At This Sustainable Farm, It's All About the Hens

Nowadays, relocating to the country and running a sustainable farm is becoming less of a far-fetched pipe dream. By now we know you can live happily – or even happier – in a tiny mountain village, even when you're young. In recent years there has been a return to the rural economy partly out of necessity, but also because a more sustainable life, even in terms of routine, is the starting point of the new idea of ​​well-being.

Five years ago, Philipp and Alexandra Thoma bought a farm above Tschengls, a village of 400 inhabitants in the Val Venosta in South Tyrol, which is located in Alto-Adige in northeast Italy. The challenge was to move with small children and live off what they could produce on the land. “It wasn't obvious on a small, sloping terrain at 1,250 meters [4,100 feet],” Philipp points out. 

At Psegg, their sustainable farm, they have a permaculture garden, pigs for making speck, sheep for meat, and 600 hens, which have become their main source of income with the sale of organic eggs. To expand the business, Philipp has created a cooperative with two other farmers. Together they produce almost 2,000 eggs a day, which he packs and personally delivers to grocery stores, the four-star Schwarzschmied hotel, and the other hotels of the Vitalpina group in neighboring villages or at most up to Bolzano. "Ours is a limited production, we would not be able to supply larger areas. Although this year, with the hotels closed and without tourists due to the pandemic, the goods are on the rise, "says Philipp.

As often happens, new ideas are born in moments of crisis. "Eggs expire quickly, and must be used fresh, so as not to waste them," he says. “So I started making an egg liqueur, and it turned out well. In these parts, it's used to make a bombardino, a hot cocktail with whipped cream on top, which skiers drink when returning from the slopes.”

On the sustainable farm, the hens live in two large chicken coops and are free to roam outdoors. Space and organic feed are the secrets of the very high quality of these creamy yolk eggs. When they stop producing, the animals are not eliminated, as in intensive farming. "We slaughter them, vacuum them, freeze them and sell them to make the famous good old chicken broth," concludes Philipp. We ask him if he has ever regretted the hermit's choice they made five years ago. “No, and we never feel alone. Our friends always come to visit us willingly, and we host educational tours with children on the farm. Everyone loves being in the middle of nature."