At the beginning of 2024 Susanne and Liisa became the fresh owners of a bio-farm, after taking over the farm's ownership from Susanne's parents. Situated at 1.000 meter above sea level and tucked between the steep foothills of the Austrian Alps, their place could be described as ‘postcard-perfect’.
There’s a well-kept farmhouse standing between rolling meadows. There are well-built storage sheds and carefully stacked walls, fruits of the labour done by former generations. Nights are dark and quiet. There’s a waterfall in view on the opposite mountainside.
Now all of this, the farm, with its splendour and its whims, is to be called theirs. “There are moments when it scares the hell out of me,” Liisa says. “It’s a beautiful place which I feel massively responsible for. But it’s also a great adventure to be doing this together with Susanne.”
Above: Installing electric fencing around a fresh patch of pasture for the couples three cows. The livestock further includes 7 chickens, 7 sheep, 1 cat and 2 dogs.
Below: Liisa mowing the last patch of pasture of the season. During a typical season the land produces two cuts of hay, or three in the case of a long summer, food for the cows and sheep in wintertime. After mowing, the grass is left to dry on the land. Then it’s raked and blown together to be picked up by the couple’s weathered forage wagon they affectionately call ‘Grandpa’.
Below: The small but mature forest on the property produces more firewood than Lissa and Susanne need on their own to get through winter. The surplus is sold as firewood, after the logs have been left to dry for a few years and then sawn to the ordered size. After careful stacking their Unimog holds about 8 cubic meters to be delivered downhill.
Below: Catching up with a friend after working hours. One thing that comes with living in a small Alpine village is navigating the local complex social structure. “People talk," Liisa says, admitting that over the years she learned to grow a thick skin. “Some of our neighbours are very supportive, but this place also holds some deep rooted conservative sentiments. The fact that Susanne and I are in a relationship is one thing. The fact that we are running a farm is another. Women are simply not capable of doing this type of work, is the idea among some. But here we are. The animals are doing well and we finished our first summer season!”
Susanne: “Maybe our approach is different from the way previous generations used to do things. We don't do things better and we don't do them worse. We simply do them differently.”
