The past, predominantly wet growing year has been very hard on many producers, especially in organic vegetable growing. "For us, the past two rainy years were more challenging than a drought year like 2018 because we have sufficient irrigation options. This is also partly due to the soil: compared to the Palatinate, we have much heavier soils in our region so that the fields are inaccessible when it rains heavily," explains Jonas Engelhardt, a Bioland producer in Untermünkheim (Schwäbisch Hall).
© Hof Engelhardt Gemüsebau GbROwners Hartmut, Jonas, and Hannes Engelhardt are at the helm of this innovative organic company. Both the cultivation and the processing of vegetables are increasingly being automated. A hoeing machine is being used successfully.
Currently, Engelhardt is mainly concerned with marketing his stored vegetables, including parsnips, celery, carrots, root parsley, and leeks. "Setting prices for root vegetables was relatively difficult this year, which is because many producers who otherwise cannot irrigate their fields had quite abundant yields due to the persistent rain. Accordingly, the supply pressure, especially for parsnips and celery, was much higher than usual. Root parsley, on the other hand, is more sensitive in cultivation, which was reflected in lower supply quantities and better pricing overall."
Due to inflation, the organic market came under particular pressure in 2023, Engelhardt recalls. "People turned away from organic products, which was particularly reflected in the demand in the natural food trade, our most important sales market. As a result, we achieved weak prices despite low yields. Fortunately, the market recovered last year." Delivering subscription boxes has also been a reliable and proven mainstay for over three decades. For a few weeks now, the preparation and commissioning of the boxes have been taking place in a brand-new production hall.
© Hof Engelhardt Gemüsebau GbR
Open-field vegetables in Bioland quality: The white radish (left) could no longer be sold as crate produce because of the spots but is ideal for organic ready-cut production.
Cooperation regarding organic ready cuts
In addition to the natural food trade and the subscription boxes, Engelhardt has also been supplying raw materials for processing into organic ready cuts to the regional family-owned company Pentz in Essingen since last year. "We are particularly pleased to have Pentz as a partner who is willing to take this step. We are still in the invention phase, and last year, we initially supplied white radishes and tender kohlrabi, crops that we would have produced anyway. However, these were mainly oversized varieties and produce that did not meet the marketing standards of the retail trade. This year, we want to intensify the cooperation again by also producing leafy lettuce, such as colorful lettuce, iceberg and butterhead lettuce, as well as endive, on a per-kilogram rather than per-unit basis."
In addition to field cultivation according to Bioland guidelines, Engelhardt also produces greenhouse crops. "We have been harvesting cucumbers and mini cucumbers for a good two weeks now, followed by the first tomatoes from calendar week 14. These crops are generally less suitable for processing, as it is difficult for us to compete with low-priced imports from other European countries. However, I am not ruling out the possibility of supplying goods for the ready-cut sector in the summer if there are surplus quantities."
© Hugo Huijbers | FreshPlaza.com
Conversion phase delays growth
To be able to meet the increasing demand for Bioland vegetables in the future, the family business has significantly increased its cultivation capacity in recent years. In 2023, the greenhouse facility was expanded, followed by the open-field areas last year. Engelhardt: "We are almost the only organic company in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, this means that we cannot swap plots, but always have to take a conversion period of two years into account. Unfortunately, this delays the growth of the business and also means that we are unable to react flexibly to market fluctuations."
Although many medium-sized organic producers are giving up, Engelhardt Farm sees itself as being well-equipped for the future. "We have already professionalized our cultivation and marketing structures. We currently produce around 40 crops and want to maintain this diversity in the future. This is also a great advantage in marketing, as we have hardly any competitors in our region and can therefore offer many products exclusively. We aim to continue to exploit this potential in the coming years."
For more information:
Jonas Engelhardt
Hof Engelhardt Gemüsebau GbR
Schönenberg 2
74547 Untermünkheim
Phone: +49(0)7906-8195
E-Mail: gemuesebau@hof-engelhardt.de
www.hof-engelhardt.de