Modern agriculture and versatile pioneer: a visit to Backensholzer Hof

"We deal with the topic of sustainability across the board. The area of greencare, i.e. social farming, is becoming more and more of a focus, not only through our kindergarten, but we also welcome school classes and give sustainability lessons for senior classes, question existing systems and think about an agroforestry-based form of cultivation, for example. In the area of wastewater, we have been developing a concept for a long time that should take us further. We would like to move away from conventional methods, as they are often outdated," says Jasper Metzger-Petersen, Managing Director of the organic farm, the biogas plant and the kindergarten on Backensholzer Hof. "We always try not to see a problem as a problem. Wastewater sounds very negative, but for us it's unused energy potential - sounds much nicer and more promising! And then biologically motivated causal chains emerge: Water and nutrients become wood through trees, wood becomes biochar through temperature (through use in the cheese dairy), this in turn can be bound as carbon in the long term in animal feed or in arable farming, and so we create a CO2 sink, sounds logical!"

The agricultural concept of the Backensholzer Hof is clear: respect animals and nature, give more to the environment than is taken from it and establish a sustainable circular economy. To this end, processes are regularly optimized, resource-saving solutions are sought and new ideas are constantly being tried out - agriculture is always on the move here. This is also evident in the innovative animal welfare barn, which was developed in collaboration with Kiel University of Applied Sciences. "The cows love the space and feed areas on offer. The new animal welfare barn provides an extra portion of peace and quiet in the animal groups, which we always notice positively."

Traditional cheese-making for over 30 years

The focus is naturally on the production of high-quality, regional products, especially really good cheese. The farm has been producing different types of cheese for more than 30 years - exclusively from the farm's own cow's milk. On average, around 12,000 liters of milk are cheesed every day. The milk is treated as little as possible to make the cheese particularly aromatic.

"Good cheese starts in the field, as our mother Martina Metzger-Petersen used to say. As we produce raw milk cheese, i.e. we do not heat the milk before use, we place particular emphasis on hygiene and cleanliness. First, the milk is curdled with the help of rennet, then a cheese harp cuts the mass into small pieces, the so-called curd, and then the curd is filled into molds. The solidified wheels are removed from the molds, briefly placed in salt baths and then stored on wooden boards to mature, depending on the ripening time. During the ripening period, the wheels are repeatedly wiped with a solution of oil and wine," explains Thilo Metzger-Petersen, Managing Director of the cheese dairy, farm kitchen and farm store.

Experience country life live at the 2024 Cheese Days

A unique insight into the craft of cheesemaking can be gained at the annual Cheese Days, which will take place this year on July 13 and 14 at Backensholzer Hof. Visitors can watch cheese being made, take part in guided tours of the farm on various topics or visit the farmers' market with an arts and crafts market as well as historical and modern agricultural machinery. There are also a number of activities for visitors of all ages, including live music, a farm cinema, a Siku parkour, a straw castle and vintage car tours. There's no chance of getting hungry here either: on the street food mile at the farm kitchen, there are several stalls with different delicacies and dishes, delicious grilled food and sweets from the garden café. All types of cheese, home-baked sourdough bread, pasture eggs and other regional delicacies are also available to take away in the farm store.

Versatile farm events and unusual projects

Even though the Cheese Days are the undisputed highlight in the Backensholzer Hof's event calendar, there are many other events relating to culinary delights, organic farming and farm life that make a visit to the farm worthwhile. For example, the cheese evening with a tour of the farm and cheese tasting (including corresponding wine), cozy cheese fondue evenings in autumn or the kitchen parties with live cooking stations, which are organized together with selected restaurateurs from the region.

The Backensholzer Hof is not only surprising in terms of its many events, the family-run organic farm is also right at the forefront when it comes to special projects and unusual ideas: in addition to the many activities in the area of sustainability, the farm's own kindergarten is a real showcase example. Four full-time teachers provide daily care for a total of 18 children, who experience everyday life on the farm first-hand and are familiarized with topics such as sustainability, circular economy and animal welfare through play.

"The farm kindergarten was the missing piece of the puzzle that really makes the farm a sustainable system. We can't always just talk about improving something, we have to do it and then pass it on to the next generation. The kindergarten is our opportunity to take on social responsibility and show how important agriculture will remain in the future," says Jasper Metzger-Petersen.

And the farm is not standing still in the future either: "In the future, the aim is to make agriculture even more tangible. To this end, we have recently built a nature and farm playground, will be taking a closer look at the topic of agroforestry and CO2 storage, want to promote the cow as a climate protector through optimized grazing and, in the area of energy, we are thinking about feeding in biomethane as a substitute for natural gas."

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Would you also like to visit the Backensholzer Hof? Then take a look at the website for the next events or find out more here about the upcoming cheese days. And as a little extra, we are giving away a €40 voucher for the farm store on our Instagram account together with Backensholzer Hof - click here to take part.

Backensholzer Hof

Schwabstedter Damm 8

25885 Oster-Ohrstedt

Phone: 04626 18580

https://backensholz.de/