Meet Tiina, (@tiina_karinluomutila), Farm Ambassador from Finland, mother, wife, organic advisor and, above all, the owner of an organic farm together with Ville Kari.

Our farm is located in Southern Ostrobothnia, Finland. Lehtimäki is part of the city of Alajärvi. Ville has been a host since 1999 and I have been a part of the farm’s everyday life for 10 years. Our family includes daughters Anniina, 14, and Kerttu, 1. Ville’s parents also live in the neighborhood and Ville’s father Urho has been a pioneer in organic farming.

About the farm

Kari’s organic farm was founded in the 1950s. The farm is an organic dairy farm that also produces organic meat. We have been a certified organic farm since 1995.

We farm 330 hectares of fields, of which we own approximately 200 hectares, and we also own 250 hectares of forest. Our fields grow grass, oats, barley and rapeseed. Some of the grains are mixed grains. There are about 30 hectares of pastures. The crop rotation is three years of grass, rapeseed or peas, grain and then grain with grass seed.

The farm has one milking robot, a Lely, and about 70 organic cows. There are about 170 cattle in total. The cows are Ayrshires and Holsteins. The cows produce an average of 10,000 ECM liters of milk per year. Feeding the cows on our farm is almost self-sufficient. We buy complete feed for the robot and minerals. Cows eat pasture plus mixed feed in the summer and mixed feed containing silage, grain, minerals, and rapeseed in the winter. Cows calve all year round.

The most important thing is that the food chain remains clean from field to table, and I think organic is the solution to that. Cattle are healthy when they have access to pasture and sufficient space in the barn. We have a lot of organic networks, small groups, advice and study tours because we want to be one step ahead. The importance of organic farming is highlighted amid the current crises worldwide. Old organic fields are very resistant to weather changes.