After the excitement of IFAJ Congress, a post-Congress tour tends to be a great way to dig a little deeper into local agriculture, pick up a few more stories, and get to know colleagues in a smaller group.
This year’s post-Congress tour to eastern Switzerland, western Austria, and the tiny duchy of Liechtenstein was superlative. Organizers Stefan Nimmervoll, Markus Habisch and Hans Mueller delivered a fascinating, beautiful and delicious exploration of regional farming.
Twenty-one of us left Interlaken by train and headed for the eastern border of Switzerland to cross the Rhine River into Liechtenstein. The diversified farm we visited was a stone’s throw from the city of Vaduz, home to most of Liechtenstein’s 40,000 residents. Those city dwellers could cross a small creek to visit the family’s farm shop, or stroll through a 1.2 hectare Weltacker demonstration farm that illustrates—with proportionally sized cultivated fields and pollinator plots—the amount of land required to feed a family of three local people. It’s a powerful statement, all the more so because those crops will actually be harvested and sold. In a nation with just 95 farms that deliver approximately 50% food self-sufficiency, even the demonstration plots are part of the food supply.
Another highlight of the tour was the commitment of Swiss and Austrian governments to education. At the Landwirstscaftliches Zentrum St. Gallen (LZSG) in Salez, Switzerland, and the Waldcampus Österreich in Traunkirchen, Austria, we were treated to tours and talks on the education for Swiss farmers, Austrian timber industry workers, hunters and more. Researchers at both institutions have their eyes firmly fixed on helping their nations’ primary industries prepare for a changing climate and stay on top of industry trends.
We met a Pinzgauer milking herd on a mountain farm in Austria’s stunning National Park Center Mittersill, and discussed the silage-free heumilch (hay milk) concept with an innovative farm family in Strasswalchen. We also had a chance to learn about the engineering behind Lindner Tractors, an Austrian line of machinery built specifically for alpine conditions since 1948. David Lindner provided a first-hand look at the company’s technology, as well as a chance to drive one of his rigs.
There was plenty of beautiful local culture, too, including a guided walk through the medieval center of Werdenberg, Switzerland, and another exploration of the village and historic salt mine—which began operation 7,000 years ago—in Hallstatt, Austria. In Traunkirchen, Mayor Christof Schragl didn’t just greet us with a kind welcome speech, he backed it up with a spirited performance on his accordion. And as the tour drew towards its close in a luncheon with Upper Austrian Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Michaela Langer-Weninger, and Bad Goisern Mayor Leopold Schilcher, we had plenty of experiences to draw upon in our question and answer session with the minister.
Minister Langer-Weninger underscored the importance of agricultural journalists in telling complex stories about a very specialized industry that often finds itself in the middle of debates over topics ranging from environmental protection to reintroducing wolves to the landscape.
“[Agricultural journalists] are very important to us because [they] understand our speaking, and they understand our interests, and they understand how farmers are working,” she said. “All other journalists are important to us, but there we have to begin the discussion on another level—it’s a level for all people in the country. But agricultural journalists are really involved for agriculture, for farmers, and also for the business in whole for the country.”
A huge thank-you to Stefan, Markus and Hans for their impeccable organization and to sponsors Lindner Tractor, LZSG, Waldcampus Österreich, ARGE Heumilch, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture of Upper Austria, Bundesforste and Saltzwelten Hallstatt.
Steve Werblow
IFAJ President
FOTO: https://www.ifaj.org/article/switzerland-post-congress-tour-big-mountains-big-diversity/