Organic farming

Organic farming in the Hortbobágy started in 1992 when conversion from traditional farming to organic began on few hundred hectares of ploughland.

Our company currently conducts organic farming on 2000 hectares under the inspection of the Hungarian authority (Biokontroll Hungária Kht.) and fulfills the requirements of BioSwiss as well.
Millet, barley, winter wheat, spelt, oat, corn, peas, oil rape, oil marrow, sunflower, mustard, oil flax and alfalfa are produced without using synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and growth promoters. The crops are sold on domestic and foreign markets.

Our company integrates organic farming in the buffer zone of the National Park. This resulted in more than 600 hectares of organic farming area of the neighbouring family farmers and entrepreneurs. This improves living conditions in the region, allows protective land use in the buffer zone and enhances positive attitudes toward nature protection.

Crop is collected in the Ohat Farm from the ploughlands of Hortobágy, Tiszafüred, Tiszacsege and Egyek.

In 1999 the Hortobagy Non-profit Company built the first drier in Hungary that is used exlusively to clean, dry and store organic grain and was inspected and certified by the Biokontroll Hungária Non-profit LTD. The Ohat Farm Center involves a gas-heated indirect grain drier and its attached cleaner with an average capacity of 7 tons/hour. Dried grains are stored in two 5000-ton store-houses. The farm is equipped also with a 60-ton weigh-bridge and a quality control lab.

In 1999, first in Hungary, the company introduced HACCP Food Safety System audited by Det Norske Veritas (Linz) and the ISO 9002 (now actualized as ISO 9001-2000) quality assurance system to the whole scope of the organic farming division.

In the spring of 2002 the Hungarian Biokultura Federation awarded the Hortobagy Non-profit Company “Organic Company of the Year” on the basis of the recomendation of Biokontroll Hungária Kht.