Sawmilling, Cheese Making, and Farming in the Slovenian Alps
Danilo Bončina lives in Čadrg, a village near Tolmin, which lies at 700 m above sea level. Danilo’s main occupation is farming and agro-tourism at his farm, PRI LOVRČU, where they breed livestock and produce milk at their own creamery. “You are cordially invited to visit the Čadrg village where you can enjoy the fresh air and silence. Our farm has two guest rooms for 4 or 5 persons, respectively. You are also welcome to order a Saturday or Sunday lunch and visit our creamery.”
The farm has been passed down from generation to generation. The main source of income on the farm is the creamery, where they produce a common cheese called tolminc.
“The tradition of cheese making appeared many years ago, when our village came to exist. The cheese was used for food and was made and used at home. It used to be impossible to transport the cheese until the road was built to take the cheese to the valley to be sold across Slovenia and abroad.”
“Mostly we make our living from cheeses and the crops are generally used for our own needs and for our guests as we have two guest rooms. We only sell surplus cheese.”
However, Danilo has recently begun sawmilling as the forests in the region are mostly used for wood gathering and timber.
Danilo and his family bought a Wood-Mizer LT15 sawmill to build a new stable. “We decided to purchase a sawmill which would be easy to use, and as functional as possible. We thought about getting a Wood-Mizer sawmill, and after six months we purchased it and put it to work. The assembly of the sawmill only took about an hour and by then we were able to start cutting quickly and with good quality results.”
“The assembly was easy, and the sawmill is transportable, and it is powered by electricity or diesel. All the wood we needed to build the new stable was basically cut using our sawmill.”
The sawmill has become an integral part of their day-to-day life. As Danilo explains, “the sawmill practically operates all the time. We use it to cut wood for our own needs and sometimes for our neighbors. It cuts any shape of log, be it thick or thin, straight or curved. The neighbors often bring their logs to us in the morning, and we have the boards ready by the afternoon.”
By having the sawmill, Danilo has been able to not only benefit his own farm, but the lives of those around him in the local village, supplying them with timber and other sawmilling services. “The only thing we regret is that we didn’t purchase it sooner because it’s really versatile, makes a quality cut with less waste, and is easy to use.”
More info about PRI LOVRČU farm: www.prilovrcu.si
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