In 1972, precisely 50 years ago, Hermann Paintner started the harvest season in Sittelsdorf with his first self-developed sugar beet harvester. ROPA's sugar beet technology has developed considerably since then. ROPA has also been active in the potato sector since 2012, and we can look back with price across 10 years of ROPA potato technology. However, we don't want to rest on the laurels of our past success; we still have a lot of ideas for innovations and we are armed for the future and continued success.
The ROPA Symposium, which took place on Saturday, a day before the Open House, was also dedicated to these two anniversaries - 50 years of Hermann Paintner harvesting technology and 10 years of ROPA potato technology. Around 1,300 customers and guests of honor were invited to the event. In order to continue working with our customers to be successful on the market, in the course of our sixth ROPA Symposium, we discussed current topics with well-known speakers and our guests. Here, it was important to us and also a concern to launch new ideas and impulses.
Even the Minister President of Bavaria, Dr. Markus Söder, did not miss the opportunity to come to Sittelsdorf in person for this occasion. In his laudation, he congratulated the visionary and entrepreneur Hermann Paintner on his life's work and the worldwide success of the company based on outstanding technical innovations.
Below you can find a brief overview with impressions of the symposium program and festivities.
Greetings and Opening
Greetings
Managing Director Dr. Eberhard Krayl welcomed the more than 1,300 invited guests to the symposium personally and provided a brief overview of what's happening at the company right now.
Greeting and moderation by the Minister President
Hermann Paintner greeted the guests and provided an introduction about the situation of agriculture. He directed a few questions to the Minister President as topic pool before passing the floor to Dr. Markus Söder.
Greeting of the Bavarian Minister President
Dr. Markus Söder congratulated on 50 years of Hermann Paintner harvesting technology. "Bavaria stands for high-tech and homeland. Agriculture is an indispensable part of Bavaria. Bavarian agriculture produces the highest-quality products; Bavarian food is beloved around the world. Agricultural machines with state-of-the-art technology ensure a good harvest." He thanked the Paintner family for their great achievements as a symbol of family-owned companies in the Free State: "They are regional, local, and thinking about the next generation."
Greeting from the municipality of Herrngiersdorf - entry into the "golden book" of the municipality of Herrngiersdorf
It was a special honor and acknowledgement for the assembled guests and the invited regional politicians that the Minister President came to Sittelsdorf. The first female mayor of the municipality of Herrngiersdorf, Ida Hirthammer (3rd from right), recognized this in her greeting. In the presence of the member of the state parliament Petra Högl, Hermann and Marianne Paintner, the first mayor of the administrative district of Langquaid Herbert Blaschek, Managing Director Dr. Eberhard Krayl and district administrator of Kelheim Martin Neumeyer, the Minister President was the first person to enter himself in the "golden book" of the municipality of Herrngiersdorf.
CONFERENCE PROGRAM, SPEAKERS AND TOPIC OVERVIEW - Part 1
Introduction and Hosting
Werner Bauereisen
Head of Sales ROPA Sugar Beet Technology
Sugar beet technology department
Introduction and Hosting
Dr. Rupert Geischeder
Head of Sales ROPA Potato Technology
Potato technology department
Cultivation of chicory, harvesting in Chile
Dr. Eberhard Krayl on behalf of
Dr. Johann Maier
Head of Agricultural Research, Südzucker
Sugar beet technology department
What do we learn from the year 2022? Experience in dealing with special cultivation conditions
Dr. Rolf Peters,
Managing Director of PotatoConsult UG
Potato technology department
Presentation of the rail loading of sugar beets, sustainability in the process chain of sugar beet logistics
Bernhard Trumann
Managing Director and Head of Operations at TG Schleswig-Holstein eG and RoSiMa-Rohstoff SicherungsManagement GmbH
Sugar beet technology department
Study about weed regulation in potatoes - initial experiences and practical tips
Dr. Timm Bernhard
Justus-Liebig University Giessen
Potato technology department
Use of microbial carbonization as basis for the permanent build-up of humus and the trade in CO² certificates. Practical report about the deployment and their effects on soil fertility and water retention ability
Dirk Nachbarschulte
Farmer and Managing Director of the Nachbarschulte Agrarservice
Sugar beet technology department
Current situation on the potato market
Ferdi Buffen
Managing Director Wilhelm Weuthen GmbH & Co. KG
Potato technology department
Lunch in the new assembly center
CONFERENCE PROGRAM, SPEAKERS AND TOPIC OVERVIEW - Part 2
"Employees of the future" - ride along with my team! Employee motivation, employee loyalty, marketing at service providers
Georg Mauser
Head of Operations and Managing Director of RRGW -
Rübenrodegemeinschaft Weinviertel Mitte eGen and
Managing Director KDW Kommunaldienst Weinviertel OG
Sugar beet technology department
Processes and experiences with the Kartoffelmaus when loading starch potatoes
Holger Hanke
Managing Director of Raw Material Coordination at the Golßen, Kyritz and Hagenau plants of Emsland-Stärke GmbH
Dr. Stefan Dick
Managing Director of Südstärke GmbH
Potato technology department
News and innovations in ROPA sugar beet technology - enhancements to the Tiger 6S, Panther 2S and Maus 6, digital innovations and added value in networking with R-Connect telematics solutions, myROPA
Michael Gruber
Area Manager - Sugar Beet Technology at ROPA
Sugar beet technology department
The latest developments and innovations in ROPA potato technology
Dr. Rupert Geischeder
Head of Sales ROPA Potato Technology
Potato technology department
Greetings
Greeting of the 44th Bavarian Potato Princess Michelle I.
Michelle Hofner
Greeting of the 14th German Sugar Beet Queen
Magdalena Röckl
Greeting from the district
Martin Neumeyer
District administrator of Kelheim
CONFERENCE PROGRAM, SPEAKERS AND TOPIC OVERVIEW - Part 3
Agriculture in Ukraine, efficiency of CULTAN fertilization in cultivation, machine engineering in the ROPA Ukraine locations
Vitaly Orlowski
Manager of cultivation for the Paintner family in Ukraine, Managing Director of ROPA Ukraine
NEXAT - Next Generation agricultural Technology
Klemens Kalverkamp
Managing Director of Nexat GmbH und Kalverkamp Innovation
Climate crisis and shortage of basic food supplies - more serious than assumed?
Michael Horsch
Managing Director Horsch Maschinen GmbH
Agricultural technology talk between Hermann Paintner and Michael Horsch
These two agricultural technology pioneers reviewed the past years. From the first meeting in the field, energy-sapping developments with backlash to wide-ranging technical innovations
Final speech by Carolin Paintner
His daughter Carolin Paintner and his grandson Vinzent spoke moving words about the constructive cooperation with visionary and pioneer Hermann Paintner. Carolin Paintner works with her father in the development department. She often gives new developments the necessary finishing touch and the modern ROPA design.
Carolin described her father as a visionary who has innovative ideas, strategies, and concepts and consistently pursues these plans for the future. She especially admires his stamina paired with long-standing experience, his deep knowledge of people, and his ability to remain calm.
Anniversary festivities
Dinner with Bavarian delicacies and beer from the tap - music provided by the Josef Menzl band
