Category Archives: Uncategorized

The snow crunches underfoot; sparkling diamonds in the bright sunlight. Morning temperatures hover between minus 15 and minus 20 degrees Celsius. Despite the cold I’m so thrilled that the sun is shining for the fourth day in a row. I … Continue reading →

What do you get when you mix Canada, Switzerland and Zambia? – the Ukraine! At least that’s the impression I got listening to Franz Stamm. I was at a Fleckvieh breeders association meeting last week. After the business portion, Stamm … Continue reading →

“You could spit over the border, you live so close,” Max, our German friend, thinks. Not quite – it’s still more than a kilometre. But Adolf Keller of Dörflingen probably could, if the wind was going the right way. His … Continue reading →

A couple weeks into this New Year, Zambian farmers have one main wish: rain. The rainy season normally starts beginning of November lasting to end March/beginning April. It’s the main planting season for all farmers without irrigation, with planting starting … Continue reading →

Canadians are notorious for talking about the weather. We can’t help it. Either it’s freaking cold, or bone dry, or blowing a blizzard. We especially can’t help it if we’re farmers and our very livelihood depends on it. No wonder … Continue reading →

Weather and prices dominate the wish list of many Swiss farmers for 2012. 2011 was a difficult year weather-wise. A warm dry winter and spring caused a major drought. Feed was scarce for livestock, and crops were stunted. A rainy … Continue reading →

Daniela is back from a short, intense visit to Albania; to her daughter’s partner’s family. It’s the sense of family, of the importance of community that really impresses her. We’re such an individualistic society (Switzerland), she laments. She loves the … Continue reading →

Still don`t know what to give someone? Buy them a goat! They don’t need a goat? But someone in Zambia or another country does. Most of you probably got the same envelopes in the mail I did – from NGOs … Continue reading →

Sneeze! It was drizzling lightly yesterday while I wandered around the Christmas Market in Schleitheim. Good thing I have some Artemisia leaves! Nothing beats inhaling Artemisia steam for curing a head cold. I first became excited about Artemisia when I … Continue reading →

We missed the birth of our twin grandsons by two days! We are first time grandparents to Janosch and Fynn, born four weeks early, 4.3 and 4.7 pounds respectively, but doing well. Fynn’s fine fingers look pretty tiny hooked around … Continue reading →