Lantmännen is an agricultural cooperative and Northern Europe’s leader in agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products.
We know it can be done
Bjertorp is one of several trial farms run by Lantmännen, where we test new methods for sustainable primary production on 880 hectare of land - with the aim of becoming climate neutral by 2050.
Our report, Farming of the Future, shows that it is possible to increase harvests by 50 percent by 2050, while at the same time reducing the climate impact of cultivation, in line with the Paris Agreement. If farming is to become climate and environmentally sustainable, without compromising on either productivity or profitability, a number of different initiatives will be required.
We need to develop smart cultivation systems, apply new technology, phase out fossil fuels, use sustainable plant protection and plant nutrients, and reduce nutrient leakage. What’s more, we also need to adapt cultivation to climate changes and to protect biological diversity, while at the same time ensuring we get much more out of our fields and deliver profitability for our Farmers.
If Swedish farming is to continue to be the most sustainable in the world, we must continuously take our innovation to the next level and test new technologies. At Bjertorp, we are setting the level of ambition for how Swedish agriculture should work – today and in the future.
12%
The yield of wheat at Bjertorp was 12% over the national avarage due to precision farming and optimal management combared to other farms in compared regions.
Bjertorp is a modern arable farm, for the propagation and production of current and future types of seed.
880
At Bjertorp, 880 hectares are used for arable farming - mainly seed cultivation.
This cultivation is done using modern machinery, where we test the very latest developments within agricultural machinery and cultivation techniques.
Farming of the Future - at Bjertorp gård
Our aim is to create the right conditions for sustainable primary production while halving climate impact every ten years, to be climate-neutral by 2050.
SamZones
Multifunctional protection zones - Samzones - are important for the fields of the future. Planting different herbs and grasses in special zones in the farming landscape, provides food and protection for birds and encourages pollinators such as bumble bees and bees which all boosts biological diversity.
What will the fields of the future look like?
We are going to experiment in ways to optimise our cultivation systems and the properties of the soil in this field of the future. For example, we need to find ways to increase carbon capture and storage, and gradually improve the humus content in the soil. The field of the future will also be where biological diversity is prioritised, and while flowering buffer zones and lark plots will also be clear indicators of the long-term work in progress at Bjertorp, most of what is happening will be below ground.
The data we collect from experiments in the field of the future will become an extremely valuable resource. It is this kind of information that we hope will be able to tell us what we should sow, grow and harvest in the future.
