Diaries of a global farmer

Dec. 28, 1991: On a clear frosty morning, we take a last look back at the Emmerhof, our farm in Switzerland that we’ve just sold, and then turn our faces toward Canada. Like many Swiss before us, we are immigrating to a land where we hope better opportunities await us as farmers.

I am a Canadian, so it will not be as new for us as it is for most. Massive looming changes in Swiss agriculture gave us the last push. Many scoffed at us, saying changes wouldn’t happen, or at least not for a long time. It happened even faster than we had thought.

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May 15, 2008: Today we are back at the Emmerhof, sitting around the table with Walter and Doris and their three sons. The view hasn’t changed. Behind the thriving wheat fields is the Black Forest of southern Germany. From the patio amid the hills and village of Schleitheim, the sound of cow bells comes from the community pasture. We ask them what has changed since they took over our farm 16 years ago.

Lots. We left the Swiss agriculture scene at its zenith. Land prices were high and have dropped to almost half now. Commodity prices, once guaranteed by the government, have become market focused, with the fluctuations we Canadians are used to, and generally lower. Many smaller farmers have left as they grew older or taken outside jobs to make ends meet. As in the rest of the world, farms have grown larger.

The biggest change is in government policies. The Swiss are probably the most tightly regulated agriculture community in the world. They are also highly subsidized, without which few farmers would be able to survive.

But that comes at a price. Subsidies only go to those that conform to the Integrated Production standards. In the grain sector, that means limits on the amount of fertilizer per hectare Walter says that in this area, that has effectively reduced production.

Fields must be checked before each chemical is used. Every step is to be recorded in log books. Required crop rotations must be strictly adhered to. Around every field a green strip of 50 centimetres must be kept free of chemicals and fertilizer. One farmer told Robert of accidentally spreading a few kernels of fertilizer into the neutral zone, and someone reported him. There are many special subsidies. The whole system is a huge investment of time and money to control and implement.

Walter and Doris still feed 100 bulls, as we did when we left. But new regulations dictate each bull has three times the area in the barns now, which has meant substantial investment in buildings. They went the extra step and built according to standards for the ‘friendly animal treatment’ label. The cattle are bedded down on deep straw and have access to an area in the open at all times.

The promised extra dollar per live kilogram has materialized into 20 cents. One problem is that regulations frequently change. By the time you have built to the standards, there are new ones. Walter did say that since the cattle have more space and fresh air, they have fewer problems with disease, especially with pneumonia. That’s good for another reason. No longer can you keep a stash of antibiotics on the farm. You cannot give any medication yourself; not without a contract with the veterinarian and only after he has checked the sick animal and given the first shot himself. With the livestock too, every step must be carefully recorded.

Input prices are up, as they are elsewhere. Fertilizer prices are twice what they were a year ago and fuel prices are up. And yet Walter and Doris are not complaining. With their 150 acres, they are three times the size of the average Swiss farm. Interest rates have dropped from eight percent to three percent, giving them more breathing space. As long as the government continues to subsidize them, they will adhere to the regulations and be able to look confidently into the future. They are happy to be on the Emmerhof.