XtraBlatt issue 01-2016

INTERNATIONAL
1
whole harvest all operations are done by us, from mowing
to turning and tedding through to uptake with two
forage wagons. We do not need a contractor, or help
from neighbours.”
Most of the meat produced here is sold in Fritz Egger’s
own hotel and restaurant in St. Johann. “Here ends, so
to speak, our production chain. From the pastures, via
rearing and feeding, right onto the guests’ plates, we
have all production, slaughter and processing in our own
hands. Some of the product is sold in a retail market that
adjoins the hotel”, added this Austrian farm manager.
CRUCIAL: QUALITY SILAGE
In winter, the animals feed on grass silage and hay. In
summer, the stock is moved up the mountain to graze
the alm – and are milked up there too. With around
1,400 mm annual precipitation there’s rich grass growth
in summer, enough for four cuts in normal years.
Mowing is with a 9 m butterfly combination and tine
conditioner. “We have to be really flexible here if we
want to harvest quality forage”, he adds. “And we can
really use the power of our 200 HP tractor on the slopes.”
For the 2016 season, a forage wagon from Krone with
28 m 3 capacity joins the fleet, the new trailer replacing
a much smaller one that went in part-exchange. “Transport
distances are becoming longer. Sometimes we have
to cover 10 km and more and we do not want to break
the silage harvesting chain with delays. This is why we
go for larger capacity vehicles. The target is to have feed
rolled firmly in the clamp and covered within 24 hours.
As a rule, we manage this, helped by the very efficient
conditioning technology on the mower.”
As a rule, the silage season begins with a cut mid-
May. “We start before the grass flowers to harvest as
much energy and protein as possible. Additionally, we
aim at minimizing feed ash content. This is not always
easy because the weather continually changes with lots
of rain. We aim to get around this by keeping the time
between mowing and ensiling as short as possible”, explains
Christoph Niedermoser. “Our advantage is that
we are very well-equipped with machinery. Thus, for the
“Especially on the slopes, though, the growing size of
machinery doesn’t always make the job easier. Even with
tedding, care must be taken that the forage wagon can
safely follow the swaths. Tedding into the swath is with
a 7.30 m twin-rotor side-tedder that fits well into the
harvesting chain. “As a rule we turn the swath once and
then back again. Only on extreme slopes do we have to
rake forage off the slopes so that it can be lifted on less
steep ground”, adds Christoph Niedermoser.
30