Federal Agricultural Experimental Farms GmbH (BVWG)

The Federal Agricultural Experimental Farms GmbH – a 100 percent subsidiary of the Republic of Austria – was founded in 1997 with the aim of managing the individual agricultural operations efficiently and profitably. The BVW Act of 1 July 1997 created the legal framework for this. However, the Act on the spin-off also clearly defined the tasks and objectives:

• Primary agricultural production under a large-scale farming structure: With a total area of approximately 3,100 hectares, the company is one of the largest agricultural enterprises in Austria.
• Research and experimental activities: Under the principle of “research on the producing farm”, a unique position in Austrian agricultural research has been achieved. Approximately 10% of the area is cultivated in research projects with various cooperation partners (BOKU, VETMed, AGES,et cetera).
• Training operation: Provision of land, facilities and machinery for the purpose of conducting practical training at the Francisco Josephinum Federal Higher Education and Research Institute in Weinzierl.

Experimental and research activities

With the “Augias” corporate concept, the strategic orientation in the field of research was also redefined. The focus on a platform strategy has made a significant contribution to increasing efficiency in the business area. In particular, this also enables clear interface management between the individual cooperation partners and the company.

Experimental design, project definition, scientific evaluation and data collection are the responsibility of the cooperation partners (universities, federal institutions, et cetera). Professional land management is the responsibility of BVW. This allows all cooperation partners to concentrate on their core competencies.

The scope of responsibilities is defined in the BVWG Act.

The BVW Act also clearly defines the profile of responsibilities: independent management of the properties transferred to it, as well as chargeable experimental and research activities and services under a large-scale farming structure.

With the amendments to the BVWG Act in 2025 and 2026, various school locations were transferred to Federal Agricultural Experimental Farms GmbH. The acquisition and management of these locations now also constitute tasks of the company.