Milk with a heart A day at the Plankhof
The day starts early at Plankhof: milking, feeding, mucking out. Here, everyone pitches in to make sure the animals are happy. This blog gives you an insight into life on an organic farm:
The stable is calling!
It's time to get out of bed at 05:00, because Nelli, Antonia, Charlotte & Co are already waiting in the stables. We visited Roswitha Marold and her family on their organic farm in Aigen im Ennstal. She passionately gives us an insight into her everyday life and talks about her work on the Plankhof farm, dairy farming and her lovely cattle.
After just over an hour, the 23 dairy cows are milked, the barn is mucked out and the straw is freshly bedded. Then the 3 horses, 25 chickens, 10 bantams, 6 rabbits and 3 cats get their breakfast. At midday they have a small snack, because as ruminants, cows should eat constantly. Michael comes home from work at 4:30 p.m. and then it's off to the barn - because the animals have an internal clock and expect to be fed and milked on time. The work is done around 7 p.m. - until the next morning!
A matter of the heart
Only the best for the animals
The cows always have access to hay, silage and concentrated feed - in summer they enjoy lush grasses and herbs on the pasture. Mowing takes place four times a year, and only twice on diversity areas. The "mow" is then either pressed into silage bales - fermented by lactic acid bacteria, as in sauerkraut, and thus preserved. Or the grass is dried after mowing. To do this, it has to be turned three to four times, otherwise there is a risk of mold. A natural problem in the meadows is sorrel, which the cows avoid - it is painstakingly pulled out by hand. A bigger problem, however, is the discarded waste that is crushed during mowing and then eaten. This can lead to internal injuries in the animals. Dog excrement is also an ever-increasing danger, as it can lead to premature births or infertility.
The three daughters Emely, Hanna and Lilly are growing up with farm life - they know how butter is made, that cows are not purple and that it doesn't smell of flowers in the barn. To impart this knowledge to other children, Roswitha offers "School on the Farm". School classes and kindergartens regularly visit her on the farm. It is important to Roswitha to show the children where milk and meat come from, because they are the consumers of tomorrow. She has noticed time and again that it has a lasting positive influence on the children's actions.
"A good farmer should have an armchair in the barn"
Observing the animals is essential - if you know your animals, you rarely need a vet. Roswitha uses shiatsu and acupressure massage to release blockages and promote regeneration - in both cows and horses. Animals often respond better than humans because the head doesn't get involved. She has also observed that animals press their own "emergency points" when they need them - during childbirth, for example. Cows are smart animals!
You can also find this article and many more in our "for you magazine"!
Did you know?
- There are 309 dairy farms in Schladming-Dachstein, 190 of which are conventional and 119 organic, with 7,042 dairy cows.
- The average age of a cow is 5.7 years.
- On average, a cow produces 17.8 kg of milk per day.
- The oldest dairy cow in the region is 18 years old, comes from the municipality of Mitterberg-Sankt Martin and has produced 110.12 tons of milk in her lifetime.
- 01.06. is Milk Day.
