Cooperation with the start-up Farmdesk
From seed to feed
The start-up Farmdesk and KWS are helping dairy farmers use their fodder cultivation area to best-possible effect and optimize feeding concepts with the aid of IT. SEED2FEED was launched in the Benelux countries in October 2020.
How can dairy farmers grow their own fodder for their animals sustainably, manage feed rations efficiently, slash feed costs and strengthen their independence? KWS and the Belgian start-up Farmdesk, in which KWS owns a stake, deliver answers to those questions in the shape of SEED2FEED.
“Dairy cattle and arable land: We look at both and optimize them at one and the same time. So far no one has done that as systematically as we have,” explains Thomas Mündler, Regional Director for the Business Unit Corn in Northern Europe. “Our concept plugs the existing gap between milk yield and feed rations and the areas on which farmers grow their own fodder. Our deliberations from the outset were focused not just on corn, but on all crops.”
▶ SEED2FEED in practice
After about a year of preparation, SEED2FEED was launched as a pilot project in Belgium and the Netherlands in October 2020. Some 70 farms are already using SEED2FEED. The ambitious goal is to increase that number to 300 farmers by the end of next fiscal year.
IT and expertise
The concept has two pillars: Farmdesk’s cloud-based IT solution and personal consulting for farmers from KWS’ experts. How many cows are there and what is their breed? What is the current level of milk production? How much area is available for growing feed? What statutory regulations are there? Farmdesk’s software takes into account all the parameters required in dairy cattle feeding and optimizes the entire value chain – from selection of crops and varieties to the composition of rations in the trough. The various modules give farmers a quick and easy means of keeping any eye on the quality and costs of their feed and milk yields and of conducting market comparisons.
Concept
Focus on the farmer
Another objective of SEED2FEED is to strengthen dairy farmers’ independence by enabling them to keep track of and determine the feed rations themselves. “Farmers often buy in too much feed, especially concentrate feed. That’s not only expensive, but also problematic in ecological terms, since the fodder often comes from far away, such as South America,” notes Thomas Mündler. More and more consumers value sustainability, especially when it comes to milk. “With SEED2FEED, we’re doing our part to help farmers grow as much feed as possible on their own areas – thanks to holistic consulting and the right varieties.” One of the suggestions from KWS’ SEED2FEED consultants is for farmers to cultivate forage rye in a crop rotation with early-maturing corn varieties. “Rye is a good additional source of protein,” adds Thomas Mündler (see issue 04/2019). “Our KWS feed beet is a true power-packed fodder from the farmer’s own field.”
Patience is vital in persuading farmers
There are already initial success stories in the market. In particular, Farmdesk’s user friendliness is greatly appreciated. Of course, there are challenges to be overcome. “Our field service has provided consulting on corn alone for the past 20 years and now it’s selling a multi-crop concept.” And not all farmers are persuaded right away and so they continue to put their trust in the concentrate feed industry. Patience and perseverance are needed. This is no sprint, but rather a marathon.
Thomas Mündler, Regional Director for the Business Unit Corn in Northern Europe
The SEED2FEED team’s vision is to roll out SEED2FEED to further markets with high levels of milk production after successful piloting. “With this holistic concept, we also enhance KWS’ relevance to dairy farms, where operations tend to focus more on the cowshed. That demonstrates the value of our genetic material for fodder plants,” emphasizes Thomas Mündler.
There are no limits to how the tool can be developed further. Basically, SEED2FEED can be applied to all livestock farming. In the future Farmdesk might even help in achieving climate targets by enabling the CO2 footprint to be optimized as well. |
INFORMATION
The Farmdesk software costs €59 a month as part of a 12-month subscription. If personal consulting from KWS is also booked, SEED2FEED costs €69 a month (consulting alone is €29 a month). If farmers also buy their seed from KWS, they additionally obtain a discount. |
Contact:
Thomas Mündler
thomas.muendler@kws.com
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2025
