Farmers' Forum -
Cover crop experiments, nutrient management, water retention in sand vines

How to do it, how not to do it...
Tázlár-Felsőtelep | Peter Schneider Vineyard
Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Video report

Farmers' Forum

Cover crop experiments, nutrient management, water retention in sand vines

The educational day will take place at the vineyard of Peter Schneider, from 9.15 to 9.45 in the morning, and then From 10 am we will present the Soil Renewal Farmers Association, the hosts, or we talk about the theoretical basis of regenerative farming, cover cropping solutions in sand vineyards, nutrient management and water retention.

Hosted by Péter Schneider and Péter Sárosdi, and their assistant Zoltán Szabó.

The practical demonstration will start at 10.40 a.m., the first part of which will focus on rolling of ground cover rye happens. For this reason, we talk about cover crops that can also be used on sand, about worth harvesting or terminating and the use of the field experiments you can also see the results.

Hosted by Péter Schneider and Péter Sárosdi
Moderator: Zoltán Szabó

Programme

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Schneider Péter's vineyard - Tázlár-Felsőtelep suburb
On the road between Kiskunmajsa and Soltvadkert, turn off at the 6 km marker and follow the signs.
GPS coordinates: 46.572749, 19.477020

9:15 - 09:45

Registration

10:00 - 10:10

Introduction of the TMG Association - Zoltán Szabó, TMG member

10:10- 10:20

Introducing the hosts

Péter Schneider

Péter Sárosdi

10:20 - 10:40

Principles of regenerative management

Zoltán Szabó

10:40- 12:30

Practical demonstration

Rye mulching technology between rows of vines - currently we see the mechanical termination (rolling) process, but during the demonstration it is mentioned that: 

- How to sow the cover crop, whether to harvest or terminate, what and what mixtures to experiment with on sand?
- Time windows for sowing and terminating cover crops.
- The benefits of mulching in vineyards and its potential risks and how to avoid them.
- Experiences with weeds as ground cover plants.
- Essence application in grapes.

Extra for grape fanatics:
You can see table grapes grown in a tent with Essence treatment, mulched with straw mulch.

We're making sandwiches and grape juice.
In case of rain, the demonstration will be held in the same place, so everyone should bring wellies and raincoats.
The organisers reserve the right to change the programme and the dates.
The event will be video, audio and video recorded.

Meet our host

Péter Schneider: everyone in his family has worked with vines, going back to his great-grandparents. Peter continues the family farm: in 99% he produces wine grapes, the rest is table grapes. In recent years he has been experimenting with newer varieties from Russia and Ukraine.

Total 101 hectares of vines of which 60 hectares in one member are located in Tázlar. Ten years ago, droughts, wind erosion, nutrient and water problems set him on the path to finding a solution, which he found in the writings of Attila Kökény on the agroinform forum. It was with his help that she started her research.egenerative farming in 2015 with courage and enthusiasm.

It took 3-4 years for the vines to get through the cover crop without drought, the first year it was spring sown black oats, other years black oats with spiked leys, but they work with a rye and vetch combo most of the time, which is what they have now. Swinging terminal. He discussed new ideas to help farming without soil disturbance with his friend and fellow farmer, Péter Sárosdi. The transition has caused some exciting moments, with many experimental successes and failures bringing lessons learned that will be shared with the participants at the farmers' forum. The hectares that have been treated with a combination of Essence and humic acid applied only to the soil and foliage for a quarter of a year will also be on display. 

The soil a variety of yellow, unstructured 26-inch gold-plated bindings, also known as plaster sand from the sand ranging from a brownish sand with a minimum clay content to a more brownish sand. 

Peter's long-term goals include increasing the humus content and purchasing a direct seeder. 

Péter Sárosdi, comes from a farming family, he started regenerative farming eight years ago, inspired by the ideas of Attila Kökény.He sowed his first cover crop consciously in 2015, he was very enthusiastic, he fried himself a few times, but this did not discourage his experimentation: every year he tries to introduce new plants into the system. So far, vetch has proved the most successful. In total, he farms 35 hectares, of which 20 are vines, 11 elderberries and a small amount of arable land and woodland. 

Soils: mostly weak yellow sandy soils with half a percent humus, but there is also a few slightly more compacted areas with around 1% humus content, which is considered a good soil in that area. 

Registration for the event

Entrance fee: 20.000 HUF, which supports the TMG Association.

Participation is subject to registration and is valid upon payment of the participation fee.

How to apply:

Frequently asked questions

We recommend it mainly for those who already have experience in soil conservation technologies, or who farm on sand and/or work with vines. It may also be useful for those who have an orchard and want to start regenerative farming there.

When applying, preference will be given to farmers.

In all cases, we organise the education day in the vineyard. If we get a little rain, we can wear rubber boots and raincoats to do the rolling and see the area. If there is a downpour or a downpour, the machine work will be cancelled and the programme will take place in the foil tent. But hopefully that will not happen.

There is only one reason for this: you did not enter your e-mail address correctly when registering. We've automated the registration process, so if you're in any doubt about anything, call the number provided during the day or email rendezveny@tmg.hu.

We will be preparing sandwiches and grape juice, no cooked lunch this time.

If you cannot find the answer you are looking for on this page, please email rendezveny@tmg.hu and one of our colleagues will be happy to answer you!
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