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English Issue Biogas Journal | Spring_2021 From a sceptic to a pioneer Hans Grötzinger is a passionate crop, biogas and organic farmer. He discovered renewable agriculture while searching for better soil fertility and stability in view of the climate change. He applies some of the measures mentioned under this term, but not all of them. He focuses on humification, a well-balanced supply of nutrients and organic fertilization. By Christian Dany Hilling in the Lower Bavarian district of Landshut: Hans Grötzinger sticks a spade into the soil of his field. “The chunks in the soil are good,” he explained. “They maintain the soil structure so that the soil won’t become too muddy when it rains. Below the chunks is the fine soil.” He then digs more than 30 centimeters below the surface. There is no visible cultivated layer, which is no wonder, as the organic farmer Grötzinger stopped using a plough three years ago. Another interesting factor is the test with a one meter long soil probe: It can easily be pushed into the soil as far as it will go. 37-year old Grötzinger then inspects a field of five-week-old oat plants dispersed with buckwheat and goosegrass. “The buckwheat is from the previous catch crop and the goosegrass shows there is good nutrient availability,” he explains. We then see a demonstration of renewable agriculture live when his brother, Josef, works the remnants of a catch crop blend into the soil with a seedbed cultivator. Grötzinger’s father Josef switched to organic farming in the Naturland Association as early as 1989. “We were a mixed farm, with dairy cattle and bullock fattening,” said Grötzinger. The quadrangle-shaped farmhouse lies on the main street of the village, just like some of the other farms. But most of the approximately 500 inhabitants live in the adjacent residential area. There are some large industrial companies nearby. Employment opportunities have accelerated structural change. “The smaller farms closed down about 30 or 40 years ago.” Grötzinger himself also did not follow a predestined course of life. After his apprenticeship in agriculture, he no longer enjoyed working in that profession. “For five years, I worked as a paramedic. I wasn’t really interested in dairy cattle,” he said. But when the special permit for livestock breeding expired, he experienced a turnaround: “We would have needed more pasture, but were a little too penned between the road and the Bina River,” said Grötzinger. He enrolled in the organic agricultural college in Landshut- Schönbrunn and graduated as a master of agriculture. He later gave up livestock breeding and revolutionized the business: “We have a lot of clover grass in the crop rotation. That can be optimally utilized in the biogas photos: Christian Dany Josef Grötzinger, who is the operations manager’s brother, removes the stubbles with a seedbed cultivator. The picture also shows the tire pressure regulation system with the equalizing tank at the front. 6
Biogas Journal | Spring_2021 English Issue plant. I have good technical skills, which is just what we needed,” said Grötzinger, who has two sons. The biogas plant, which has an electric capacity of 210 kilowatts (kWel) was set up along the lines of the build-owner model in 2010 with connected load. A 100 kW el CHP unit for flexible operation was added in 2016. Grötzinger: “We operate a little according to the temperature.” That means full power, particularly in October “We have a lot of clover grass in the crop rotation. That can be optimally utilized in the biogas plant” Hans Grötzinger Grötzinger checks the soil moisture before continuing the processing. 7
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Spring 2021 EN

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