We are not alone here on the farm. We share it with a wide variety of animals – from our distillery dog Albus and the large dairy cows to agile deer, birds of prey, and the smallest insects.
Choosing to follow organic principles is also about helping biodiversity, especially on the areas we manage where we do not cultivate the land extensively.
Modern grain farming is a challenge for biodiversity. Therefore, it's essential that the landscape contains a variety of elements and soil types.
The EU has set ambitious goals to restore our land and create more natural spaces. We are already well on our way.
Our grain fields account for only about one-third of the land we manage. Grasslands make up another third. The rest consists of various types of nature: meadows, marshes, lakes, pastures, hedgerows, ancient monuments, and beautiful heathlands that shape the landscape and create the vibrant life we cherish.
From the distillery courtyard, we can see about 15 hectares of protected natural habitat. This area hosts a rich diversity of birds, insects, and flowers. During the summer, we have grazing heifers on these meadows. They care for the land and enjoy the peaceful surroundings here.
For us, the key to maintaining the various types of nature is our grazing cattle. Their movement creates variation in the field, and their dung provides habitats for many species. Our herd of organic cows plays a crucial role in both the nitrogen cycle and our nature management.
Our cows feed on grass and clover, which are part of our crop rotation, making it possible for us to grow grain for our whisky. In the summer, they graze the fields and kindly contribute with nature’s own biodiversity hotels: their dung.
We leave the dung on the field. It becomes home to a multitude of insects, flies, and beetles, which happily break it down into nutrients that slowly reenter the soil, preparing it for the next season’s spelt, barley, or rye.
The varying habitats attract a wider range of wildlife and a greater diversity of insects, thriving in the different growths. In this way, our family farm is home not only to us but also to a wide array of vital animals that face tough conditions in artificial monocultures.
