A total of 29.5 ha of land is cultivated within the IHPS Experimental Farm. Its primary function is to provide support and aid in the upkeep of hop gardens at the IHPS where numerous technological trials are carried out, as well as the regions committed to the hop breeding programme. The latter includes a range of international hop varieties and a well-established gene bank. We possess all the necessary equipment and machinery for this purpose, as well as machinery for complete harvesting operations and drying facilities for hops, with the possibility of introducing improvements in the harvest and drying operations. We want to give users direct access to the latest developments in agro-technology to create more efficient agricultural practices.
A portion of the cultivable land measuring 1 hectare is intended for the cultivation of other crops, with the goal of field experiments, performing with the objective of enhancing production technology. Recently we have started growing industrial hemp on three hectares of land, some years ago there was 1 ha of Echinacea.
IHPS is one of the eight official centres in Slovenia authorised to conduct recurring inspections of phytopharmaceutical products application equipment and devices. An average of 400 devices are examined annually.
Research and development activities of the Experimental Farm are focused also on application techniques and equipment for reducing the spray drift of plant protection products.