Thoughts on Milk Production, Calf Fattening and Sustainable Agriculture

Last week, I visited Buure Metzg in Gstaad and toured various farms with the managing director. It was a wonderful excursion at 1500 meters above sea level, where I was able to learn a lot about local agriculture and milk and meat production.

The Saanenkalb initiative is particularly special in the Saanen region. The calves stay on the farm and are watered with the farm's own milk. Milk prices are so low that this only makes sense for the farmers. The alternative would be to sell the milk for little money and buy it back as much more expensive milk powder, which is also enriched with many other things. Of course, it also makes ecological sense, as there is no unnecessary transportation and the animals only get the farm's own milk, grass and straw.

Unfortunately, the issue of calves is not often discussed, but it is a reality. As a rule, calves are separated from their mothers on the first day, reared in pens and sold to a fattening farm after a few weeks. As animals from different farms come together on such farms, they are often given antibiotics as a preventative measure. With the Saanenkalb initiative, however, the animals remain on the farm and are not given antibiotics. In my opinion, mother-bonded calf rearing in milk production would be the icing on the cake.