Kruse Milk & Energy – Well-Positioned for the Future
Henning Kruse is an experienced farmer ready for risks. When it comes to charging technology, however, he relies on the security of Weidemann.
Henning Kruse has two Weidemann machines in use on his main farm in Butzhausen in Lower Saxony. The small 1140 reliably takes care of all work around the stables. This stable houses 300 dairy cows. After 14 days in individual igloos, the offspring are brought to the operating site on the other side of the street with the Weidemann 1140. The calves are raised in larger groups here for up to three months. Henning Kruse also uses a Weidemann 4080T at the location. The large wheel loader fills the biogas plant and the feed mixer, mucks out stables and otherwise takes care of other hard work to be done. “Both Weidemann machines are constantly in application", explains the farmer and energy farmer. In addition to animal husbandry and biogas systems at several locations, Kruse Milch & Energie also operates three photovoltaics systems on a total roof area of around 6,400 m².
"The topic of energy basically saved my milk production", explains Henning Kruse. When GbR was dissolved with its brother in 2011/2012, the trained farmer faced the decision of terminating his employees or chancing another big step. But his responsibility towards his family and employees led him to look for other opportunities. The construction of a biogas and photovoltaics system promised new opportunities. However, the funding for the consumption of self-generated electricity was to stop in early 2012 so that the gamble was not worthwhile. Another dead end. Nevertheless, the master farmer attended the "New Energy" trade fair in Husum with his apprentice. A chain of coincidences here provided for the future of his company: Due to sudden sea fog, he wasn't able take the return flight home. In the hotel, he then met a representative of the ministry of economics, who told him that there would be an exemption clause for the EEG2012, for started PV projects that would be done by 30 June 2012.
He had hardly arrived home when Henning Kruse filed for construction and credit applications and ordered building materials. "I put everything on one card", he remembers. "While the proposals were still being discussed in the front, we were already building in the back". In the end, it all turned out and the energy farmer was able to prove the connection of his third photovoltaic system to the power grid on 30 June 2012 on time. "We certainly had to make some concessions." The entire building is therefore on a wooden structure, since steel construction is subject to a longer planning process. The animals were first able to move in about 18 months later, because the permit for change use here took longer than desired.
Today the facility in Butzhausen is well-utilised with the 482 kWp photovoltaic system, a 75 kW biogas system and 300 dairy cows. As exciting as the start was, the operation is now also running constantly and continuously thanks to two reliable and powerful Weidemann machines.
