Two Bavarian Farmers Win Categories at the Ceres Award 2026 in Berlin Franz Xaver Kirchmaier from Chieming and Klaus-Peter Lichtinger from Laberweinting won recognition at the Ceres Award 2026, securing two category titles for Bavaria during the Nacht der Landwirtschaft
on October 21 at KOSMOS Berlin. Vier bayerische Landwirte schafften es unter die 21 Finalisten, und von sieben Kategoriesiegen gingen gleich zwei in den Freistaat. Die beiden farmers claimed victories in the energy and pig farming categories.
The award is issued by the trade medium agrarheute and stands as a significant distinction within German agriculture.
Category Victories in Energy and Pig Farming
Franz Xaver Kirchmaier, located in Chieming within the Traunstein district, captured the win in the Energie
category. Kirchmaier combines agriculture, energy production, and tourism on his farm at Lake Chiemsee, managing 160 dairy cows, energy installations, and a five-star wellness hotel. His setup includes a 75-kW biogas plant utilizing slurry from his dairy cows, a 150-kW wood gasifier using wood from his own forest, and photovoltaic installations generating 1.2 MW of power. The wood gasifier also produces biochar, allowing the farm to cover its annual electricity demand of approximately 600,000 kWh almost entirely on its own while supplying heat to the hotel and hay drying via a local heating network, replacing about 270,000 liters of heating oil annually. Mir ist wichtig, dass unsere drei Betriebsstandbeine – Landwirtschaft, Energieerzeugung und Tourismus – sich zwar ergänzen, aber dass auch jedes für sich funktioniert,
erklärte Kirchmaier, der anfügte: Wir haben für jede Situation ein Backup.
He prevailed against competitors Daniel Königs and Wolfgang Löser.
Klaus-Peter Lichtinger from Laberweinting in the Straubing-Bogen district won the Schwein
category by convincing the jury with the pilot project Sauguad
, which aims to open new marketing channels for domestic pig farmers. Lichtinger, a piglet producer who maintains approximately 130 sows and 880 fattening pigs while producing feed on his own acreage, focuses on boar fattening, short distances, and increased animal welfare. He successfully competed against rivals from North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony.
Political Reactions and Regional Standing
Stephan Bissinger stated Mit Franz Xaver Kirchmaier und Klaus-Peter Lichtinger werden zwei Landwirte ausgezeichnet, die unternehmerisch denken, Neues anpacken und Verantwortung für ihre Region übernehmen
and added that the outcome serves as a signal to politicians to provide operations with reliable framework conditions and planning security to strengthen value creation and supply security in Bavaria. Michaela Kaniber also offered congratulations, emphasizing that the farmers invest and bravely forge new paths through practical implementation of the energy transition and regional marketing concepts. Minister Kaniber additionally congratulated the two further Bavarian finalists: Horst Düll from Würzburg in the arable farming category and Stefan Schädler from Oberstaufen in the cattle category.
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