Ansgar Bergau
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Passion for biological plant protection
Ansgar Bergau - BSc and MSc Organic Agriculture, graduated 2017.
Currently: Crop Protection Advisor at Biobest Group in Westerlo, Belgium.
The vegetable deliveries failed
In retrospect, an old friend, who also studied in Witzenhausen, strongly influenced my choice to study organic agriculture. This friend already worked before his studies on an organic farm, which offers a vegetable box for members by subscription. He regularly brought the surpluses from the vegetable box to my shared apartment, where we worked together to process vegetables into exquisite delicacies. When this friend started his studies in Witzenhausen and the regular vegetable deliveries stopped, I myself came to Witzenhausen once in summer, visited the International Studi-club, lectures of the Agriculturchemie, the tropical greenhouse, the jam session freely organized by students, an excursion of the module "Vegetation and Location" as well as the libraries (DITSL and University Library).
After that, I knew what my heart was set on and I matriculated as well.
Love for the tropical greenhouse
After my preliminary internship on a dairy farm, I knew exactly what I wanted to deal with from then on: plants. The introductory events (group work and impulse lectures) during the freshman orientation period steered my focus to cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics. After my first module in the Current Issues in Science and Practice series entitled "Contents and Design of Specialized Tours," I was enamored with the Tropical and Subtropical Crop Greenhouse in Witzenhausen (TGH), a fact that has not changed to this day. The TGH offered me not only reason and possibilities to occupy myself with the crop plant collection. In addition, the custodian of the greenhouse offered me a position as a student assistant to support biological plant protection. This activity enriched my love for the TGH with further passion and, wherever possible, shaped my choice of project and thesis topics and areas of involvement during my mandatory internships. In order to use the entire scope of co-determination opportunities at the department, I became a member of the FSR (Fachschaftsrat), where I gained useful experience in the field of university political committee work.
Approaching the new and the familiar with a critical eye
From these components, namely passion for crop production, organizational work and plant protection, my drive was to complete the bachelor's and master's degree in regular study time in order to quickly get into the commercial practice of biological plant protection. Even though I am now happily working for the Biobest Group (Premium League for Biocontrol Organisms/Biological Crop Protection) and my job fulfills me, I sometimes wonder if one or two additional semesters beyond the standard study time might not have been beneficial for even more sustainable learning. I would have liked to have taken a little more time for some modules and papers and to have dived deeper into some of the subject matter. Nevertheless, I am completely grateful and happy for my study time. For me, I can't imagine a better study, despite all the time distance, creative thinking and critical review. The Department of Ecological Agricultural Sciences with the entire student body has changed my view of the world, given me valuable knowledge along the way, awakened a strong interest in aspects of the microcosm of the soil and plant world that surrounds us, and improved my abilities to approach new and familiar things with a critical eye.
Thank you University of Kassel, thank you department 11, thank you study coordinator, thank you TGH (especially M. Hethke & R. Braukmann), thank you student council and friends (especially above mentioned), thank you DITSL, thank you Witzenhausen - you have a lot of good with me :)