The dairy farmer and white gold
Siegfried Messner has been a farmer his whole life in the traditional Villnösstal valley. He has been at home with agriculture since childhood. Would he have it any other way?
Siegfried Messner has been a farmer his whole life in the traditional Villnösstal valley. He has been at home with agriculture since childhood. Would he have it any other way?
Even at kindergarten age, Siegfried only wanted to be a farmer. To be outside, work in the mountains, potter around the stables and be with his animals. To look after and observe them. To experience the seasons first-hand. “Life as a dairy farmer is very varied,” he says. “But at the same time, life on the farm provides a certain level of continuity”. The Villnösstal native heads to the stables twice a day and doesn’t know any other way. Diligence is a must here. In summer, work in the meadows and pastures beckons. Surrounded by the Dolomites - he considers it the most beautiful work of all.
Siegfried Messner has also been an innkeeper for the last few years. He and his brother took over the running of the traditional and historic Gasthaus Kabis inn from their aunt. “But I’d rather be in the stables,” he laughs mischievously. What does Kabis mean? “We don’t know exactly, perhaps it comes from St. Jacob or perhaps from ‘Kobes’ which means white cabbage in South Tyrolean”. Siegfried is interested in history but also in politics and sustainability.
For a while, when he had help on the farm, Siegfried saw and enjoyed something of the world. “It’s good to broaden your horizons a little”. He has given up acting, a passion for the farmer. But now his two children participate instead. He would like to spend some time on the farm with them; perhaps awaken a passion in them to live with nature.
The farmer sends his milk down into the main valley every day. Here it is processed and made into soft, delicious mozzarella, among other things. “The quality must be right, there are no compromises here”.
He knows his 16 cows well. He doesn’t buy the cows anywhere and instead breeds them himself. Over time, he has developed an eye for it, gathered experience and picked up some things as a child from his father. “It is interesting to watch the cows develop - from calves to heifers to cows. Every cow is different”.
Do you still drink milk after all these years or have you lost your taste for it?
I could live off milk. Seriously. I was the same as a child. I almost always had milk and a crust of bread in the parlour as an evening snack. As a child, we enjoyed dipping the hard pieces of bread in the warm milk to soften it. My children do it today. It is like looking in a mirror.
Milk is there to be drunk. What is your tip for a truly authentic gourmet experience?
Milk is truly versatile. We often cook with it: rice pudding, semolina pancakes, dumplings, funnel cake, the list of dishes is virtually endless. And of course the typical dairy products such as yoghurt, mozzarella and various cheese varieties are always a tasty option.
Text: Karin Heinisch
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