Tradition meets innovation

In Eastern Switzerland, tradition meets innovation. We visit farms that use innovative ideas for direct marketing and public relations. The landscape with its scattered individual farms, rolling hills and mountains is charming. The area is agricultural and traditional.

The tour begins in Jona on the beautiful Lake Zurich. The Bächlihof is a large adventure farm with event locations. The farm forms a farming community with other farms at other locations. A lot of fruit is produced on the Bächlihof: Apples, pears and blueberries. Many products are marketed by the farm itself. There is a large farm shop with a restaurant, a nature playground, a straw bouncy castle and a small park where children can pet dwarf goats. Depending on the season, there are pumpkin figures to marvel at or blueberries to pick yourself. Sustainability and regionality are the focus here.

The next stop takes us to the Tschümperlin family farm in St. Gallenkappel. Urs Tschümperlin is a farmer on a dairy farm and breeds Brown Swiss cattle. Brown Swiss and Original Braunvieh are the most important dairy cattle breeds in the cantons of St.Gallen, Appenzell Inner- and Ausserrhoden. It is considered economical, has a long useful life, a high milk content and impresses with good health. The family's farm is located on the Way of St. James. Tired pilgrims - and of course other travellers - can find a straw bed here. Sleeping in straw is also very popular with children.

The journey continues into the Neckertal valley to the Adelbach farm, run by Leandra and Köbi Hagmann. A few free-range pigs cavort on the dairy farm. One of these pigs, a camera sow, carries a camera on its back. The camera broadcasts live from the barn and the field. The pigs' meat and home-made yoghurt are also marketed directly. The family cooperates with other farms and offers the products in an online shop.

The Appenzeller goat shapes the landscape and customs in Appenzellerland. Unfortunately, the breed is considered endangered and its breeding is specially promoted. The Koch family from Gonten has been making products from goat's milk since 1974. 360’000 kilos of milk a year. In 2010, Appenzeller Ziegenprodukte AG built the first show dairy in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, which is also the first show dairy for goat products in Switzerland. 

We stay in the beautiful Appenzellerland, but change the canton and drive to the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden to visit Sepp Dähler. The farmer massages his cattle with beer yeast and feeds the animals beer by-products. The meat becomes tender and tasty and is called Kabier. This is a word combination of calf (Kalb) and beer (Bier). Species-appropriate husbandry and care and sustainable production are important to the family. Regional cycles are closed, the animal is utilised holistically. Have you ever tried Kabir? Dinner is planned here.