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Established in 1996 as the first and only organic test station in Denmark, Rugballegaard is conducted in accordance with the regulations for organic farming stipulated by The Danish Plant Directorate.

The test station employs a staff of eight and disposes of 140 ha of loamy soil and a herd consisting about 60 dairy cows and rearing as well as 45 sows. The occupancy rate of fattening pigs varies over the year with an average of 1.500 pigs.

The sows are kept outdoors, and the fattening pigs are kept in various types of organic housing systems and in the field. The dairy cows are fed and recorded individually in a cubicle house and given access to grazing most of the year.

The fields are used for grazing purposes and for production of forage crops, and several tests are made with different crops and cultivation methods.

The crop rotations and the livestock buildings offer good prospects for testing under organic conditions. Research may be conducted within the following areas: mechanical weed control, tests on grazing and other types of feeding, organic housing systems and various building studies. A wireless network for registration of animal behaviour, etc., will be introduced by the middle of 2004.

Anticipated research projects in 2004:
·Improvement and rationalisation of organic sow keeping
·Reduced soil preparation (ploughless tillage)
·Row crop steaming for weed control

For more information on livestock buildings and other facilities at Rugballegaard click here