Experimental Farm Merklingsen
- Lead: South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences - FH SWF
Country
Germany
Agricultural Area
98 ha
About ERS
- Lead: South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences - FH SWF
- Contact: Verena Haberlah-Korr
- Production System: Reconciliation of economic crop production with ecological efficiency. Its core elements include an eight-field crop rotation, mulch seeding and direct seeding, year-round soil cover, nutrient supply matched to crop needs, and minimised use of pesticides.
Thematic Areas Covered
Crops Management
Soil Health and Biodiversity
Description
Merklingsen Research Farm serves as a hub for applied research, field trials, and innovative cultivation techniques. Its mission is to develop and test sustainable, climate-adapted crop production methods. The farm focuses on soil-conserving practices with year-round soil cover, adjusting fertilization to crop needs and follows Integrated Crop Management principles.
It provides students and researchers with hands-on opportunities to study crop management, soil health, and sustainable agriculture practices. With state-of-the-art facilities and diverse trial plots, Merklingsen Research Farm supports both scientific advancement and practical agricultural solutions, contributing to the development of resilient and productive farming systems for the region and beyond.
Characteristics
Merklingsen Research Farm is a centre for applied teaching and applied research in crop production since 1993. A key feature ist the so-called “Soester Pflanzenbaukonzept”, which aims to reconcile economic crop production witch ecological efficency.
Its core elements include an eight-field crop rotation, mulch seeding, direct seeding, strip cropping and planting green, year-round soil cover, nutrient supply matched to crop needs, and minimised use of pesticides. For this purpose, methods from precision farming, organic farming, and conventional crop production are combined. For collecting expermimental data, state of the art methods are used, such as thermography, a trace-gas-analyser, drone based camera surveys and other.
