over the farm

We offer:

 Sturer Bock

Widmen

Animals:

  • 240 Lacaune dairy sheep
  • 2 breeding rams
  • ca. 60 upbringing animals (also males)
  • 50 lambs
  • 100 laying hens

own land: 26,5 ha
leasehold: 4,5 ha
forest: 11 ha
falling gradient:

  • 1/4 flat, slightly sloped (<18% gradient)
  • 1/2 hillside (18-35%)
  • 1/4 steep slopes (>35%)

Type of production: click to visit IP-Suisse

ipsuisse_150 IP (integrierte Produktion)

 Weide

History

1513:

  • The familiy Hofstetter moves in the Entlebuch and has farmed on the farm Widmen obove the village since then.

1990:

  • Peter and Heidi Hofstetter take over the farm from Oncle Franz Hofstetter.
  • The farm's main branch is changed from bull fattening to milk production (dairy cows).
  • Beside that the pig fattening division was enlarged and new some laying hens were hold.

1990-1996:

  • Not enough milk quota: searching for other branches of farming. Temporarely keeping of Scottish Highland Cattles and herbs cultivation (Ricola)

1995

  • Peter travels to South France to get an idea of dairy sheep breeding.

1996

  • Import of 60 Lacaune dairy sheep. The around 200 years old barn needed a corresponding reconstruction. The sheep's milk is delivered to Refa (Emmi), the cow's milk still to the cheese dairy in the village.

1999:

  • Heidi and Peter Hofstetter as well as Werner Lötscher found the company Emscha GmbH.

2000:

  • One farm building, is reconstructed into a dairy.

2001:

2002:

  • The dairy cows were sold and the barn was again slightly reconstructed. Now there is enough place for 240 mother sheep.
  • Open day

2004:

  • 2nd Open day

2006:

  • The pig fattening is given up completely, the upbringing of lambs is expanded.

2007:

  • Installation of the solar heaters

2008:

  • A new farm house is finished. The family moves from the over 160 years old hous into the new (and good isolated) home. The house is a timber sectional construction in Minergie standard.