Agriculture

From Plassgut, the ancestral seat, three originally separate holdings (Plassgut at Ansfelden, Auhof Residence at Kremsmünster and Summerauerhof at St. Florian) are administered across five local councils: Ansfelden, St. Marien, Kremsmünster, St. Florian and Asten.

 

Our fields are located in the Traunviertel region of the federal province of Upper Austria, in the agricultural heartland of the Alpenvorland extending to the Alpine foothills.

The location is 271m above sea-level, in the warmest region of Upper Austria. This warm and damp climate is also referred to as ‘beech climate’. It is mild, characterised by extended vegetation periods and temperatures conducive to early crop ripening.

The annual mean temperature over a period of 50 years is 9.1°. Mean annual precipitation amounts to 848mm. From a plant-geography and climatological point, this area belongs to the lower Baltic zone with some Pannonian characteristics.

The soil is mainly lime-free sediment brown earth with variable soil types, such as loamy silt, silty clay, and clay soil, in part with a loess cover.

The soil, our most valuable capital, is tilled in a sustainable manner applying minimal tillage techniques. Originally, this technique was used with grain only; since 2010 there has been no more ploughing, and since 2015 tractors fitted with soil-friendly rubber tracks have been in use.

Participation in ÖPUL – the Austrian Agri-Environmental Programme designed to advance an approach to agriculture that is environmentally sound, extensive, and protective of natural habitats – further contributes to environment-friendly usage of our fields.

 

Our maxim at Plassgut Estate: It is incumbent on the present generation to chart a course that safeguards successful and sustainable farming operations by future generations. To this effect, we endeavour to implement timely and informed measures designed to optimise the input of labour, fertilisers and pesticides.

Our sustainable programme of crop rotation is in four stages, with 50% monocotyls (cereal crops) alternating with 50% dicotyls. The cycle starts with winter wheat, then sugar beet or maize, followed by winter wheat and, in fourth place, soybeans or summer canola.

 

The bulk of the wheat is grown for purposes of breeder’s seed multiplication, a smaller percentage yields special wheat, e.g. for purple bread.

Among other varieties, also triticale and spelt are grown as part of a seed multiplication programme.

Sugar beets are used for sugar and energy production; soybeans mainly serve seed multiplication; part of the crop is used as foodstuff for humans. Grain maize is used in the production of starch, and our speciality – summer canola – is exported as breeder’s seed to northern EU states.

Since, in accordance with EU regulations, a certain percentage of arable land has to be set aside, we utilize these areas as sustainable flower pastures with honey plants – in cooperation with BASF.

Recently, we have also started to invest in renewable sources of energy by using arable land for energy forestry.

 

Key Data

Federal province	Upper Austria
Region	Agricultural heartland of the Alpenvorland
Locations	Ansfelden, Asten, St. Florian, St. Marien, Kremsmünster
Height above sea level	271 m
Annual precipitation	848 mm
Mean annual temperature	9,1 °C
Soil	brown earth, lime-free sedimentary soil
Soil texture	Varied loamy silt, silty clay, clay, partly with a loess cover
Soil heaviness	heavy
Humus content	medium 2,4%
Lime content	lime free
Chemical reaction	pH 6,4
Soil depth	deep
Water retention	high water retention capacity, medium permeability

Crop rotation	4 stages stage 1 stage 2 stage 3 stage 4	50% monocotyls, 50% dicotyls winter wheat sugar beet or grain maize winter wheat soybeans or summer canola
Tillage	since 1974 since 2010	Minimum tillage with monocotyls ploughing with dicotyls Terrasem fertiliser used with monocotyls, grubber with dicotyls