I’ve been wanting to meet this guy, Eugen Wittwer, for a while now and my friend Anne was able to set it up. Seems she had invited Eugen to speak on Regenerative Agriculture at the last B.V. Naturalist monthly meeting. Seems he impressed a lot of people and Anne thought Eugen would be a good candidate for my community column.
The family farm is just up the Lawson Road from Telkwa. It was the old Morris place and would have been a part of the original Hubert townsite.
Family farm is a true statement as Eugen and his family have a farmhouse along with his brother Manfred and his family and their parents who also have a place on the property. Eugen is originally from Switzerland and has been farming the local way for the past 25 years.
Local way would mean clear all the trees, plow up the ground, and make hay for your herd of cattle. This style of farming would include an annual chemical spraying regime as a necessary part of weed control and then another spreading of store-bought fertilizer to help produce a high-quality hay crop. Eugen did not follow the agenda exactly as he never agreed with the chemical spraying part of the program.
So what is wrong with this type of farming I asked Eugen.
“Well I would have to take you back a few years to explain. First off, it all comes down to economics. As the price of fuel continues to rise and the cost of chemicals and fertilizer skyrocket we had to sit down and crunch the numbers. By the time we took our cows to market and compared the costs to our profits it did not look feasible to keep going in this direction.
“Just like any business you have to keep accurate accounts on the money in and the money out to analyze your profitability at the end of the year. Simply put, we were spending too much to make too little.
“I had been reading, actually, watching, Youtube videos on different methods of farming over the years and I became interested in the approach of this farmer in North Dakota by the name of Gabe Brown. You should look him up. He has become a leader in the promotion of Regenerative Agriculture.
So what does Regenerative Agriculture mean, I asked.
“Well, its actually not that complicated. It really means just the old-time natural way. Let nature do the work for you. Did you know that the ground and the grass is actually a carbon sink so you do not want to plow it up? The enzymes and creatures in the topsoil are already hard at work regenerating the soil. Additional chemicals are not needed to increase production, 78 per cent of the air we breathe is nitrogen and the soil can glean that from the atmosphere.
“So right off the bat we are going see savings in fuel and chemical costs. The other route that has helped our profits has been to organize our own slaughter and meat processing to eliminate the middleman. Well, of course, that middle man now is actually my brother Manfred and his family. They also sell at the farmers market all season. My parents put in a garden and help out with the chores so it keeps them busy and engaged in life, another win/win.
“Another protection of the soil and grass is preventing overgrazing. We move our herd regularly, generally once a day and that also moves the natural fertilizer. This approach can reduce winter feeding by extending the grazing season.”
Seems you have the animals working for you Eugen,” I commented.
“Yes, it’s true, I even have the ravens perusing the patties and moving seeds around the property. We have turned the farm into a true mixed operation including chickens, pigs, and dairy cows helping to feed our families.
“One other thing we have pursued is not to put every square inch of the farm into hay production. We want to leave some natural wetlands to encourage wildlife. We try to be a part of the natural ecosystem.”
You mentioned Wendall Berry a few times in our discussion Eugen, he must have some influence on you, I said.
“You’re right, Tom, that guy has a total holistic approach to farming and our connection to the land, and the other guy you should read about is Alan Savory, he would be called a pioneer in Regenerative Agriculture.”
Well, thanks for the tour Eugen and I look forward to talking with you again sometime in the future.
