Every day I stand in one of our orchards with my two sons.
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Egger Gudrun
Organic farmer
Management: Prantl Wolfgang
„Not how much but when. This is what counts in organic production.“
Beneficial organisms cannot survive or reproduce if there is no balance of pests.
With a weather app, I can pinpoint the presence of a large rain cloud to within 20 minutes.
With irrigation too, it's the moment when I implement which measure in the field that counts.
For me, being an organic farmer means one thing above all: doing the right thing at the right time.
My story
Every day, I stand in my orchards in Colsano, Rablà or Sluderno together with my two sons to watch the orchards and their inhabitants. That takes at least half an hour. Every day. My sons are very keen to debate, which is a good characteristic for an organic producer. I’m of the opinion that you should like discussions if you opt for organic production. I even see myself as eager to debate. It’s the orchards that give us much to talk about.
After intensive observation including many details we exchange our knowledge and then we act. The leaves, for example, can have different green colors and then we decide if fertilization is necessary. You can either fertilize through the leaves or through the roots. The success depends on when we observe and how we interpret it. The shoot growth can be vigorous or weak in a certain moment or there might be useful insects but not enough pests they can eat. Everything depends on the moment. That’s organic.
A tree can grow too fast and then become too week very fast. An apple variety can be more resistant than another one, but not be appropriate for a certain location. We can’t treat all our orchards equally. Every single orchard demands constant attention. We have to spend time on it, watch it. Useful insects such as ladybirds and earwigs can’t survive or reproduce if there is no proper balance between useful insects and pests such as worms, caterpillars and lice in the right moment. They are hunters and need prey.
A weather app on my mobile phone allows me to see the presence or absence of a larger rain cloud with a precision of 20 minutes because when I implement a measure in the orchard, it’s the moment that counts. Being an organic producer means one thing above all for me: doing the right thing at the right moment. Then everything grows on fertile soil and nature is highly respected and put first.
After intensive observation including many details we exchange our knowledge and then we act. The leaves, for example, can have different green colors and then we decide if fertilization is necessary. You can either fertilize through the leaves or through the roots. The success depends on when we observe and how we interpret it. The shoot growth can be vigorous or weak in a certain moment or there might be useful insects but not enough pests they can eat. Everything depends on the moment. That’s organic.
A tree can grow too fast and then become too week very fast. An apple variety can be more resistant than another one, but not be appropriate for a certain location. We can’t treat all our orchards equally. Every single orchard demands constant attention. We have to spend time on it, watch it. Useful insects such as ladybirds and earwigs can’t survive or reproduce if there is no proper balance between useful insects and pests such as worms, caterpillars and lice in the right moment. They are hunters and need prey.
A weather app on my mobile phone allows me to see the presence or absence of a larger rain cloud with a precision of 20 minutes because when I implement a measure in the orchard, it’s the moment that counts. Being an organic producer means one thing above all for me: doing the right thing at the right moment. Then everything grows on fertile soil and nature is highly respected and put first.
