Altorfer Customers and Staff Visit Horsch in Germany
A group of 23 Altorfer staff and Horsch customers set their sights on Munich, Germany for a trip to the HORSCH facilities throughout central Europe to see the latest agricultural technology. All packed and ready to fly, they journeyed to Munich, Germany on Monday, February 24th.
The first stop brought them to Landau an der Isar, Germany to meet managing director Theo Leeb and marketing and sales manager Siegfried Horsch to learn about the HORSCH Leeb sprayer. The innovative boom design and leveling system allows an operator to run the boom close to the ground reducing drift. In fact, the boom is so steady that you can balance a glass of water on it during operation.
They stopped for the night in the Bavarian city of Regensburg and went for a walking tour of the city. The sites and stories were plentiful with a history dating back to the Roman empire in the 1st century.
Early the next morning, they traveled across the former Inner German Border to Ronneburg, Germany – home of HORSCH’s largest production facility. The group met with founder and managing director Michael Horsch and learned about his passion for farming, the start of HORSCH, and the global agriculture picture. They joined a group of farmers from Russia for lunch and compared farming practices, hurdles and advantages with the help of translators. To end the day, they toured the production facility led by Michael. He has a personal hand in all that goes into the success of the company – setting HORSCH apart from other competitive manufacturers.
Next stop on the tour was the HORSCH AgroVation Farm in Kněžmost, Czech Republic. Once a former soviet collective farm, today it is operated by Michael’s sons growing winter wheat, barley, rapeseed, corn and sugar beets. New ideas and prototype equipment are put to the test in real world applications on the property before going into production around the world. Michael walked the group around the farm site showing his prototype equipment and explaining each one’s purpose before taking a bus ride around the 8,000 acre farm.
They finished the day making a quick trip back to Prague for supper on the Vltava River with views of the historic old town. The following morning, there was some free time before departing, so they jumped on the opportunity to visit the many historic sites including the Prague Castle.
On day five, their travels took them to the home of the HORSCH family farm and the global headquarters. Meeting up with managing director Philip Horsch, they learned what global trends are affecting and potentially influencing the future of the industry. Touring the facilities, they saw that HORSCH innovation goes beyond the equipment and is present throughout the business and day-to-day operations.
Their final day was spent in Munich with a morning walking tour downtown and the afternoon free to explore the city on their own. This trip provided a unique opportunity for Midwest farmers to explore agricultural practices in Germany and the Czech Republic. If you would like to learn more about HORSCH, contact your local sales rep or visit the AgVision farm in Downs, IL this summer during their field days – more information here.