Our Agriculture - Saatzucht Steinach GmbH & Co KG

Arable farming at the highest level:

focussed on growth and protecting the environment

In arable farming we manage the land in a modern, commercial and sustainable manner. There need be no contradiction between pursuing economic growth and the production of food, raw materials and energy whilst preserving resources.

We are open to scientific and technical progress, without throwing tried and tested methods overboard. The latest cultivation and processing technologies combined with high-quality breeding varieties open up manifold opportunities in the competitive market.

This demands the readiness to constantly learn and develop, to analyse and to reach the right decisions from all of those involved. This is not always easy because there are no universal solutions for all locations. The natural parameters set by the environment and the soil are far too varied. But sometimes it is the little things which add up over the whole year to increase revenues. One example would be to always to order, cultivate and harvest in the most advantageous periods. The knowledge of process optimisation, logistics and cost efficiency required is very complex. And the weather has to play ball.

By thinking about all of this and by putting it into practice ourselves we are making a contribution to society: to ensuring food supply and to protecting our environment.

Precision agriculture: GPS and laser pilot for people and land

Satellite technology gives us information about very small areas, down to individual beds. This information can be directly accessed and applied when working in the field. Using this data, we are able to apply seed, manure and phytosanitary products with precision and as required. This also helps us to save diesel and time, and to minimise waste. As a result we are able to lower not only operational costs but also the use of agrochemicals. Modern, conservation-conscious no-tillage farming methods allow us to minimise mechanical intervention at each site. This makes work easier for us and also protects the soil. We use phytosanitary products in accordance with the damage threshold principle. We only spray if the anticipated damage will be more significant than the costs of countermeasures. Field spraying equipment with injector nozzles are another example of modern technology. Drift-reducing nozzles form larger and therefore heavier droplets, which are not easily blown away by the wind.

Forestry and hunting: caring for forest, game and nature

Each of our farms includes a certain area of forest which needs to be managed and hunted. If we did not do this we would soon see undesirable developments in plant and game stocks. If we did not control populations, damage to the forest and land caused by wild animals would get out of hand and diseases could break out.

The Bocksee farm is the focus of our forestry operations with 778 hectares of woodland – of which approx. 700 hectares are within the Müritz National Park. It is important to comply with particular management regulations here. Our hunting preserves are registered with hunting stewardship groups and associations. This means that everything we do can be co-ordinated over a wide area to ensure a diverse and healthy game population. The aim is to maintain a balance of gender and age as close to the natural balance as possible.

focussed on growth and protecting the environment

Our Varieties