took part in the competition. The choice was difficult, especially since there were many interesting concepts.
The RP announced the competition for the first time this year. Agricultural businesses from the districts of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, Lörrach and Waldshut as well as from the city of Freiburg could take part. Partners in the project are the Baden Agricultural Association, the Landscape Conservation Associations in Baden-Württemberg, the Bund Badische Landjugend, the Baden Viticulture Association and the Baden-Württemberg State Nature Conservation Association.
Main award winners:
Main prize arable farming: The Wiggert family (Löffingen, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district) run a comparatively large 400 hectare farm in the Black Forest on the Haslachhof. Special features are the variety of cultures and herbs, a pronounced crop rotation, differentiated use of grassland with species-rich FFH and nature conservation areas as well as the keeping of backwoods cattle.
Main prize grassland cultivation: The Till family (Schluchsee-Äule, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district) cultivates grassland in the steepest of locations with cattle and goats from the backwoods. Two families can make a living from marketing their own meat and dairy products. The innovative overall operating concept was also recognized.
Main prize for viticulture: The Heinrich Gretzmeier winery (Merdingen, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district) impresses with its large variety of ecological enhancement measures such as the sowing of species-rich flowering mixtures and the installation of nesting aids in the vineyards. The overall operating concept, in which viticulture and fruit growing as well as truffle growing and marketing complement each other effectively, was awarded.
Main prize fruit growing: The Geng fruit factory (Staufen, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district) almost completely dispenses with the use of pesticides. Other special features are the integration of nature conservation elements in the orchards such as nesting aids, wet areas and stone piles as well as the large number of cultivated fruit varieties and the direct marketing of fruit products.
Special award winners:
Armin Ritter’s farm (Buggingen, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district) receives a special prize for its special seed crops and innovative concepts for diversifying and restructuring the farm. The Ritter family produce regional seeds and plant flowering areas in the fields and in vineyards.
Thomas Mayer’s company (Rosshof, Kandern, Lörrach district) receives a special prize for its variety of farm animals and rare breeds such as Black Forest foxes (horses), Thuringian forest goats and woolly pigs, as well as for the maintenance of the landscape through grazing.
Markus Binninger’s business (Bruderhof, Ewattingen, Waldshut district) receives a special award for keeping the landscape open in a differentiated way on a difficult hillside and for its natural educational tourism concept.
Dorothee Manthei’s business (Dachsberg-Urberg, Waldshut district) receives a special award for the extensive grassland management that has been successful for many years and adapted to the location under difficult conditions (moist, wet and dry, very steep areas in the smallest of spaces).
(Press information: Freiburg Regional Council, October 12, 2020)
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