Operating levels

All information at a glance

Our soil has been cultivated by countless farmers for over 2000 years. It is our duty to enable many future generations to continue this.

General

Landgut Pfyn AG is an incorporated family-owned company which was founded in 1941 to provide food during the Second World War.
Extreme topographical and climatic conditions: short vegetation period of around 170 days – low temperatures in the winter and 3 -5 months without sun – aridity, rain and irrigation – very low rainfall in Pfyn (May-September: 250 mm). Thomas and Sonja Elmiger have been the tenants of Pfyngut since 1 May 2010.

Business model

Agricultural operations take place in line with the ÖLN label (ökologischer Leistungsnachweis – sustainable ecological standards meaning that we observe the rights of humans and animals and take responsibility for the environment). The business forms a single entity and is operated according to economic, ecological and social principles.

Business sectors

The business sectors are dairy farming (breeding of Swiss brown cows), as well as feed cattle and breeding cattle.
Agriculture (growing fodder, potatoes, wheat, rye) and cereal seed cultivation.

Land areas

Valley: 135 ha 100 ha arable land and meadow and, 35 ha forest
Pasture: 22 ha = Milliüt cattle pasture, 1400 m above sea level
Member of the Alp Larschy Cooperative

Soil type

Lightly humus, sandy clay (river deposits from the Rhône and the Illgraben), pH-value: 7.2-7.6, slightly alkaline

Staff

Managing partners (married couple) and 3 to 5 employees (3 salaried and 2 apprentices), two to four temporary employees for the potato harvest and sorting work in the autumn.

Cattle husbandry

85 brown cows as well as 60 young stock
60 feed cattle und breeding stock
2 Scottish Highland cattle to care for ecological and conservation areas
Average milk production = 8000 kg per cow and year
Raw milk production for Valais AOP Raclette cheese
Turtmann Cheese Dairy milk delivery rights: 650,000 kg
A new milking cow exercise run was built in summer 2007
10 cows are put to out pasture on the Larschy alp
The young cows are mostly kept on our own meadow and and Milliüt alp as well as the Alpage du Secx (around 130 days)

Crops

7.5 ha rye, of which 6.0 ha is seed rye.
9.5 ha wheat (grain: Valais rye AOP + IP Suisse)
11.5 ha potatoes (60% marketed directly from the farm)
6.5 ha maize (silage maize or seed maize)
55.0 ha artificial and natural pasture
10.0 ha ecological open areas (extensive and less intensive meadows).