Dr. Lothar Hövelmann, Chief Executive Officer of DLG e.V., and Freya von Czettritz, CEO of DLG Holding GmbH, lead the DLG Group as a dual leadership team and are recognized as equal partners in dialogue within the industry. The DLG covers both agriculture and food – that is something special. In an interview for the DLG Members’ Newsletter, they share their high expectations for the new year 2026 and discuss the new DLG concept of progress: “Sustainable Productivity Growth.”
DLG Members’ Newsletter: What momentum are you taking into the new year after the overwhelming AGRITECHNICA 2025 in Hanover?
Dr. Lothar Hövelmann: AGRITECHNICA in November 2025 was a major highlight for the DLG and marked the successful conclusion of the year. As a platform for the international agricultural sector, where innovation, business, and technical content converge, it sets high expectations for the coming year. For 2026, around 200 major and smaller DLG events are planned in Germany, Europe, and worldwide. We are charged with ideas and concepts and look forward to reaching diverse target groups with innovative topics and formats. Our guiding principle, “Sustainable Productivity Growth,” provides an excellent framework for orientation. Personally, my greatest source of energy at AGRITECHNICA was the many encounters with people from all continents – an incredible cultural richness!
Freya von Czettritz: Above all, I take with me the spirit of the industry: the desire for solutions and the openness to new paths. That gives us momentum – for our trade fairs, testing, certifications, and specialist media. And it underscores: We are not just a platform, but a service provider with responsibility.
When it comes to trade fairs, many people do not realize how much work and attention such an event requires within the DLG – from planning to implementation. Behind it stands an experienced team that works with passion and precision. We celebrate successes while staying grounded – because after every fair comes the review: Where can we improve? How do we implement feedback? That is lived quality – and it makes us strong as a team. With this momentum, we start the year 2026.
What highlights can visitors look forward to at the DLG Winter Conference, DLG Field Days, and EuroTier 2026?
Freya von Czettritz and Dr. Lothar Hövelmann: We bring the key future topics to the stage – practical, international, and connected. Above all, in a way that enables our visitors to take away knowledge, gain concrete impulses for their businesses, and make investment decisions. That is our ambition: exchange, inspiration for the agriculture of tomorrow, and orientation.
There will be no shortage of highlights in the coming year: The DLG Group will organize trade fairs and conferences worldwide in the agricultural and food sectors.
For crop production, three strong formats await right on the field: The DLG Field Days with a unique variety of crop varieties, forward-looking cultivation strategies, practical trials, and technology demonstrations. PotatoEurope deepens this as a meeting point for international potato production, and the SugarBeet Expo provides the latest impulses around sugar beet.
EuroTier 2026 will showcase solutions for greater efficiency, animal welfare, and sustainability under the guiding theme “Intelligence in Animal Farming.” In parallel, EnergyDecentral will offer insights into the future of decentralized energy supply – from biogas and photovoltaics to storage technologies.
The DLG has set new accents in agricultural progress with its new concept of sustainable productivity growth and sparked discussion. What will you focus on in the new year?
Dr. Lothar Hövelmann: Indeed, the debate was highly engaged. In particular, the discussion around the Green Deal created strong demand for dialogue. It is important to emphasize that the goals of the Green Deal are not wrong – the problems lie in the measures and programs, which often miss the mark. We are pleased that the discourse has gained momentum, and in the new year we will work intensively on concrete implementation and further refinement.
About
Dr.Lothar Hövelmann (holds a doctorate in agricultural engineering and began his career at DLG in 1998 as a project manager for crop production. At the same time, he took over the management of the umbrella organisation Agrarforschung e. V. from 1998 to 2008. From 2003, he headed the newly established Sustainable Agriculture department at DLG. In 2008, he joined the DLG management team and headed the DLG Centre of Excellence for Agriculture. In 2015, he was also appointed to the DLG Executive Board. He has been Chief Executive of the DLG since 2022.
Freya v. Czettritz (41) studied business administration and has been with DLG since 2008. A year later, she took charge of AGRITECHNICA, the world's leading trade fair for agricultural technology. She developed the fair into the leading international platform for innovative agricultural technology and modern crop production. Since 2016, she has headed the Crop Production Trade Fairs division at DLG, which includes the leading international brands AGRITECHNICA, DLG Field Days, DLG Forest Days, PotatoEurope and AGRITECHNICA ASIA. As CEO of DLG Holding GmbH, she has been driving forward the professionalisation of DLG and the integration of agriculture and food internationally since 2022.
The transformation in agriculture is progressing. How does DLG’s technical work respond to changes, such as the potential of AI-based solutions in crop production and livestock farming? How can DLG members participate?
Dr. Lothar Hövelmann: Right at the beginning of the year, we will address artificial intelligence at the DLG Winter Conference on February 24 and 25, 2026, in Hanover. AI has long arrived on farms and is already delivering measurable productivity gains in agriculture and the food industry. Its further potential is enormous. We will discuss the major strategic issues associated with AI and the concrete solutions for everyday operations.
For DLG members, the Winter Conference is the place where the DLG as an association is most tangible – with the general assembly, the large plenary session, twelve individual events, and a strong networking evening where numerous decision-makers from the agricultural sector exchange ideas.
How does DLG contribute to developing solutions for challenges in the value chain?
Freya von Czettritz and Dr. Lothar Hövelmann: The DLG covers agriculture and the food industry – that is something special. This allows us to examine the value chain from start to finish. We keep a wide range of aspects in view. For example, when it comes to alternative proteins, we look at cultivation and production on farms, move through marketing – which is not easy with new processes, products, and utilization paths – analyze economic and technical aspects, and address the topic all the way to the point of sale. We also consider the framework conditions: the innovation ecosystem, regulation, markets, and acceptance.
We are partners in dialogue at eye level – across the industry. We constantly examine where our contribution can create the greatest added value. That means: focus instead of actionism.
We prioritize according to the principle: What is urgent and important today? And what will be urgent and important tomorrow? This is how projects emerge that deliver concrete solution models – for a future-proof agricultural and food industry.
Was that not concrete enough for you? Then look forward to 2026 – we have plenty in the pipeline.
