Between vegetables and green politics
A farm is one of the most beautiful "playgrounds" you can imagine for children, Julia Galloth thinks. Even as a five-year-old she helped out on her parents' farm. Our photographer Peter von Felber and author Karin Lochner accompanied the young farmer for a day.
Six o'clock in the morning, the smell of fresh grass is in the air. The dairy cows Lia, Blume, Milli, Biene and Tinka stretch their heads as they hear familiar rattling noises. Young farmer Julia Galloth, 30, a slender woman with long brown hair and a mischievous smile, comes into the barn with the milking equipment. This is how each of her working days begins. She wipes the teats of the udders clean with wood wool; the kneading touch releases oxytocin, also known as "cuddling hormone". It strengthens the bond between two living creatures.
Plop, plop, plop, plop, the teat cups are plugged in, the milk is sucked in with rubber hoses. With milk cow Blume, Julia is ready after five minutes, with neighbour Milli "milking takes at least a quarter of an hour". The ladies are real personalities: "Calm or spirited – like us humans. Some dawdle, some like it fast." Galloth's hands work with flowing movements, in a constant rhythm, a familiar choreography. She strokes Milli, pats Bienes' neck and moves on to the next dairy cow, Tinka .
As an organic farmer Galloth does not use mineral fertilizers, as they leach the soil in the long term. She relies on organic, on-farm-fertilizers to promote soil fertility. There is so much more, says Galloth: not only healthy food for the individual, but also a healthy environment for the offspring. Soil with a very high number of living microorganisms prevents erosion and leaching. A soil that is organically cultivated stores an average of 28 percent more carbon. Organic farming is therefore a contribution to climate protection, explains Galloth.
The 2020 issue of SeeMagazin provides the complete insight of the young farmer's life.
We love the Fünfseenland in the south of Bavaria. That is why we collect the uniqueness of the region in beautiful pictures and stories once a year in our SeeMagazin. We meet interesting people who are enthusiastic and make their passion their profession. The motto of the 2020 issue: "People, missions, masterpieces" – because it is not only the nature, but also the people, who make the Fünfseenland special.
