BauernZeitung | News from Swiss agriculture

In 2017, there were 2569 farms and breeding farms in the canton of Thurgau. This is 41 companies less than in 2016. Thus, the number of companies in Thurgau – as well as in all of Switzerland – continued to decline. As reported by the Bureau of Agriculture and the Statistics Department, this decrease mainly affects medium-sized farms. In the space of one year, 47 farms with an agricultural area of ​​5 to 25 hectares have ceased or increased their activity. The trend towards more organic farms continues. In 2017, 315 farms in Thurgau were produced according to the guidelines of organic farming. That's 21 more than the year before, which is the second largest increase since the beginning of the millennium.

13 percent is organic land

In 2017, the agricultural area of ​​Thurgau was 49,403 hectares. For the first time in nearly a decade, it has not declined. Compared with the previous year, mostly open arable land increased. The grassland, which occupies the largest area with a share of nearly 60 percent, has declined further. The field of organic farming, however, has continued to increase. The more than 600 hectares is the second largest increase since 2000. In 2017, about 6600 hectares, or 13 percent of agricultural area, were managed organically. The proportion of organic land in Thurgau is comparable to that of all of Switzerland (14%).

Various special crops

The production of special crops such as vegetables, fruits and berries is becoming more and more important in Thurgau. Since 2000, the area has increased by almost a fifth and in 2017 was more than 3200 hectares. At the same time, the choice of crops is diversified. The most important specialty crop in Thurgau, apples, had an area share of about 60 percent in 2000. In 2017, it was just over 40%. In contrast, other crops – such as one-year outdoor vegetables, stone fruits, perennials and pears – have grown in area. Between 2016 and 2017, the growth of specialized crops continued. This is mainly due to the outdoor vegetables of one year and to the pears.

Constant Direct Payments

Total direct payments and individual cultural contributions amounted to 109.8 million Swiss francs in 2017. Thus, grants paid in the Canton of Thurgau do not have the same amount of money. have not changed much compared to 2016. For the most important direct payment instrument, the "contributions to security of supply", the benefits paid have remained more or less constant. Farmers in Thurgau have once again become more attached to environmentally friendly and animal-friendly production forms: "Contributions to the production system" increased by 0.6 million francs compared to 2016 In the case of "contributions to biodiversity", the benefits paid also increased (over CHF 0.4 million). The transitional contribution to ensure the socially acceptable conversion of the direct payment system was further reduced (minus CHF 1.6 million). The publication "Agricultural Farm Structure Data 2017" can be downloaded from www.statistik.tg.ch. pd