In the heart of the Black Forest in southwest Germany, the harsh winter is in full swing. In February, the mountains and conifers of the region are covered with fresh snow. A thousand metres above sea level in the southern Black Forest, Johannes and his partner Anne-Katherin welcome us to the family farm Hof Till. The farm overlooks Lake Schluch, one of the many characteristic lakes of the region. As soon as we step outside, our bonnets are covered with snowflakes.
"How often does it snow like this here?
- It's like this here all winter, sometimes the ground is covered with snow up to a metre high.
Johannes and Anne-Katherin's cattle are sheltered for the winter. Grazing will not resume until April, when the snow has given way to vegetation. In the wooden stable, on the left, 35 Thuringian goats (Thuringer Waldziege in German) watch us with mischief. On the right, 18 small cows are peacefully ruminating on the hay provided for them. They are Hinterwäld cows, originating from the Black Forest, known as one of the smallest cow breeds in Europe: 115 centimetres at the withers! As you can see, Hof Till has a penchant for local breeds. "In the Black Forest, the soil is made up entirely of forest and grass. The land is poor and some of it is on the mountainside. So you can't grow grain. The Hinterwäld cow is small and frugal, which makes it the most suitable cow for this region. It feeds on grass in summer and hay in winter. In contrast to other cattle breeds, it does not need grain to support itself" explains Johannes.
The characteristics of the Hinterwäld cow fulfil one of the farm's main objectives: to feed the herd only with locally available resources. The combination of cow and goat breeding is also an advantage. In the region, the forest is king and the living space for humans and animals is earned every year. In spring, the meadows give way to young plants. Future trees, which after a few years will establish a wood, then a forest. In Hof Till, the ruminants maintain the pastures, which would be swallowed up by the forest if there were no animals. So the goats first go out in April, when the snow starts to melt and young conifers appear in the middle of the grass. The goats eat all the young tree shoots that are sticking out, which helps to clear the fields. The cows come out a little later, when the grass is plentiful again.
Johannes and Anne-Kathrin took over the farm this year. Until then, the farm was run by Johannes' parents Heinrich and Christin, who had been running the Hinterwäld cow herd for thirty years and processing their milk into cheese. Yes, for the milk! And yet, with 3000 litres produced per year, it's not really the speciality of the breed. Heinrich, Johannes' father, tells us how, over the past thirty years, a sensible selection of animals has increased the breed's milk production. There are two local cattle breeds in the region, two sister breeds to be exact, the Hinterwäld and the Vorderwäld cow. The latter is bred in the valleys, it is larger and also more productive in terms of milk, 4-5000 litres per year. For thirty years the Hinterwäld cow was crossed with the Vorderwäld. Heinrich says: "I used to get the smallest cows from the Vorderwäld herds, the ones that the breeders didn't want because they didn't fit the breed standard. So the Hinterwäld cows produced a little more milk for a little more cheese at Hof Till. The few litres gained through genetic selection will never make the Hinterwäld cow a great milk producer. On average, the milk production of the Hinterwäld cow is still a long way from the 9,000 litres per year of the specialist breeds. In any case, breeding grain-intensive dairy breeds in the Black Forest would be nonsense in view of the soil and climate conditions in the region. An aberration that the Till family would never have signed up for.
Today, Hinterwäld's cows have left the milking parlour. When they took over the farm, Johannes and Anne-Kathrin turned to goat's milk cheese processing. This choice was dictated by their passion for this small ruminant. "He was only seven years old when Johannes asked me to sell him my goats. He told me that goat cheese made a lot of money and he wanted to start his business by buying my herd! I refused, firstly because he was young, but also because I wanted him to imagine himself in this work with other values than the money he could earn" says Heinrich. The years passed and when Johannes decided to take over the farm, it was clear to him that he would not milk the cows, but the goats. The family took this change of course philosophically: "There's no point in going into animal husbandry if you don't have an affinity with the animal you're raising. You live your whole life with the animal, from morning to night. It's a job that's driven by passion, so it's normal that you choose which animal you want to spend your days with" we explain. However, there is no question of giving up the Hinterwäld herd, which has a family value and plays an important role in maintaining the landscape.
Photos from left to right. Steps in the making of cheese produced on the farm 1. Stirring of the curd from the goat's milk. 2. Extraction of the curd with a cloth. 3. The curd is pressed by hand to remove the whey. 4 and 5. The curd is kept under press until the next day before going to the maturing cellar.
At the same time, the farm has a few pigs and chickens, which act as a vehicle for diversity on the farm: diversity of species on the one hand (there are a few chickens of a local breed and various crossbred pigs for fattening) and diversity of products on the other hand for the farm shop run by Johannes and Anne-Kathrin. Sausage, smoked bacon and ribs, eggs, cheeses in various stages of maturation, Bolognese sauce made from Hinterwäld meat... All these products are available in the small shop on the ground floor of the house.
As the saying goes: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket". The subject comes easily to the fore, with a focus on the health issues affecting Europe's pig farms. While African Swine Fever is ravaging wild and domestic pig populations in Eastern Europe and forcing many farmers to make biosecurity adjustments (including in France), for Johannes, the epidemic is not an issue: "Today there are no cases around here. Even if swine fever appeared in the region, we would stop raising pigs for one or two years, but that wouldn't stop us from running our farm. That's why it's important for us to have several productions." In the meantime, the presence of the pigs on the farm makes it possible to use the whey from the cheese processing!
"Small farms are the future" exclaims Heinrich. It must be said that in the south of Germany, the slopes and poor soils facilitate the establishment of small farms with few animals. At Johannes and Anne-Kathrin's farm, the diversification of production and activities allows the couple to live entirely from their livestock activity. On the farm, there are five complementary activities: breeding, cheese-making, the farm shop, sales on markets and finally, Johannes' food-truck! Johannes launched his food-truck business in 2015, after having worked for several years as a chef and hotel manager. A secondary activity that adds to the farm's range of skills. The food-truck offers the farm's good organic products at, among other places, Christmas markets and festivals in the region. All in all, the small Hof Till farm is not in crisis. The self-sufficiency of the farm and the diversity of production, products and sales methods ensure that they are able to adapt to a world full of uncertainties.
Did you know?
- Smoked with Black Forest wood
The Black Forest is a region renowned for its "Schwarzwälder Schinken", or Black Forest ham. Smoked for several weeks with local pine and spruce wood, this famous ham has a PGI (protected geographical indication). Although ham is the most popular, smoked meat in general is the speciality of the region. The "Schwarzwälder Speck" or Black Forest bacon is just as famous.
- Passion or reason
The environment in the Black Forest is ideal for small-scale farms, but they are not always profitable enough to make a living. In the northern Black Forest, on the heights of the village of Malsch, Markus and his father built buildings in 2013 to house a herd of 25 cows, mostly Hinterwäld and Vorderwäld cows. Markus raises his herd alongside his main job as a car mechanic. Here too, the herd is raised for meat and not for milk. A logical choice, considering that Markus has to devote time to two activities: his breeding and his job. Passion and reason, respectively. Because Markus is first and foremost a passionate person. Passionate about cows, even though he didn't grow up with his feet in the straw. With the help of his father, they started the business from scratch. They focused on breeds from the Black Forest because they are well adapted to the area, but also because breeds in danger of extinction are supported by the European Union. Indeed, Hinterwäld breeders receive a subsidy of 120€ per mother and per year.
Pictures. In winter, Markus' herd is sheltered under the building. Among the cows, Napoleon, the bull, is patiently chewing his hay. The first calving took place a few days ago, an event that heralds the start of a new season. From May onwards, the cattle benefit from 30 hectares of pasture, most of which is rented. In the region, the grazing area is divided into small parcels, which does not make the work any easier, especially for the fences. Nevertheless, the presence of Markus' cows helps to maintain the surrounding land. The meat from Markus' cattle supplies Marcello's small organic restaurant "Erasmus" in Karlsruhe, a few kilometres away.
- When the edge moves on
In the Black Forest, as in many other mountainous regions of Europe, farmers point out that without animals to graze the existing grasslands, the forest would quickly take over. Indeed, the forest grows mainly on agricultural land that is no longer used. Paradoxically, a growing forest can be seen as an encouraging sign for biodiversity, but it is also an indicator of agricultural abandonment and the renunciation of traditional ruminant rearing in mountain pastures. For example, in Switzerland, this area returned to nature represents 4,000 hectares per year, while in France it is around 80,000 hectares per year and has been for the past 30 years! The usefulness of an agricultural policy to support mountain farming is therefore clear.
