Arnold Vigl, who was employed at the Agriculture Division for South Tyrol, became a member of the appropriate commission. It was his calling, he’d had farming connections in his family since he was a young boy. In his mid-twenties, he finally realised that long-cherished wish, he took over his family's apple orchards and continued to work for the South Tyrol government.
Organic farming had long had a place on Arnold's desk. And it wasn't long before it also had a place in his fields. As chance - or luck - would have it, he voiced the thoughts that had matured at his desk in a conversation with organic farmers. Arnold began to see himself as a fellow organic farmer. His thoughts quickly became reality and he switched to organic farming.
After the switch to organic, the time and effort of farming increased significantly. Arnold passed the machine work on to organic farmers from the Biosüdtirol cooperative, while continuing to do the pruning, manual thinning and harvesting himself. Sometimes this means working in the dark with a head torch after a long day at the office.
One good thing about overtime is that the family often harvests together. Arnold's wife, three children, his brother Ossi and his cousin all help. Day and night - whatever the weather. It reminds him of how he worked, chatted, occasionally argued and enjoyed the time spent together with his parents and his two brothers in the fields. The memory still resonates.
