Agrosilvopastorales System auf dem Biolandhof Braun

The Braun Bioland Farm has been operated organically in accordance with the guidelines of the Bioland Association since 1988. In 2018, a farm community consisting of three families was founded to jointly manage the operation. The farm’s main activities include dairy farming and on-site cheese production, crop farming and seed production, egg production, broiler and pig farming, agroforestry, and beekeeping. In crop farming, the collective relies on light machinery, a 7-field crop rotation, mixed cropping, and year-round ground cover. It avoids tillage that turns the soil. In 2009, as part of a project, an agroforestry system for energy wood production was developed and tested on the farm. The wood supplies heat and electricity via the farm’s own wood gas plant (CHP). The horned dairy cows are housed in a deep-litter barn, a well-designed traditional housing solution, and are fed exclusively forage. In the summer, they can choose between hay in the barn and grass in the pasture. The hay is dried gently and energy-efficiently. Since 2019, the farm has implemented a system of mother-reared calf rearing. In 2016, laying hens moved into two new barns, and broiler chickens were also housed in mobile coops. The farm focuses on dual-purpose breeds. The products are sold directly from the farm, in the farm’s own store in Munich, and through regional retailers. A large portion is processed in the farm’s own catering operation and in the farm cheese dairy.