Kerstin Martens
Institute of Farm Economics
Bundesallee 63
38116 Braunschweig
Phone: +49 531 596 5102
Fax: +49 531 596 5199
bw@thuenen.de
Comparative analysis of different development paths for dairy farms in Northwest Germany
Dairy farming is the branch of agriculture with the highest turnover in Germany and has been undergoing change for years. The Northwest German coastal region contributes a large share of national milk production. The project aims to provide information on how dairy farms in this region can develop in the future. Applying a mix of socio-economic methods, different development paths will be analysed in order to show farmers, politicians and other stakeholders different possibilities for future farm development.
With an above-average proportion of grassland, the coastal region in Northwest Germany form one of the most important dairy regions in Germany. Grassland provides an optimal feed basis for milk production and at the same time rarely allows other cost-covering uses than fodder production. This also reflects the development in the past. While the number of dairy cows has declined in many regions of Germany in recent years, the number of cows and the quantity of milk in this region has increased continuously. At the same time the number of farms has decreased, so that the farms have grown in average. Challenges such as volatile milk prices, high land prices and changing social demands on the production of animal products are additional drivers of structural change. In the past, many farms have responded to these challenges with further growth steps. In the course of the project, in addition to this "classical" business development strategy, further possibilities for further business development will be analysed.
The aim of the project is therefore to identify possibilities for these further development options, to plan them in detail and then to analyse them economically.
The study uses a mix of socio-economic methods consisting of focus group discussions with farmers and consultants, case studies, cluster analysis and modelling. The agricultural structure survey, other surveys such as regional statistics, expert discussions and the focus group discussions are used as a data basis.
10.2018 - 10.2021
Projekt type:
Project status:
ongoing