Ludwig Niggl

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Ludwig Niggl (born January 7, 1875 in Aibling ; † December 25, 1971 in Straubing ) was a German estate manager and grassland scientist . He is considered to be the founder of the grassland movement in Germany.

Live and act

After attending grammar school in Regensburg, Ludwig Niggl completed a two-year apprenticeship and began studying agriculture in Hohenheim in 1893 , which he had to give up for economic reasons in 1894 due to the early death of his parents. This was followed by ten years as the manager of several estates in Bavaria and northern Germany. From 1904 until his retirement in 1945 he was the head administrator of the Steinach estate near Straubing . Together with his landlord, the Secret State Economist Dr. Carl August von Schmieder , he managed this estate according to the principles of the most modern technology and made it a popular model farm.

On October 19, 1919, Carl Albert Weber , department head of the moor research station in Bremen , stayed at the Steinach estate. In an evening conversation with Niggl, he complained about the poor condition of the meadows and pastures in Germany. He asked Niggl to support the founding of an association whose primary task should be to familiarize the meadow and pasture farmers with better management measures. Niggl agreed to take the appropriate steps. This made the Schlossgut Steinach the birthplace of the German grassland movement . On this evening, the word " grassland " was coined as a collective term for all green land that is used for the forage industry .

On November 19, 1919, on the initiative of Niggl and with the active support of his landlord CA von Schmieder, the "Association for the Promotion of Grassland Management in Bavaria" was founded in Straubing. In the years that followed, grassland associations were established in almost all German countries. Niggl was instrumental in founding, managing and promoting many of these associations. The German Grassland Federation was founded in 1922 . The emerging grassland movement in Germany also gave new impetus to research in the field of meadow and pasture management. The teaching and research institute of the "Study Society for the Promotion of Grassland Management" set up on Schlossgut Steinach in 1931 under the direction of Friedrich König became the model for the establishment of similarly designed grassland experimental stations.

Niggl, who was later often referred to as the "grassland father", earned a high reputation among meadow and pasture farmers as well as agricultural scientists through several specialist books and numerous contributions in practice-oriented publications. His book " The History of the German Grassland Movement 1914-1945 ", published in 1953, is a valuable source for the scientific history of agriculture. It is an informative documentation with short biographies of people from the German grassland movement and details about important grassland conferences. The list of his own publications published there comprises 177 individual titles.

honors and awards

Niggl received high honors for his services to the German grassland movement:

Major works

  • The grassland in modern agriculture. Practical instructions for the management of meadows and pastures based on the experience in Steinach . Publisher Paul Parey Berlin 1923; 2. rework. Edition ibid. 1925; 3. rework. Edition ibid. 1930. - 2nd and 3rd editions published in the collection series "Grünlandbücherei", issue 1.
  • Modern grassland management as a pillar for the German farm . Ed. Meyer Friedrichswerth (Thuringia) 1927 = Agricultural Library Vol. 23.
  • Forage production and haymaking . Verlag Hubert & Co. Frauenfeld 1926 = Agricultural Lectures H. 6.
  • Ludwig Niggl and Friedrich König: The permanent pasture . Verlag Paul Parey Berlin 1934 = Instructions from the German Society for Zuchtungskunde H. 29.
  • The history of the German grassland movement 1914–1945 . With a contribution by Wilhelm Zorn "New goals and ways of grassland management". Without location information [1953].

literature

  • W. Zorn: State Economist Ludwig Niggl 75 years . In: Neue Mitteilungen für die Landwirtschaft Vol. 5, 1950, pp. 13-14 (with picture).
  • F. König: Landesökonomierat Niggl on his 80th birthday . In: Mitteilungen der Deutschen Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft vol. 70, 1955, p. 21 (with picture).
  • Alfred H. Könekamp: Ludwig Niggl 90 years . In: Deutsche Landwirtschaftliche Presse vol. 88, 1965, p. 8 (with picture).
  • "Grassland father" Ludwig Niggl 95 years old. The well-deserved man celebrated his birthday fresh and healthy . In: Straubinger Tageblatt from January 8, 1970 (with picture).
  • Alfred H. Könekamp: Ludwig Niggl † . In: Deutsche Landwirtschaftliche Presse vol. 95, 1972, p. 12 (with picture).
  • G. Voigtländer: Ludwig Niggl died . In: Mitteilungen der Deutschen Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft vol. 87, 1972, pp. 117–118 (with picture).

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Niggl, Ludwig
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German estate manager and grassland scientist
DATE OF BIRTH January 7, 1875
PLACE OF BIRTH Aibling
DATE OF DEATH December 25, 1971
Place of death Straubing