Grand Farm
Alfred Grand
Farm manager
Farm name
Grand Farm
Farm type
Arable Farm & Market Garden
Location
Niederösterreich, Österreich
Farm size
90 hectares
Primary soil type
Very mixed: sandy, clay, loamy soil
Temperature range
-15° – 40° degrees Celsius, USDA 7B
Average precipitation
550 mm/ year usually (2024: 800mm)
Social structure
Family-owned farm
Sales channels
Vegetables from the market garden are sold through direct sales, the rest are sold through distribution
Produce
Vegetables, grains, hemp, soy, lentils, lucerne hay
Contact
Grand Farm
Grand Farm‘s transition to regenerative farming
Climate Farmer since
2021
Previously organic
Previous practices
- Crop rotation
- Try-outs of direct seeding
- No plough
- Flower strips
- Agroforestry
Investment costs
- Soil composting
- Mulch seeding machine
- Roller crimper
- Tire pressure regulation system for the tractor (€250)
- Market Garden
New practices
Vermicompost
❍ Composting & Bio Fertilizers
Min till, no plough
❍ Minimal Soil Disturbance
Cover crops
❍ Cover Cropping
Direct seeding
❍ Minimal Soil Disturbance
Crop rotation
❍ Minimal Soil Disturbance
Mulching
❍ Water Cycle Restoration
Agroforestry
❍ Agroforestry
Challenges so far
- Little know-how
- Limited specific advisory: there are not enough region-specific plans, only general regenerative principles
- A lot of trial and error
- More research is needed
- Missing technology such as machines need to be developed
Outcomes so far
- Taking pressure out of the system regenerates the system
- The system got more resilient
- Increased water infiltration
- Increase in drought resilience
- Highly increased species diversity (many species that are in danger of extinction)
- Increased worm diversity
- Increase in humus levels (70% more than conventional)
- More microorganisms; the soil is comparable to a soil that was not cultivated for 40 years
Learnings of your journey
More research is needed. A big Network helps to fill existing knowledge gaps, but in the end personal experience and experiments are needed.
“We grow food, soil, and people: As a research and demonstration farm, we live up to this motto by translating research into practice, adapting it to real-world needs, and sharing our insights with others. In this way, we see ourselves as a bridge between science and practical farming.”
— The reason why Grand Farm decided to become a training farm
Future ambitions
More training and educational opportunities on the farm
Distribution of information: courses & workshops
This farm is part of something bigger.
So can you. Apply for the Regenerative Agronomy Training.
Our partners
Our partners
