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I3S Cross-Border Meeting in Germany to Explore Sustainable Organic Dairy
Systems

On 23 and 24 April, the I3S Cross-Border Meeting took place in Germany as part of the ClieNFarms project, bringing together partners and stakeholders to exchange knowledge and experiences on sustainable organic dairy farming practices. The meeting was held as part of the I3S Organic Dairy Germany and featured farm visits and in-depth discussions on innovations in low-nitrogen and climate-resilient systems.

Participants had the opportunity to visit key sites within the German I3S, including:

  • Gladbacherhof, the teaching and research farm of Justus Liebig University Giessen, which also serves as the German demo farm for the ClieNFarms project.
  • Upländer Bauernmolkerei, a regional organic dairy cooperative and project partner, showcasing collaborative processing and marketing of organic milk.
  • Two lead commercial farms with contrasting production models:
    o A high-input farm, achieving an average milk yield of 10,800 kg per cow per year.
    o A low-input farm, relying primarily on grassland-based feeding, with an average of 6,200 kg of milk per cow per year.

All farms involved in the German I3S cluster are certified organic, reflecting the project’s strong commitment to ecological sustainability and resilient food systems.

The meeting featured technical discussions and knowledge sharing on a wide range of relevant topics, including:

  • Agroforestry
  • Crop rotation (typically 6–8 years with ~30% legumes in organic systems)
  • Use of cover crops and intercropping
  • Integrated crop-livestock systems
  • Renewable energy production and utilization on farms
  • Slurry management (slurry separators, drag-hose systems, field application optimization, and biogas production)
  • Animal welfare, longevity and animal health
  • Optimization of dietary protein use in dairy cow diets
  • Feeding intensity

This cross-border exchange highlighted the diversity of organic dairy practices in Germany and promoted dialogue on best practices, challenges, and innovations.