Future Farming in Denmark

Award for sustainable agriculture 

At the Danish Agriculture and Food Council's Crop Congress, Martin Molbo was honoured as the farmer of the future in the sustainability category. Together with his team of seven employees, he focusses on ecological, social and economic sustainability. For him, financial success is more of a side effect if all aspects of the company's activities are geared towards sustainability in terms of climate, environment, biodiversity and social commitment. Martin, a graduate farmer, computer scientist and accountant, joined his father's farm in 2001 at the age of 25 and converted it completely to conservation arable farming in 2017. 

The switch to no-till cultivation did not result in any yield loss, but actually increased yields as a result of improvement in the soil, build-up of humus and healthier soil life. Less tractor hours and savings in diesel amounted to around 15,000 litres per year. Martin relies on AMAZONE machinery, such as a ZA-TS fertiliser spreader and the Cayena tine seed drill, which is still not widely used in Denmark: "We see many advantages in sowing with a tine for our mulch or direct seeding," says Martin, "but you have to know one thing: Wait until the dew has dried from the crop residues, otherwise the machine will get blocked! We don't start sowing until midday, which makes a world of difference." 

With his new UX 6201 with AmaSelect multi-nozzle bodies, Martin hopes further to increase their plant protection efficiency. He is also planning to go into spot spraying based on the use of drones.