Stefanie Ofner is far removed from the cliché of the traditional mountain farmer. Rather, the self-confident young woman shows a side of farming in which hard work, a beloved family and a modern lifestyle at 1,060 meters above sea level can be wonderfully combined.
Persistently trusting your instincts, changing old points of view and giving up overwhelming jobs that make life increasingly difficult - these are all things that can push a person to certain limits. Stefanie Ofner was at such a limit: the trained kindergarten teacher from the Carinthian village of Afritz fell in love with Hermann, the future heir to a mountain farm high up in the Nockberge mountains. Together they started a happy family with three wonderful children, and together they immersed themselves fully in life with a farm. The aim was to uphold and continue what the previous generation had created. But when Stefanie found herself in the cheese room processing milk every day and increasingly noticed that she was getting worse, she knew that something had to change.
New paths on the mountainside
"It was a rocky road because I didn't know or know anything about farming. I didn't grow up on a farm, nor did I have any access to it as a child." Looking back, she is glad that everything turned out the way it did and wouldn't have it any other way. "We started with dairy farming, which we took over from Hermann's grandparents. Some of the milk was processed ourselves, some was sold." However, this daily commitment quickly became a huge mental burden, so the young couple decided against dairy farming and instead opted for meat production. "We switched to fattening bulls and also focused on pigs and broiler chickens, and two years ago we added the mainstay of renting out our farm holidays. Our guests can choose between a large, modernized chalet or a cosy double room on a self-catering basis. These diverse economic sectors are important to us and give us both security and a better quality of life."
"I certainly don't fulfill the cliché of a farmer's wife. I can just be a woman in between and still be a farmer with heart and soul."
Mentalbäuerin Stefanie Ofner
Regional diversity under one roof
The home-grown produce is sold on the farm and at markets in the region, as well as in a specially created store called "Handgmacht und mehr". "This store, based in Landskron, is an association of several direct marketers. The customer receives all regional products under one roof."
Mental training for a better quality of life
In addition, communication with like-minded people became increasingly important for Stefanie: "The exchange with other female farmers was extremely important to me." This desire led her to train as a mental coach. "This helped me a lot to deal better with different situations and pressure in everyday life. I had to prove a lot of things to myself in the early years, but today I no longer have to answer to myself or others. I can look after the animals on the farm in my stable clothes and wellies in the morning and enjoy the lifestyle at Lake Wörthersee in the afternoon and relax over an ice cream with friends. I certainly don't fulfill the cliché of a farmer's wife, but it still works, that's the essence of it. I can just be a woman in between and still be a farmer with heart and soul."
"I don't have to answer to myself or others. I look after the animals on the farm in my stable clothes in the morning and enjoy the lifestyle at Lake Wörthersee in the afternoon."
Mentalbäuerin Stefanie Ofner
Back to the roots
Guests who make their way up to the Ofner mountain farm can feel the harmony in the air. "People are increasingly looking for honesty, want to come down and relax, miss the grounded. They want to know where food comes from, want to understand and see the connections, want to get involved themselves." All of this is possible up here in the Nockberge mountains for everyone. Because helpfulness, appreciation and gratitude are not just empty phrases, but are lived every day in this place.
