One of the highlights of the 2008 IFAJ Congress in Austria was the visit to a traditional mountain farm. All of the participants in that tour just raved about the pastoral scenery on such a perfect day they expected to see Julie Andrews dance up over the hillside singing the “Sound of Music.”

Unfortunately, Chuck and I did not get to go on that tour, as it was sold out immediately. There were three different tour options for the trip, which is really kind of a shame – everyone would have enjoyed getting to see this.

These pictures were provided by one of our Canadian friends, Lilian Schaer of Agri-Food Project Services Ltd. She and Kelly Daynard with the Ontario Farm Animal Council both went on that tour and wrote about it on the blog, Food and Farming Canada.

Lilian wrote: Much of Austria is covered in pastoral mountainside fields – beautifully scenic but largely unsuited for agriculture.

But in the mountainous northern regions of the Austrian province of Styria, some entrepreneurial farmers are not only making a living by farming on the alpine pastures, they’re also revitalizing rural communities and keeping ancient traditions alive.

In Kelly’s post, she began: High up in the mountains, the scenery fulfilled every stereotype I’ve ever had about this country. Cow bells could be heard in the distance. A babbling brook twisted alongside the roadway. Every home was a flower-laden chalet and, to the eye’s delight was mountain after mountain after mountain. I could have stayed there forever.

What made it even more unusual was that we were touring an average mountain beef farm. I’ve been to a lot of impressive beef farms in Ontario but none have the view of these, to be sure.

Be sure to check out the rest of their blog posts to read their impressions about the trip. Thanks for sharing the photos, my friends!

IFAJ Congress 2008 Photo Album

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