Ramona Sprenger & Christoph Lechleitner
Parents often want their children to continue their own life's work and it is not uncommon for different interests to collide.
Ramona & Christoph show how it could work. We had a nice and open interview with the two of them and they told us how they organize their everyday life and what makes life in Boden so valuable.
How did it come about that you took over your parents' farm?
It all happened very quickly. We have always supported Rosi, especially in the summer with the hay. Christoph was also always the only one who operated the machines. Rosi managed the farm on her own and you could tell that it was getting more and more exhausting for her. Also the bureaucratic effort is not to be underestimated, with all the deadlines that have to be observed. She then took advantage of a consultation day at the SVA and realized that she could have retired long ago. That was at the end of August and Rosi promptly wanted to hand over the economy as of October 1, 2019, because otherwise you don't even get the minimum security in Austria as a farmer. As a farmer, you also have to cede everything right away, so we were thrown right into the deep end.
I, Ramona, also grew up in agriculture, but as a sideline.
How was the transition for you?
There was already input from the background, even though Rosi just needed the first winter for herself to recharge her batteries. The first winter was for organizing - Christoph had to quit his job as a locksmith/welder and Ramona was able to work a lot in the home office during the transition period and until Emil's birth and was still responsible for Lechtal product management.
After Rosi has recharged her batteries, she is helping us again. For example, we shared the stable. Since Emil's birth, Rosi is in charge of the stable once a day and Christoph takes over once a day so that he has more time for the family.
Since Rosi no longer has the responsibility for the economy, the marketing and the decisions, the joy is also great again.
What has changed from the 9-5 job to farm life?
Everything, really, but we were already helping out before that. When the weather was nice, from mid-June to October, we always helped out, even since we were kids.
R: It has changed mainly for the better. It is more pleasant than before, even if the days are longer and more labor intensive. But we are together and have a lot of time together. Before there was work after work and now there are always meals and planning together.
What is your vision for the farm? How did you make it YOUR farm?
Rosi milked the cows and then raised them herself with the milk. Rosi sold the milk to MPreis (Bio vom Berg) or Tirol Milch. We have changed everything to suckler cow husbandry, so the calves stay with their mothers. We have switched to direct marketing. That means we slaughter, process, vacuum, label and deliver ourselves. So we are completely involved from birth to eating. Our claim is that we want to support the most natural form of livestock farming. Anything else doesn't fit for us. "Let ma nature, be nature" - Christoph. Rosi also thinks it's great and is happy that the new generation is now making her dream come true.
We have a small economy - with only 8 cows with a few calves. Even the Lechtal farmers with 4 times the number of cows often have a second leg to stand on, just like us. Step by step we will continue to renovate our apartments. We want to remain small in terms of economy and therefore it is important to have other pillars, such as our vacation apartments.
We try to manage with what we already have. We don't need the newest tractor every year. We do as much as possible by hand and try to guarantee the best life for the cows. - Ramona
What is it like to join your partner's family business?
There are definitely challenges. Rosi is a great mother-in-law, many people find it more difficult than I do, but of course it still takes time to get used to it - especially when you live under the same roof! With Rosi lives there also her partner, who is again 20 years older & the apartments are also directly there in the house. So we have at least 4 generations under one roof! With different generations also come different needs and different views, but if you have got used to each other, that is also incredibly enriching. With respect, you can always find a common denominator.
Is it awe-inspiring to take over a generational business/life's work?
Definitely! The farm has already gone through several generations - Rosi's parents have also run the farm. That's when you realize what the generations have achieved in the past. We still have some of the machines from the very past and they still work, which is quite an honor. Our incentive is to maintain what they have built up. That is also important to us in the whole village. That we strengthen the awareness for the originality and not everything always has to be higher, better, further and that new is not always better.
We want to show people that you can lead a really nice, good life, even without a lot of clutter. That originality has beautiful sides and that one should receive the culture landscape in such a way, as it is now with us in soil.
If someone is looking for a time-out, then he is definitely right with us and can get to know the beauty of deceleration and "renunciation". By the way, with us you can really experience what "farm life" means, because we are always very happy when our guests show interest and want to see what a day on the farm looks like. We think it's nice to bring our guests closer to how life works with us.
You are also a trail running guide and running coach, and you also founded your own trail running and running school. Why do you think running is so important?
I am firmly convinced that it is definitely worthwhile to go running with a coach and guide. Especially trail running combines the sportive with the nature experience and in both points running with an expert trainer and guide can surely create an added value and the impressions can be made more lasting and deepened. On such a tour, the athlete is allowed to focus primarily on running and experiencing and does not have to worry about the important peripheral issues such as tour planning, etc.
Not only running is important, but sport in general of course! In my opinion, we as a society must manage to give movement a naturally higher priority again and encourage children and young people in particular to move more in the "real world" again. With relatively simple means and little effort, everyone can start "running". Nevertheless, one should of course be fundamentally "sport healthy". For those who have little or no running experience, a companion in the form of a running coach is recommended from the beginning, even if you do not want to become an ambitious competitive runner. A running coach will point out the mistakes to avoid in order to maintain the joy of running in the long run. He will also be a motivator on those days when you might not feel the desire yourself.
von Anja Ginther
May 03, 2023