Description
The organic farmer of the “Moserhof” keeps 130 dairy sheep of the breed East Frisian. The total agricultural area of the farm is 58.5 ha (wood and arable land
included), whilst 13.5 ha are used as hay meadow and 30 ha as alpine pasture combined with cut use. 10% of the total main forage area is exclusively grazed, whilst on 90% a combined use of mowing and grazing is practiced. The animals are grazing half of the year; the practiced grazing management is a rotational stocking. In the year 2012 a farm shop and a farm restaurant including a cheesery were built. The entire produced amount of milk is transformed on farm into bu2er, different kinds of cheese and yoghurt. All products are offered for sale in the farm shop. In the own cheesery also goat milk from a partner farm is transformed into high quality products. All products, including on farm cultivated potatoes and vegetables, as well as purchased products from other farmers, are sold in the farm shop. In the year 2015 a professional gastronomy kitchen was installed where the produced products are refined into high quality, regional
and modern dishes and offered in the own farm restaurant. The main objective of the farmer is to increase the value of the own farm and of the whole region by
means of innovative ways of marketing of his products and services for hotels and tourists.
Reason for the innovation
- Short marketing chain
- Processing products
- Curiosity in subject/technique
Farm description
Environment
- Soil type: sandy; sandy-loam
- Average altitude (m a.s.l.): 1200 (1085 m to 2300 m)
- Average slope (%): 45 (9% to 60%)
Grassland management
- Grazing: Yes, partially combined with cut use
- Grazing management system: continuous stocking
- Length of grazing period (months/year): 6
- Forage conservation type: Hay
- Average fertilisation rate: 101 kg organic N/ha
Structure
- Annual work units: 6 (cheesery, restaurant and farm shop included)
- Agricultural area (ha):
- 13.5 ha hay meadow
- 30 ha summer mountain pasture combined with cut use
- 1 ha arable land (potatoes)
Animal performance
- Breed name: East Frisian dairy sheep
- Average amount of livestock: 100 mother sheep, 30 lambs
- Total Livestock unit (LU): 16
- Average stocking rate (LU/ha): 0.36
- Average milk production per head (l/year/dairy animal): 400
- Average rate of bought roughage: 5% (alfalfa)
Why it is working
- The whole family shares the motivation for organic farming and the project of the farm shop/farm restaurant
- The farm is located in an area strongly visited by tourists (60-70% of the revenue through tourists)
- In 2012 the farmer participated in crowdfunding project and received 200,000 € capital. The interest rate of 5% is paid through the own refined products.
