Beavers in Ostallgäu: Agriculture facing new challenges!

Beavers in Ostallgäu: Agriculture facing new challenges!

In the rural regions of Bavaria, the beaver is often a quiet but unpleasant companion. These skilled swimmers and divers are known not only for their cutesy qualities, but also as active builders, building impressive homes and dams using a seemingly endless mix of materials from branches, twigs and mud. But while they design their habitats, beavers cause significant damage to farmers' fields. Dealing with these rodents, which are under strict protection in Bavaria, therefore requires special knowledge and skills. It is all the more important that farmers are well informed Allgäu newspaper reported.

The Kaufbeuren Agricultural School has recognized this and offers a master class as part of its programs to train farmers in dealing with beavers. Experts regularly inform participants about sensible measures, especially at Lake Elbsee. The challenge is great, because the right hand tools not only have to be learned, but also used in everyday farming.

Commitment of the agricultural school

Even outside of the beaver problem, the Kaufbeuren Agricultural School shows commitment and a spirit of innovation. Recently, 14 students visited Alpe Bäch in Pöllattal under the leadership of Claudia Schatz. The aim was to protect pasture areas from becoming overgrown and to gain practical insights into the everyday work of a shepherdess. Exciting discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of raising cattle enriched this excursion. A real highlight was a small snack, which was pampered by the sun.

A wide variety of topics were on the agenda as part of the grassland summer semester school day, which took place in cooperation with the Southern Bavaria Producers' Ring. Stock composition, fertilization strategies and harvest times were discussed intensively. The prospective farmers learned how targeted action can influence the quality of feed and how they can be closed. In addition, the students were even allowed to be creative themselves: perches for birds of prey were made in groups and placed in the meadows. The students were responsible for obtaining materials and tools independently.

Interactive learning opportunities

The exchange of knowledge is a central part of the training. So it was inevitable that students from the Jakob-Brucker-Gymnasium and the students from the agricultural school exchanged ideas about agricultural topics in a classic experiential format. An entertaining agricultural quiz relaxed the atmosphere while the students provided valuable insights into the diversity of agriculture and operational processes. Nevertheless, critical aspects such as the challenges in dairy farming and the associated bureaucratic hurdles were also discussed. However, the enthusiasm for working with nature and animals was always the focus.

At the beginning of the year, 21 students from the Kaufbeuren Agricultural School successfully completed their first semester. This was recognized with a ceremony at which head of authority Paul Dosch and school principal Benedikt Kuhn praised the students' achievements. The students are well on their way to becoming skilled workers!

In another area, the soil day for agricultural students, the participants were able to learn methods for soil assessment at the Scharpf farm in Türkheim. Spade diagnostics and chemical tests were on the agenda here to underline the importance of soil assessment for arable farmers.

As you can see, there is constant movement in agriculture and new (challenges) demands are the order of the day. The commitment of schools and farmers is essential to ensure sustainable and successful agriculture in Bavaria in the future.