The alpine farmer

It's 5:30 a.m. and still dark outside. Jakob Mueller is already up and about. The 49-year old farmer has to round up his cows from the meadow and drive them towards the cowshed, where his wife Baerbel is waiting for them. "My wife makes sure each animal goes to its allotted spot. Each animal has its own place where it gets attached to the milking machine," he explains.

Once the cows are in their boxes, they get hay to eat. The Muellers feed and stroke their cattle constantly: They want their cows to feel happy. That makes it easier to milk them.

Jakob Mueller grew up on the farm, and was happy to follow in his parents' footsteps. He loves working with animals and being close to nature.

"You get a feeling of success and happiness when you see a new calf in the meadow, healthy and jumping around," he says.

Hard work

But it's not all fun - it's also very hard work. Every day, Mueller gets up at the crack of dawn and only finishes work at seven in the evening.

The cows have to be milked and then taken back out to the meadow behind the farmhouse twice a day. Jakob Mueller also has to head higher up to the mountain meadows where some of his cattle graze. He has to make sure that everything is all right and that all the animals are content.

After the morning milking there's time for a short break. Jakob and Baerbel Mueller go inside: "The first highlight of the day is having breakfast together with my wife," says Jakob, while his wife sets the table. They both enjoy a few quiet minutes together. Soon they will have to be back outside.

Off to the meadow

After breakfast Jakob Mueller makes his way up into the mountains. He first drives along an ascending track in his tractor until it comes to an end. Then he continues on foot along steep and narrow paths, ever higher.

His meadows lie between two mountain peaks: the Kampenwand and the Gedererwand. The highest point is 1600 meters above sea level.

During the warmer months there's plenty for the animals to eat here - fresh green grass and a few juicy bushes on a 17-hectare meadow. It's equivalent to the size of 24 soccer pitches.

Just before noon, Jakob Mueller makes his way home again. It's obviously exhausting work – what kind of a personality does a mountain farmer need? Mueller answers without hesitation. "You have to be able to work with nature and have your roots firmly in agriculture," he says. Back at the farmyard it's time for another round of milking.

In the past, farming wasn't just about the pleasure it obviously gives Jakob Mueller. It used to be profitable. Today, small mountain farms have been hit hard by falling milk prices. "Due to the low prices we have a big hole in our finances. At the moment I work for zero euros," Mueller complains. Farmers across Europe are suffering because of the low prices.

Nonetheless, Jakob Mueller manages to make ends meet. He also rents out three holiday apartments and earns a little money helping out other farmers with odd jobs. "I try to find some positive aspects to the situation. You have to," says Jakob Mueller. He is not about to give up.

Author: Carla Fernandes (jp)
Editor: Rina Goldenberg