I took over the Kaltenbach farm in Parcines from my father in 2014. I then knew for sure: I can either live off agriculture or I do something else. I didn’t want to become a part-time farmer because I was already flirting with the idea of organic production, which in my view only makes sense if you are a full-time farmer. In organic production, you have to be in the right place at the right time. Producing great apples with just a few substances allowed means availability on call. If nature calls, we have to be ready. There is no “I can also do that tomorrow” in organic production.

I got more and more fascinated by typical methods of organic production during my training at the Fürstenburg agricultural college, during orchard inspections with experts and when talking with friends. I call it “bodybuilding for useful insects“. That’s my very personal umbrella term for all the tricks in the orchards to strengthen hoverflies, ladybirds, bees, birds and other little helpers as best as possible. That’s why we build nesting boxes for birds to keep apple codling moths in check. We allow the grass to grow between the rows until it blossoms, because only blossoming tractor lanes attract useful insects and only mow these grasses when they no longer bloom. Certain useful insects are particularly attracted by so-called sowings of certain plants. If earwigs and proctotrupid wasps feel at ease, harmful woolly apple aphids won’t have an easy life in our orchards.

Many useful insects protect our Golden Delicious, Royal Gala, Pinova, Red Delicious and Bonita apples during the whole vegetation period. Useful insects are not only a blessing for apple trees, but also for berry bushes and home-raised vegetables and herbs. They have grown so well in recent years with many more fruits than our family could eat that my mother Josefine and I decided to open a small farm shop because throwing away is no option for me. So we offer juices, jams, stewed fruit, teas, sweets, etc. at a fair price at our “Kaltenbachhof“ agritourism farm, whereas our crunchy apples are marketed by the cooperative.

The guests of our four apartments can experience at close quarters how an organic farm works. This also includes regular and independent leaf, soil and fruit samples as well as the general willingness to watch nature patiently to learn from it.