
Katarzyna and Daniel Malicky farm 370 hectares of soil of the 3rd and 4th quality class with varied topography. About 100 hectares are cultivated according to the principles of organic farming, and the remaining area has been cultivated without plowing since 2017. At the same time, farmers also conduct animal production in the form of a large herd of sheep. These, in turn, are processed into meat themselves and then sold directly under their own brand. They started their adventure with agriculture 22 years ago, fulfilling their dream of buying a farm, and for 18 years animal production has been focused on sheep breeding, instead of the previous beef cattle.
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Manure in no-till cultivation and barley sown in November by a farmer near Toruń
No-plow cultivation and unusual fertilization
As Daniel Malicki says, apart from the part of the farm cultivated "ecologically", 5 years ago he completely abandoned plowing, replacing the plow with a tiller and a disc harrow. An important element of crop rotation are catch crops, which appear here in an interesting way because sheep graze on them, leaving feces behind, and with them bacteria that have a positive effect on the growth and development of plants. In addition to grazing and manure, farmers also use mineral fertilization, using a fertilizer spreader and a sprayer equipped with precision farming solutions, such as navigation, variable sowing rate or automatic section control.
Moreover, humic and fulvic acids have been sprayed in fields for several years now, and since this year, probiotics have also been used. For fertilization, farmers also use sheep wool granules produced on their own, which is a source of nutrients and a material that absorbs large amounts of water, allowing plants to better survive drought.
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Sheep grazing on catch crops, wool fertilizer and more by farmers from Olsztyn
It is also worth mentioning renewable energy sources. The farm is largely powered by electricity using a photovoltaic installation, and the construction of its own biogas plant is at the stage of finalizing the formalities. Interestingly, over a little over two decades of running the farm, Daniel Malicki recovered about 40 hectares of wet land, previously unsuitable for agricultural purposes, carrying out a total of about 60 kilometers of land improvement, using his own excavator and a device for laying drains.
Sheep breeding and own processing
A characteristic feature of the Malicki family's farm is the herd of Kamieniec sheep, which currently numbers approximately 1,100 animals. In winter, just after calving, its number increases to up to 1,500. It is a breeding flock of a conservation breed, and a large part of the lambs is intended for meat, processed in-house and sold under its own brand in the agricultural retail trade. As Katarzyna Malicka says, for 6 years she has been aiming to teach Poles how to eat lamb, which is why she visits many industry events with her products and also promotes this type of meat on social media.
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