You come from a farming family. Was it natural for you to take over the family farm?

No, it wasn’t obvious at all. In fact, I think my parents probably pushed me to do something else. First, I chose to become a carpenter. I worked in that field for two years. Then, when a new building was being constructed at Ferme de la Coudre, I was involved in the carpentry side of the project. This was in the 2000s, and the company was about to take off in a new direction. I was very active in developing the farm at the time, which motivated me to change direction. After basic agricultural training and a federal master’s degree, I took the plunge.

You’ve not only helped to develop the company, you’ve also given it new impetus towards a model that promotes respect for animals and more sustainable, local agriculture…

20 years ago, breeders favored the use of antibiotics and chemicals. My view was that these products were harmful, not only to the animals but also to our health. It just so happened that my wife, Maude, knows a thing or two about natural medicine, and she helped me a lot. In the space of 15 years, we managed to eliminate 80% of the antibiotics we used to use. It wasn’t easy, we had to take risks and experiment. But today we can see that with the younger generation, a new dynamic is developing, and we’re tending towards a return to the old, natural methods.

You have also developed several social and service activities on the farm. Which ones are they?

Our main activity is dairy farming. We raise 70 dairy cows and 70 calves and heifers. Most of our milk is used to produce Gruyère PDO cheese, but we do keep a small amount for local processing by a small producer. You’ll find our butter, yoghurts, cream, Gruyère cheese and tomme in the small grocery store we’ve opened on the farm. For the past year, we’ve also been boarding around 15 horses in our loose-stabling facility. My wife has also developed a zootherapy activity which is proving increasingly successful. With rabbits, goats, llamas, sheep, chickens and dogs, our farm is populated by a host of small animals with whom Maude accompanies disabled people or people in need of rehabilitation, for example. To sum up the spirit that drives us in everything we do here, I’d say we’re essentially looking for animal welfare and closeness to the land.

You have a reputation for hard work. What motivates you to get up in the morning?

Yes, it’s true that it’s difficult to work with animals. You have no working hours, no weekends. It requires a strong and permanent commitment to be confronted with living things. What motivates me is the issue of food production, which helps feed the population. It’s gratifying to produce something and realize that it’s useful. During the lockdown, we saw people who were afraid to go to the shopping malls, and our little store grew monumentally. We made a lot of deliveries, and a support network was set up in the village. Many people became aware of the work we do here, at a very local level.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Without a doubt, working with animals! Bringing them into the world, looking after them, making them grow… Working with living things and nature, harvesting successfully and seeing that our animals are doing well is really something very rewarding.

And the most constraints?

No doubt, having to deal with unforeseen events at any time of the day or night. For example, this morning at 5am, a cow was having difficulty giving birth. Last night, at around 8pm, a horse had a sore eye. What’s also difficult is to realize that our professions are unfortunately very little valued compared to the quality of our 100% Swiss production, which complies with standards far superior to those in force in many other countries. All this means that to keep going, you really need to be passionate about what you do.

Ferme de la Coudre – Route de la Coudre, 58, 1613 Maracon

Tel. 079 772 11 75

www.fermedelacoudre.ch

Beautiful, tasty and local

Dairy products, jams and honey, beef, poultry, charcuterie, chocolates, ice creams and compotes, fruit juices, drinks, bread, organic cosmetics… In the small self-service store open every day from 5am to 10pm at Ferme de la Coudre, you’ll find everything you need to satisfy your cooking cravings. Every Tuesday, baskets of vegetables are delivered to the site by a local market gardener. It’s good, it’s beautiful, it’s local. The assurance of healthy, seasonal eating…