My grandfather was one of the courageous pioneers of apple cultivation in Val Venosta. Thanks to skillful reclamation work, the valley's once marshy land was made cultivable and is now used for fruit growing. Unfortunately, my grandfather soon passed away and my father had to take over the 'Neuhof' farm at a young age. Since then, my family has been cultivating apples for over 40 years.

If my grandfather was a pioneer, I am the 'organic pioneer' of the family, because when I took over the farm from my father, my only wish was to convert it to organic farming. One of the goals I pursue is to use plant protection products only when strictly necessary. I believe it is possible to practice sustainable agriculture by carefully observing weather conditions and forecasting hypothetical scenarios. Many of my organic farmer friends feel the same way. And since our apple orchards are neighboring, we have even purchased private weather stations, the parameters of which we are constantly updated via a mobile application. In this way, we monitor humidity and drought and are promptly informed of a possible danger of infection by fungal spores that could damage our trees and their fruit. This way we know when to intervene and can only resort to plant protection measures when it is really necessary.

The most important thing is good weather during the flowering period, in spring, because it is at this time that not only this year's harvest is decided, but even the following years. Even if frost does not occur at flowering time and bees buzz serenely in the sea of flowers, hail can still pose a risk and ruin everything. One must therefore prepare oneself to put up with the vagaries of the weather or hope that the weather will be clement. Because with nine different varieties of apples and the wine that I produce and bottle as a hobby, the unexpected can be many.

We must carefully choose the most favorable place to grow each variety and provide shelter for the 'good' insects to help our apples ripen beautiful and healthy. Finally, all that remains is to hope that nature, after the first few difficult years, will become clement and allow us to fully enjoy the fruits of organic farming. The organic method certainly poses innumerable challenges and takes many years to reach a certain level of 'wisdom' and ability to handle any problems.