From Conventional Pig Farming to Integrated Regeneration

Michael Reber’s family farm lies in Schwäbisch Hall, a historic town in the Hohenlohe region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. For generations, the farm operated as a high-input arable and pig farming enterprise, prioritizing productivity and efficiency.  When Michael took over, he followed the same path expanding pig numbers and investing in infrastructure. But when a devastating virus outbreak wiped out three-quarters of his herd, it forced a reckoning. With the financial strain mounting and his land increasingly struggling under chemical-intensive practices, Michael started questioning everything.

The turning point came when he attended a soil health course. “This new perspective prompted me to question everything I had learned in farming school and practiced for the past 15-20 years,” Michael explains. “For the first time, I saw the farm not just as a production unit, but as a living system. This was the beginning of our transformation.”

Michael began experimenting with cover crops, no-till methods, and diverse rotations. His wife, Manuela played a crucial role in the transition, managing finances and ensuring stability as the farm shifted toward organics. Though she works outside the farm, she has become an advocate for their new approach, helping navigate the challenges of change.

Integrating Farming & Energy Production

Today, Innovative Landwirtschaft Reber is organic and regenerative. With 200 hectares of arable land, 24 hectares of grassland, 200 orchard trees, and 3 hectares of forest, the farm is a model of integrated, resilient agriculture.

One of the most defining aspects of their system is the biogas plant, a forward-thinking investment that transforms manure and plant residues into renewable energy. Built in partnership with municipal utilities, the plant produces both electricity and heat, with 80% of its output supplying Schwäbisch Hall’s power grid. The remaining energy supports the farm, fueling an electric car charging station and reducing external energy reliance.

Beyond energy production, the biogas plant plays a critical role in the farm’s nutrient cycle. By digesting organic material, it creates a rich, natural fertilizer that replenishes the soil without synthetic inputs. Over the last decade, Michael has cut synthetic nitrogen use by 80kg/ha, improving soil structure, water retention, and biodiversity. His fields, once struggling with compaction and runoff, now absorb water efficiently and sustain a thriving ecosystem of earthworms, microbes, and pollinators.

Teaching Other Farmers In Germany

Michael’s experience taught him that the biggest barrier to transformation isn’t technical, it’s mindset. At 47, he made it his mission to bring other farmers along for the journey by openly sharing his journey from high speed and high input conventional farming to regenerative organic agriculture.

He started the podcast Boden und Leben (Soil and Life), which provides insights into the lives of farmers, their connection to the land, and their visions beyond conventional agriculture. The show is a cornerstone of Germany’s regenerative agriculture movement, tackling everything from soil science to mental health in farming and providing transparency and space for important conversation.        

Michael is passionate about expanding the regenerative community in Germany. Since 2019, over 1300 farmers have been hosted at Innovative Landwirtschaft Reber  for seminars and an annual Soil Health Day they host. Michael is also engaged in local politics advocating for regenerative practices.

Looking Toward the Future

Despite the progress, challenges remain.  Surrounded by rolling hills and fertile yet fragile soils, the region faces an increasingly unpredictable climate, with erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells making soil health and water retention urgent concerns.

Past investments in conventional pig infrastructure weigh heavily, and transitioning hasn’t been easy. But Michael and Manuela are determined to continue evolving the farm. Their long-term vision is a smaller, high-productivity operation focused on direct-to-consumer sales, deeper integration of livestock, and continued education initiatives to support other farmers in making the shift.

Michael often says that his greatest success isn’t just healthier soil, but the fact that his children now see a future on the farm. “My wife and kids didn’t have any interest when our operation was conventional,” Michael shares. “Now they are proud of my work and want to participate in building our future. This means everything to me.”