about us
Carmen Retzela-Kühn and Uwe Kühn from Miscanthus Buscheritz
Our farm has been family-owned since 1880 and is located in the beautiful Upper Lusatia, east of the city of Bautzen. Both the buildings and the family members have a very eventful history, due to the destruction in the First and Second World War and the forced collectivization during the period of socialism.
Adapting - again and again
The most important basic rule, to adapt again and again and to go new ways, runs like a red thread through the family history. At the moment, the third to fifth generation live together on the farm. Since the end of the 1970s, agriculture has no longer been the family's main source of income. Only after the German reunification was it allowed again to decide on the field areas independently. Starting in 2005, the family got the farm buildings back and could begin to use them for their own purposes.
The cultivation of Miscanthus begins
After a period of conventional land cultivation by service providers, the cultivation of Miscanthus was started in 2008 in order to use it as heating material for heating the residential and business premises. As the demand for Miscanthus from companies and private individuals has grown steadily in recent years, the cultivation area was expanded to 13.5 hectares. By advising other interested landowners, however, a multiple of this area is now available for regional utilization. For us, the cultivation method with advanced plants represents an economically more positive balance due to the safe overwintering rate.
Cooperation in research projects
Since 2018, various alternative methods for cultivation on large areas and the suitability of further Miscanthus varieties have been tested as part of a European research project.
There are regular information events with up to 15 participants held on site, lectures in a suitable setting, and we use trade fairs and conferences to exhibit our products.
Through an extensive collection of literature and close cooperation with associations and scientific institutions, we constantly try to be up to date with the latest research and make this knowledge available to all interested parties.