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XtraBlatt Issue 02-2021

  • Text
  • Krone
  • Egger
  • Farmers
  • Dairy
  • Maize
  • Timber
  • Harvest
  • Cows
  • Agricultural
  • Bales
  • Xtrablatt

TITLE STORY THE SPYCHER

TITLE STORY THE SPYCHER FAMILY, VAUX-SUR-MORGES (SWITZERLAND) BRANCHING OUT David Spycher is a busy man: along with running a farm that includes a herd of suckler cows, he also has a successful second business as a contractor making wood chips David Spycher’s farm is nestled in the tranquil village of Vaux-sur-Morges, around 15km west of Lausanne in the Swiss canton of Vaud. Surrounded by small vineyards, fields and pastures, the farm sits on a plateau above the Morges Valley – with a delightful view of Lake Geneva just a few kilometres away. Further to the northwest, you can take in views of the forest-covered mountains of the Swiss Jura. So it’s no surprise that this idyllic region draws huge numbers of holiday-makers year in, year out. But it looks like lots of work right now at David’s farm. A few steps away from several historic-looking homes and businesses, a few old barns and stables are in the process of being torn down. “We can’t use these old low-ceiling buildings, some of which are wooden structures, anymore. So instead, we're building a big new hall where we can store some machinery and large quantities of wood chips,” he remarks. With an education in farming, David (43) not only manages a 52ha farm that produces crops and keeps suckler cows; he also operates a contractor that covers the entire harvest process for fodder crops. That being said, making wood chips is a much bigger business – and now one of the company’s main pillars. “I can’t make enough money for our six-person family on farming alone. So I'm glad that I entered the commercial wood chipping business a short time after taking over the farm,” David stresses. Hailing from Vaux-sur-Morges in the Swiss canton of Vaud, David runs a contractor specialising in chipping wood primarily harvested from forests between Lausanne and Geneva. But no matter what he's doing, David always has Krone’s new GX trailer ready to go. 80 SUCKLER COWS The eldest of four children, David took over the farm from his parents in 2006. “Dairy production was no longer profitable with our herd of 35 cows, so we joined forces with a neighbouring farm in 2015 and kept a total of 70 dairy cows. But just four years later, we shut down dairy production altogether because it wasn't profitable,” David adds. But he wasn’t willing or able to give The deep litter barn, newly built in 2015, offers space for 80 suckler cows plus calves. Another 40 cattle can still be kept in the old barn on the farm site. 10 11