Bergbauernpreisträger 2025 – Schwitzer, Freienfeld/Flans

At the 2025 South Tyrolean Farmers' Union state assembly, three mountain farming families were awarded the Mountain Farmer Prize. Among them was the Seehauser family from the Schwitzer farm in Freienfeld/Flans. In Flans, in the municipality of Freienfeld, Thomas and Christa Seehauser live with their children Mirjam, Frieda, Luisa, and Dominik on the Schwitzer farm, which was first mentioned in the 13th century. Besides Thomas and Christa Seehauser, their brother Hannes, sister Rosmarie, and the older farmer, Erika, also work there regularly. The farm comprises 14 hectares of meadows and two alpine pastures. Although machinery makes the work easier, a great deal of manual labor is still required. About ten years ago, Thomas Seehauser converted the farm, with its average of 20 cows and 15 calves, to organic farming. Prior to this, the tie-stall barn had already been converted into a free-stall barn. The milk is delivered to the Sterzing dairy. The farm is modern and up-to-date: Last summer, a new free-stall barn and a new alpine dairy were built. One alpine hut was rebuilt years ago, and a second, dilapidated one will be rebuilt in the near future. On the alpine pasture, Hannes and Rosmarie Seehauser process the milk into cheese and butter. The forest and the raw material wood are of particular importance to Thomas Seehauser, a trained carpenter. Forestry work is not only an additional source of income but also provides the raw material for the house, the farm buildings, and the alpine buildings. Tradition, such as maintaining the traditional wooden fences, is also important to Thomas Seehauser. Family cohesion is also important to the Seehauser family. This is evident not only during the hay harvest, where the whole family helps, but also during the annual bread baking. The farm has recently installed a photovoltaic system and battery storage to save costs and protect the environment. Thomas Seehauser also always makes time for volunteer work: he is active on the local council, in the South Tyrolean Farmers' Union, and in the fire department.