Abstract
Hermann Mantinger was born on 21 August 1934 in Latsch/Laces, located in the Vinschgau Valley of South Tyrol, Italy. Growing up in a family of small-scale farmers, he gained early exposure to various aspects of agriculture. As the sixth of 13 children, he also experienced the challenges of rural life. He attended the humanistic grammar school at the Vinzentinum in Brixen/Bressanone and graduated from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) in Vienna in 1961. After a brief tenure as an agricultural instructor at the vocational school in Dietenheim, he became an advisor for the South Tyrolean Extension Service for Fruit and Wine Growing (Südtiroler Beratungsring). During this period (1961-1968), he established the Etschtal extension district based in Terlan/Terlano. While working as an advisor, Mantinger began teaching at the Laimburg Agricultural School. In 1968, he transitioned permanently to the school, taking on the role of instructor in fruit growing and plant protection. On January 1, 1976, he was appointed the founding director of the Laimburg Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, a position he held until his retirement in 1999. Under his leadership, the Laimburg Research Centre evolved into an internationally recognized research institution. By the time of his retirement, it employed approximately 150-180 staff members and managed between 350 and 400 active projects annually. Mantinger’s unwavering dedication was focused on fostering targeted, practice-oriented research to support local agriculture, aiming to improve the production conditions of growers. In the year of 2024, Hermann Mantinger celebrated his 90th birthday.