Making Milk Production More Sustainable In Rhineland-Palatinate: EIP-AGRI Project At Hofgut Neumühle

Innovative approaches for better feed quality, reduced emissions, and efficient data utilization are the results of the “More Sustainable Milk” EIP-AGRI project. In partnership with Hochwald Foods GmbH, John Deere GmbH & Co KG, BASF SE, the Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU), the Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering (IESE), and regional farms, the Hofgut Neumühle Teaching and Research Center for Animal Husbandry spent three years investigating ways to make milk production in Rhineland-Palatinate more sustainable.

The project focused on capturing, analyzing, and utilizing operational data throughout the entire value chain in milk production – from feed harvesting and feeding, to organic fertilization and the next harvest cycle. The aim was to reduce CO_₂e emissions, increase resource efficiency, and develop practical solutions.

Klaus Weichel, Vice Chair of the Palatinate District Council, emphasizes the initiative’s pioneering role, “The ‘More Sustainable Milk’ project impressively demonstrates how forward-looking agriculture can work – with modern technologies, scientific support, and a firm commitment to change. It’s a strong signal from the Palatinate for greater sustainability in agriculture.” Hofgut Neumühle played a key role in the project, both in terms of practical implementation and knowledge transfer.

For partner Hochwald, it’s not only important to understand how these measures affect milk quality and marketing, but also how the results can be transferred to other operations. Hochwald COO Thorsten Oberschmidt explains, “We need solutions for efficient data exchange throughout the agricultural and food industry’s entire value chain. We will incorporate the insights from this project into a sector-specific solution that the German Dairy Industry Association will drive forward.”

The project was funded by the European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture (EIP-AGRI) through the state of Rhineland-Palatinate and contributions from the participating partners. The results are publicly accessible and aim to pave the way towards more sustainable milk production for as many farms as possible.