Farming On Their Own Terms

Flurin Frigg learned early on that farming’s real cost isn’t measured in money, but in hours spent working. Over 30 years ago, his parents switched their farm in the Domleschk Valley of Graubünden to organic methods. This gave Flurin a strong foundation and a big question to explore throughout his career: can this way of farming be sustainable not only for the land, but also for his family? 

Before returning back to the family farm, Flurin worked for years as a teacher and consultant at agricultural institutes across Switzerland. He visited farms and learned about soil health, green manure, and reduced tillage. In 2021, he and his wife, Vera Bracher, took over Biohof Frigg with their two young daughters. That same day, they joined Graubünden's Climate-Neutral Agriculture pilot project, becoming one of 50 farms involved. 

Flurin and Vera wanted a farm that worked and also gave them freedom. They’ve created that with their seasonal system. All the cows are on the alps together. They can turn off the barn light early in the evening and still have time for family. 

At Biohof Frigg, the main goal is to make dairy farming a life people want to choose. It’s a mission that feels urgent: across Europe, fewer than 12% of farmers are under 40. “If the next generation can’t picture themselves in this life,” Flurin says, “that’s not a farming problem, it’s a design problem.”

The Land Should Feed the Farm

Changes at Biohof Frigg happened slowly and on purpose. In 2016, Flurin stopped ploughing. No-till farming helped the soil hold water, which has become more important as alpine summers get drier. When he and Vera took over in 2021, they made another big change: they stopped using concentrate feed and switched to only their own hay and summer pasture.

They changed the herd by rotating three breeds—New Zealand Friesian, Irish, and Norwegian Red—to get cows that are lighter, tough, and fit for the mountains. Each summer, the cows spend about 90 days on the alp at 2,000 meters. In autumn, they come back to the valley and eat winter hay grown on the farm. With all cows calving and drying off at the same time, evenings are free. The barn light turns off early so that Flurin and Vera are home with their daughters.

A Closed Loop in the Alps

Biohof Frigg is 65 hectares in size, all managed using regenerative methods. The farm has about 40 dairy cows, 70 young cattle, and 60 sheep. The sheep graze on the steep slopes where machines can’t go. Milk and grain are sold through wholesalers and cooperatives and payments for ecosystem services help support biodiversity work in the mountains.

Pigs and chickens eat the leftover grain, turning it into meat and eggs without needing anything from outside the farm. "Our motto is milk and meat from grass," Flurin says. "We use what grows here and what the farm produces, without bringing in feed from somewhere else."

In 2023 and 2024, Flurin worked with neighboring farms to build a shared composting facility using the Lübke-Hildebrandt method. This facility turns green waste, manure, earth, and grass cuttings into certified high-quality compost. Instead of sending organic matter out of the valley and bringing in synthetic fertilizer, the nutrients stay local and go back into the soil. With just two full-time workers, the farm runs efficiently, and finances have improved since making these changes. It quietly shows that being regenerative and profitable can go hand in hand.

"When we compare milk production per kilogram of body weight, the smaller cows are very efficient," Flurin notes, "and on the valley farm, they leave more land free for crop growing."

Built to Last

As a pilot farm in the Climate-Neutral Agriculture Graubünden project, Biohof Frigg is required to be transparent about its methods and results, and Flurin has leaned into that role. He presents at professional conferences on seasonal milk production, no-till organic arable farming, and composting; participates in working groups on humus formation and sustainable livestock; and regularly opens the farm to peers, students, and interns. In 2025, the farm was nominated for the Prix Climat, Switzerland's award for climate-friendly agriculture.

The farm’s main principle is simple: the land should store more carbon than it releases. Compost creates humus, humus holds water, and soils that keep water can survive drought. Farms that resist drought will feed people in the future. "As a farm manager and father," Flurin says, "I do everything in my power to enable the next generation to have regenerative agriculture."

Looking ahead, Flurin and Vera want to add agroforestry, set up solar panels, and invest in precise irrigation to handle drier summers. They plan to expand their composting efforts to keep more organic matter in the soil. The farm will also become more of a learning space, offering workshops, guided visits, and internships for future farmers who want to work with the land.

“The biggest challenge is time,” Flurin says. “These changes take years. Bureaucracy can slow things down.” But despite these challenges, Flurin is reminded of what’s working. He knows his daughters, the next generation, are watching, he sees the soil is getting better, and the family still turns the barn light off at a reasonable hour.

Written by Helianthi (Illy) Psaropoulou-Heilmann