The future of farming is moving towards regenerative practices. The Top 50 Farmers initiative leads this change. Zoltán Lengyel, the head of Táncoskert Farm, is part of the program, showing that sustainable methods benefit both the environment and farmers.
Action Plans for Endangered Species Conservation
The concerted and systematic collaboration of scientific disciplines, state authorities, and the public is indispensable for the conservation of endangered species. Species Action Plans serve precisely this purpose, outlining the threatening factors and the objectives and measures of the action program implemented for their protection.
Where learning meets the land – secondary school entering the model farm – network
The Lutheran Secondary School of Kőszeg organized a professional day on grassland management. As a model farm participating in the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project , the institution aimed to provide its students and local farmers with up-to-date information on various aspects of grassland management.
Nature conservation and farming?
On 26 February 2025, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate will organise the eighth event in its lecture series connected to the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project. The upcoming lecture will be held by Péter Balogh, farmer and geographer, who will discuss the relationship between nature conservation and agricultural management.
Invasive plant species of our grassland habitats
On 19 February 2025, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate will organise the seventh event in its lecture series connected to the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project. The upcoming lecture will be held by Balázs Lesku, professional adviser of the Hortobágy National Park Directorate, who will introduce the attendees to invasive plant species threatening our grassland habitats.
Our natural heritage comes with responsibility
Hungary possesses a unique natural heritage that stands out even on a global scale, emphasized the Deputy State Secretary responsible for nature conservation at the event “Mammal of the Year: the Hungarian birch mouse” held in Miskolc.
Subsidy opportunities for grassland areas
As part of the Grassland-HU LIFE integrated project, the publication “Grassland Subsidy Opportunities in the Light of the Common Agricultural Policy 2021-2027” was published by the National Chamber of Agriculture. The document is available online (see below)and on the Chamber’s website.
Methods and necessity of insect-friendly grazing
On 29 January 2025, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate will organise the sixth event in its lecture series connected to the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project. The upcoming lecture will be held by Szabolcs Lengyel, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), honorary university professor, and scientific advisor, who will address the necessity and methods of insect-friendly grazing.
Applied and adaptive pasture management
On 8 January 2025, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate will organize the fifth event in its lecture series connected to the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project.
From Loess to solonchak - presentation on the soil types of the Hortobágy
On 17 December 2024, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate will organize the fourth event in its lecture series connected to the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project.
True or false? Claims in agricultural economics
On 10 December 2024, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate will organize the third event in its lecture series related to the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project. The speaker of the upcoming event will be Zsolt Csúvár, agricultural economist, who will discuss Hungary’s current agricultural challenges and opportunities.
Practical experiences and professional lessons about winter grazing
On November 26, 2024, a convention titled "Winter Grazing in Grassland Farming" was organized by the National Chamber of Agriculture as part of the GRASSLAND-HU LIFE Integrated Project. The event provided both theoretical knowledge and practical demonstrations, which generated significant interest among livestock farmers.
Hungarian birch mouse found in new habitat patch
The Hungarian Natural History Museum has been surveying the population of the Hungarian birch mouse (Sicista trizona) for 19 years in Borsodi-Mezőség,the only known birch mouse population in Hungary.
Another farmer’s forum in Hortobágy
On 20 November 2024, the Hortobágy National Park Directorate will organize the second event in its lecture series related to the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project. The speaker of the upcoming event will be Dr. Zsolt Pinke, Senior Research Fellow at the Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE).
Lecture series for farmers
The Hortobágy National Park Directorate, in connection with the Grassland-HU LIFE Integrated Project, is launching a series of lectures designed for farmers.
Field Report from Slovenia
Experts working on the GRASSLAND-HU LIFE Integrated Project participated in a study tour to Slovenia at the invitation of the LIFE-IP NATURA.SI project, which focuses on the management of Natura 2000 sites. During the four-day visit, the Hungarian delegation gained a wealth of valuable professional experience.
Handover of the new Center!
The Kocsér Grassland Conservation Management Advisory and Landscape Unit Center's handover ceremony took place on 12th-13th September 2024.
When and how to mow?
Until the beginning of the last century, when the mechanization of mowing did not begin, it was a slow-paced work process that was done with hand tools and human power. The harvest progressed slowly, in a larger area it could take up to weeks, so freshly mowed, unmowed, and re-sprouted patches were created to varying degrees, creating the most favorable mosaic.
Spring preparation on our grasslands
The grasslands must not only be dense, it must also be alive. Nowadays, the main role belongs to modern tools, and grass management can be carried out in a nature-friendly way. Always keep in mind: the grasslands is primarily a habitat! The species living in there, are important participants in the ecological balance, so not only they, but also the crop yield is vulnerable.
Secret message - in the fur of a hamster
In Péter Bacsó's absurdist classic film The Witness, the communist state accuses the protagonist and his disgraced friend of passing "secret messages in ground squirrels skins" to the frogmen. According to the story, the two characters do indeed come into contact with the "dam's greatest enemy, the ground squirrel", beating the crap out of a (european) hamster.