Snapshot: Trip to Herrmannsdorfer Farms

Environmental Studies Certificate Program students, with RCC staff and fellows, were lucky enough to take a tour of Herrmannsdorfer, a network of around 70 organic farmers and manufacturers in the Munich region. Herrmannsdorf processes organically-grown plants and animals in butchery, bakery, dairy, and brewing, as well as marketing the food products. Their so-called “www pigs” (standing for Weide, Wurzel, Würmer—or pasture, root, and worm) live freely and eat what they find on the fields and in the soil—mostly roots, worms, and snails—and all processing occurs locally. The tour gave a fascinating and informative insight into nature-friendly farm processing, from plant growth and animal rearing through to product sale, and it was great to start the new semester quite literally “in the field!”