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An extra early wake-up call (6:30am!) pulled us out of bed and onto the bus for a two hour ride to Frutigen where we met an IAAS alumnus who works at the tropical greenhouse or Tropenhaus.  This unique international geothermal project makes Frutigen a center of renewable energy.  Warm water from the depths of the Swiss Alps heat a greenhouse that houses tropical plants as well as pools for fish & caviar production.  Tropenhaus produces and sells the fruit, fish, and caviar to local communities, supplying kitchens and restaurants locally rather than shipping in these products from abroad.  After our tours, we sampled banana chips, quiche and sturgeon from Tropenhaus production.

Our afternoon was spent in the snow-covered capital of Switzerland: Bern.  This walled in, medieval city is protected as an UNESCO heritage site, and for good reason.  The OC gave us the afternoon free to roam around the city.  A group of us climbed the long spiral staircase to summit the bell-tower that gave a breathtaking view of Bern.  Unfortunately the bears were not in there riverside habitat due to the cold.  We left Bern after sunset, after sipping Glühwein (hot mulled wine) while overlooking the city from the rose garden.

Back at the chalet we enjoyed a spaghetti dinner before the start of the auction which raised over 1000 Euros for the Development Fund; we are sure it is a record amount!  It lasted over four hours and we sold t-shirts from around the world as well as food, drink, and cultural souvenirs donated by participants.

We woke up bright and early to begin our milk farm exploration.  The first farm we visited was large by Swiss standards with a herd of almost seventy-five cows and bulls.  Our guide, Mr. Albert Bachmann, is a well-known politician and successful farmer, as seen by his large collection of trophy cowbells.  His farm was unique in that he had invested in a 300,000 euro milking robot.  This innovative technology eliminates the need for farmers to milk.  When the cow feels "full" of milk, she simply walks into the milking machine where a laser lines up a milking pump with the utter, milking the cow in less than four minutes.  With the machine working twenty-four hours a day seven days a week, this farm has increased production and efficiency to become a leader in Swiss milk production.

At the Bachmann farm, we also met with the vice-president of the Swiss Farmers Union, Mr. Fritz Glauser who helped explained the Swiss agriculture system, including the networks between farmers, industry, grocery stores, and exports.

We then followed Mr. Glauser back to his dairy farm where he, his wife, and four children run a typical forty-cow Swiss dairy farm.  While they do not have a milking robot, they have recently installed ten milk pumps that they use to milk the herd twice a day, at 5:30 in the morning and 5:30 at night.  Switzerland is unique in that while the rest of the world struggles to preserve rural life, Swiss farmers cherish their traditions and roles in the world -- seeing farming not only as an income, but as a family tradition and way of life.

Mr. Glauser sells his milk to a local cheese maker who produces the world famous Swiss Gruyere cheese.  The town cheese factory is small, but the perfect size for pressing nearly twenty rounds of cheese a day.  A new cellar, built recently stores the cheese for five months to two years to create different flavors ranging from mild to strong.  After a taste-test, we headed back to the chalet  for dinner and drinks!

Thanks to the OC for putting together such educational tours!