5,600 m3 of forage storage for circular livestock farm in the Black Forest

Family farm invests in the future

For many decades, the Hammer family has been running a Fleckvieh farm in the heart of Egenhausen village in the northern Black Forest. Their wish to expand the farm grew over the years as their two sons became older. However, the farm’s location in the heart of the village was a restricting factor. The farm’s succession first became clear for father Eberhard after their eldest son Florian chose to pursue an agricultural master’s degree in 2009. When his younger son Johannes also finished training as an agricultural technician in 2017, the Hammer family was able to invest in the future with certainty and decided to build an entirely new farm just outside the village.

Animal welfare, low emissions and labour-saving

The decision to build an entirely new farm for the next generation enabled them to turn a long-held dream of becoming even more innovative and sustainable into reality. Having produced a highly innovative and sustainable overall concept, the new farmhouse construction qualified for various subsidies, including the EIP-Agri subsidy (European Innovation Partnership). Criteria. Animal welfare, reduced emissions and reduced workload were key considerations for both the construction and farm management. Together with, among others, the construction company, Seiler GmbH, a highly innovative shed concept was devised that offers cattle exceptional space, while ensuring ultimate efficiency in urine and manure collection. During this process, a 75 kWp biogas plant converts most of the manure into energy and solar panels provide the farm with 500 kW of electricity. This ensures that the new farm is largely circular with lower emissions.

The use of many new techniques has created a huge sense of calm for both the livestock and in the farm management. This includes automated feed, manure and milking systems. The cows also clearly experience less stress, as capacity is spread across three different milking robots. The overall result of this increased sense of calm, improved hygiene and reduced stress is clearly higher and more consistent milk production, without the need for specific nutritional supplements. In addition, all bull calves are also raised and ultimately slaughtered on the farm resulting in meat of exceptionally high and sustainable quality.

5,600 m3 of roughage storage

Of course, they also needed to invest in new forage storage when constructing the new farm on the 4.1-hectare plot. After completing the online silage clamp configurator the Hammer family came into contact with the Bosch Beton consultants. Following extensive advice on location, in 2019 construction started on four connected silage clamps with a storage capacity of 3,600 m3. Two further silage clamps were added in 2021, increasing the forage storage to 5,600 m3. The silage clamps were mainly constructed from U250HAK elements, creating a passageway between each storage unit. This makes covering the high silage clamps even easier, safer and more manageable. Using LR125S retaining walls a wall was placed to the rear of the silage clamps that the farmers can drive over, enabling optimal silage filling while also bridging a small height difference. The ends of the silage clamps were bevelled in the Bosch Beton factory and stairs were installed on location.

Role model

The Hammer family’s sustainable vision and impressive division of labour, ensures that each day the farm still looks as though it was delivered just days ago. Together, they ensure that every corner of the farm is spotless and consequently that livestock welfare is also of the highest standard, making the Hammer family’s farm and farm management an example and a source of inspiration for many national and international farmers and stakeholders. The farm receives weekly visits from farmers who also want to take their farm to the next level. Bosch Beton was recently invited by Beratungsdienst für Milchviehhaltung und Futterbau Cawl to provide a course to 29 regional farmers in the farm’s own presentation area.

Further information

If you would like to know more about this project or our customised retaining wall solutions for silage clamps, please feel free to contact our consultants.