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Anyone seeking to adapt Agriculture to changing climatic conditions must consider many factors simultaneously. The choice of forage crops influences the demand for inputs. Housing practices affect animal health and workload. Emissions, in turn, depend on feeding, production, and management.

Professor Heiko Scholz’s work focuses on these intersections. His projects address issues that directly affect farms. These include the supply of protein-rich feed, the management of suckler cows under changing weather conditions, and the monitoring of methane emissions.

A key focus of his research is whole-plant silage made from grain legumes such as peas, field beans, and lupins. These crops are becoming increasingly important because they can help provide protein for dairy cows.

In 2024 and 2025, his team studied the development of dry matter content, yield, and nutrient content in various grain legumes. The goal was to determine suitable harvest times and conditions for silage production.

The results show that harvesting should take place when the dry matter content is between 30 and 50 percent. For white lupins, yields of 121 decitonnes of dry matter per hectare were achieved. After more than 100 days of silage storage, dry matter losses were less than five percent.

Such results are particularly interesting for practical applications because they can support the use of domestic protein sources. This allows farms to diversify their feeding systems and reduce their reliance on purchased protein feeds.

Another area of research focuses on keeping suckler cows outdoors year-round. The animals are exposed to varying weather conditions. Rain, wind, and low temperatures affect their well-being just as much as their energy intake or the thickness of their winter coats.

Scholz’s team, which sometimes includes students, investigated which factors are relevant for assessing cold stress and how recommendations for practical application can be derived from this.

Changes in the animals’ behavior were recorded using sensor systems. During the transition from the grazing season to winter feeding, the daily feed intake time decreased from about 500 minutes to around 200 to 230 minutes. At the same time, the duration of rumination increased.

In addition, data were collected on coat change, the use of resting mats during year-round outdoor housing, and various management practices on the farms. These data will be incorporated into further analyses to derive recommendations for livestock management under different weather conditions.

Of particular relevance: measurements of methane emissions from dairy cows. Previous calculation models from the 1990s were based on values that were significantly higher than those measured by Scholz and a team from the University of Halle. More than 100 animals on six farms in Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia were studied using a mobile laser detector while grazing under normal conditions. The result: an average of 247 grams of methane per cow per day, rather than the 400 grams predicted by the model.

These findings help to reevaluate existing assumptions about emission levels and improve the data foundation for assessing agricultural production systems.

And how are other countries and businesses responding to changing conditions? In March 2026, Professor Heiko Scholz led a group of students, faculty, and alumni from the MBA degree program in Agricultural Management on a ten-day trip to Japan: from Tokyo through Kyoto and Osaka to Kobe and Kochi.

Japan can use only about 14 percent of its land area for Agriculture. Many farms therefore rely on precise planning and digital technologies.

At the KAMU Farm near Hamamatsu, the group observed how drones handle fertilization and pest control in rice paddies. A flood and drainage system controls the water supply to the fields while also helping to manage weeds.

At the Kobe Beef Marketing & Distribution Promotion Association, participants gained insights into the comprehensive documentation of slaughter weight, fat content, and breeding parameters. The data collected forms the basis for the certification of Kobe beef.

“Our stops in Japan show just how much is possible in Agriculture when knowledge and technology transfer come together,” says Scholz.

Professor Heiko Scholz also shares his holistic approach to farm-level contexts outside the university. In addition to trade shows, he presents research findings at professional conferences and regularly exchanges ideas with farmers. The insights gained from these farms, in turn, inform new research questions.

This creates a cycle of research, practice, and teaching. It is precisely these connections that provide important insights for many of the challenges facing Agriculture and climate adaptation.

How much methane does a cow emit? https://www.hs-anhalt.de/hochschule-anhalt/aktuelles/neuigkeit-1/wie-viel-methan-stoesst-eine-kuh-aus.html

Agriculture in the Era of Climate Change: Heat Stress in Suckler Cows on Pasture https://www.hs-anhalt.de/hochschule-anhalt/aktuelles/neuigkeit-1/agriculture-in-the-climate-change-heat-stress-in-suckler-cows-on-pasture.html