Von Fedak Family's High-Altitude Dairy Farms Impress at Brown Swiss World Congress
The von Fedak family, with roots tracing back to Silesia and Austria, welcomes guests with near-flawless German. They operate high-altitude dairy farms, where cattle graze year-round, hardly troubled by insects or parasites. Recently, the Brown Swiss World Congress in Colombia visited three such farms.
At Albero Barriga's Hacienda Santa Cecilia in Guamal, 40 Brown Swiss cows out of 60 are milked at 3100 meters. The proximity to the equator provides a moderate climate and year-round vegetation, perfect for grazing. The Hacienda achieves impressive results, producing 8500 kg of milk with 3.8% fat and 3.3-3.4% protein, sold at around 52 euro cents per liter.
Franciska von Fedak's Hacienda 'El Vegel' in Subachoque houses about 100 cows, two-thirds of which are Brown Swiss. These cows spend most of the year on pasture day and night at high altitudes. Similarly, Los Alpes farm in Guasca operates an intensive Brown-Swiss breeding program with embryo transfer and year-round pasture feeding.
The von Fedak family's high-altitude dairy farms, as seen at the Brown Swiss World Congress, demonstrate the success of year-round grazing. Despite the altitude, cows produce high-quality milk, contributing to the region's dairy industry.
