By Holiday Farm Lüch da Murin

One farm, three generations

In the hands of the Nagler family for over 200 years

It is probably the greatest strength of our farm, transmitting knowledge and possessions from generation to generation. Living in close contact, our families enrich the business with experience and new ideas. From the second half of the eighteenth century, the Nagler family has owned and cultivated Lüch da Murin. In 2000 the name "Ancestral Farm" (Lüch de Familia) was awarded to our farm because the same family has owned it for over two hundred years. Today there are 1,166 inherited farms in South Tyrol. Approximately 13.400 are officially "closed" farms in the province of Bolzano. The farms are called "closed" when all the surface structures form an indivisible unity. These farm properties cannot therefore be individually sold or split.

Now the farm is Gottfried's. He is an agricultural expert and has been working at our province's Natural Parks Service for many years. His wife Rossana, originally from Rosà , in the Veneto province, studied geology and worked for several years at the MuSe in Trento. Hence the idea of starting an educational farm dedicated to training children and to safeguard the breeds of indigenous and threatened animals. The children Matthias and Veronica Heidi represent the future of the farm and already love being outdoors and in the company of the animals. The grandparents Paolo and Rosina are still active on the farm. For forty years they have led the farm renewing most of the structures.

Agriculture in the heart of the Dolomites

Agricultural activity at a mountain farm in Alta Badia

Our farm, Lüch da Murin in Badia, is located on the bank of the Val Badia's main river, the Rio Gadera in Italian and Gran Ega in Ladin, which means big water. Once the force of the water moved the wheels of a sawmill and a "murin" which means mill. The main agricultural activity is the breeding of Grigia Alpina cattle for sale to diary or quality meat producers at kilometer zero. The main fodder is hay, produced entirely on our four hectares of meadows and approximately two hectares of land we rent nearby. In addition, the farm has over seven hectares of forest, especially valuable for the supply of wood, which provides natural fuel to heat the rooms of the house.

Our animals

A little Noah’s ark...

Intensive agriculture has selected and bred animal species oriented to production for years, leaving behind less productive breeds. Ancient breeds have become less desirable in the eyes of large breeders and risked becoming extinct. Various projects now aim to conserve and recover some breeds, enhancing their quality and maintaining biodiversity. We at Lüch da Murin follow this philosophy and also keep some of these breeds for agricultural purposes, not only for reasons of aesthetics or idealism. Since 2019 we are an "ArcheHof" and keep rare breeds of animals, that are recognized and protected by the association Arche Austria.
In addition to the Alpine Gray cattle breed, we have a very rare breed of geese called "Österreichische Landgans" and a variety of hens, among them a recovered breed known as the Tyrolean Hen. The last arrivals in Murin are the colorful "certosino" rabbits, also known as "Blauer Wiener", which means Vienna blue when translated.

The breeds we raise:

The Alpine Gray

The Alpine Gray is a cow with a coat that comes in all shades of gray, from almost silver to dark gray. Its dark muzzle bordered in white and black tip horns are striking. It is mild-mannered animal, but also lively at the same time. This breed is well-adapted to mountain habitats, thanks to its stamina and agility, which also allows for efficient grazing on the steep and stony slopes of our summer alpine pastures.
Alpine Grays are not only suitable for milk production, but also of quality meat. The breed is suitable for raising veal with the "suckler-cow" method, ie when cow and calf are kept together for at least six months to a year. The animals grow with as much milk, hay and water as desired ... it doesn't get more genuine than that ...

The "Österreichische Landgans" goose

The "Österreichische Landgans" goose, literally translated as "Austrian country goose", is a slightly smaller breed of goose that was once found in almost all farms, alpine and otherwise. Once the geese were important for down production and today we are trying to maintain the breed through raising the broods. The breeding project was registered in 2017: 26 farmers for 60 specimens of this breed. It is estimated that there are a variety of uncounted specimens and considerable hope of being able to revive this traditional breed of geese.

The Tyrolean hen

The Tyrolean hen (Tiroler Huhn) is the result of an attempt by the "Pro Natura montana" project to reconstruct an extinct hen breed. The Tyrolean hen belonged to the crested hen species which has been common to the central and eastern Alps for centuries. In recent years we have returned to the original breed through selection processes with breeds closely related to it. But in 2013 some specimens of "Primitive Tyrolean hens" were rediscovered in the remaining suppositories of a remote South Tyrolean valley. The Tyrolean Hen has a tuft on the head instead of a ridge and also has a thick beard. Contrary to other crested hens, it is rather weak, it flies little and is not nervous. (source: Pro Patrimonio Montano)

The "Blauer Wiener" rabbit

The "Blauer Wiener" rabbit is a breed with colorful "certosino" hair, hence the name when translated means Vienna blue. A railway administrator of the Austro-Hungarian Empire bred this rabbit in the nineteenth century by crossing a Belgian, French and German breed. It is one of the only two original Austrian breeds still in existence today. It has very thick and soft fur of medium to long length, gray-blue eyes, dark nails and can reach 4-5 kg.