The Fuchs family have had a well-known ski star in their stable for ten years. How does that work? When dairy cow "Schildi" was born, son Martin was six years old and a big fan of the then Austrian ski racer Marlies Schild. As his parents gave him the little calf as a present, he was allowed to choose the name. And the little boy didn't have to think twice. It is a tradition that dairy cows are given names, as is the case with the Fuchs family on the Fleckl organic farm in Brixental Valley. And there are many, sometimes strange, rules according to which the farmers assign the names. While cattle in industrialised factory farming, where hundreds of cows are kept close together in the barn, are often only given numbers, small farms still treat their animals individually. In Tyrol, which is characterised by small mountain farms, dairy cows are usually still addressed by name.
"The name of a calf usually has a connection to its mother," says farmer Josef Fuchs, who is responsible for the cattle on the Flecklhof farm. As a rule, the name would have the same first letter as that of the mother. "That way you can keep an eye on the lineage," says the 48-year-old. "That's important, because the young ones usually have the same quirks as the old ones. Just like with humans."
Josef Fuchs has 30 cattle in his care, 14 of which are dairy cows. They are called Wilma, Wetty, Erna or Gretel. Some are also named after typical Alpine flowers such as edelweiss or gentian. "Female names weren't that common in the past," says Fuchs. Instead, you would sometimes find a Danube or Salzburg in a stable. City or river names were quite common for cows.
The custom of naming cattle after family members, which is common on some farms, is out of the question for Josef Fuchs. "It can always happen that women don't take kindly to being given the same name as a cow," he says and laughs, sometimes even today.
Fuchs knows every single one of his dairy cows, their external characteristics and traits. "You get a different relationship with the animals if you always address them by name," he says. The cows would like that, they would know their names and feel addressed. "They are then also more tame," says Fuchs. Shy cattle that are afraid could become dangerous.
Now, in early summer, the cows are on the alp in Kelchsau, a communal alp that the Fuchs family shares with other farmers. 50 cows graze up there at 1,400 metres above sea level, a dairyman takes care of the milking. Is it sometimes difficult to say goodbye when the cows are driven up to the mountain pastures? No, it's actually quite pleasant, says farmer Fuchs. "It often gets stressful in spring. We can hardly cope with the work any more." Not having to look after the cows every day is a relief.
Josef Fuchs is passionate about dairy cow farming. And because he wants to keep farming alive. "If we stopped, nobody would carry on," he says. Due to the low milk price, the business is actually completely unprofitable. However, the other economic pillars of the farm, especially the rental of the two holiday flats, would make up for any losses. Fortunately for the cows. To the delight of the family.
