Dreaming of carrots perhaps? That’s right. We are standing in R\u00e4fis-Burgerau. This place was once the heart of carrot cultivation in the region.
Let’s delve into the story of R\u00e4fis-Burgerau. It shows how a small village blossomed thanks to a humble root vegetable. The story begins amidst the global economic crisis of the 1920s.
The crisis hit the local embroidery industry hard. Exports plummeted. Many families in R\u00e4fis-Burgerau turned to agriculture. They found a new source of income in farming. The community provided land for growing vegetables. This helped many families survive during those tough times.
Initially beans and peas were popular. They were grown for the canning industry. However repeated cultivation led to pest problems. Crop rotation became necessary. Farmers then started planting other vegetables. These included beans gherkins and cabbage.
Around this time a new crop appeared. It was the Parisian carrot a small round variety. Locally they were simply called “R\u00fcebli”. The soil around R\u00e4fis-Burgerau proved ideal for these carrots. The sandy soil along the Rhine was well-draining. It dried quickly after rains. This was perfect for carrot cultivation.
The fields along the canal became especially prized. Smallholders sticker families and railway workers began growing carrots. R\u00e4fis-Burgerau quickly transformed. It became a major center for carrot production. This status it maintained well into recent times. In peak seasons more than 30 small farmers harvested over 30 tons of carrots daily.
Imagine the scene. Sacks filled with carrots were carted to the R\u00e4fis-Burgerau station. There they were loaded onto railway cars. It is quite a contrast to today. Picture wagons laden with the crop. Cheerful children rode along to the train station on summer evenings.
Harvesting carrots was a family affair. Everyone young and old participated. They worked from dawn till dusk. Often they ate lunch in the fields under the shade of a tree. The carrots were pulled by hand. They were then stacked in piles. The leafy tops were removed. This was a monotonous task. People sat together and chatted about everything. They harvested regardless of the weather. On hot days they used umbrellas for shade. For rainy weather they had a specially built hut.
Even schoolchildren helped during the harvest. It often coincided with summer vacation. Sometimes they longed to visit the swimming pool. Or they wanted to play with friends. Instead they cooled off with a quick dip in the canal on hot days.
Individual plots were small. They ranged from ares to a Klasse in size. But the canning factories paid well. The carrot cultivation significantly boosted household incomes. A local postman once distributed a large sum to the carrot farmers. He remarked that it was a proud amount for such a small village.
As production increased collection points were established. Michael Schlegel opened the first one in R\u00e4fis-Burgerau in 1929. Roth a freight forwarder transported the carrots to the Buchs station. From there they went to the canning factory. Later Christli Rothenberger took over the collection for the Rocco factory. Heinrich M\u00fcntener had another collection point for Scana.
Later came mechanization. This changed everything. By 1963 the first mechanical carrot harvesters appeared. Within a few years mechanical harvesting became widespread. This marked the end for the small farmers. Now large harvesters worked day and night. They plowed through vast carrot fields.
The sandy soil remained ideal for mechanized farming. It dried quickly even after heavy rain. The increasing demand for canned vegetables further boosted carrot cultivation. The area became a major carrot-growing region.
However demand for canned vegetables declined in the mid-1980s. Consumers preferred fresh produce. Foreign competition also increased. Carrot cultivation decreased. Yet Werdenberg and parts of Liechtenstein adapted. They became the last area in Switzerland to grow Parisian carrots. Thanks to excellent product quality the carrot remains an important crop.
Today the fields might look different. The memories of those days remain. R\u00e4fis-Burgerau was shaped by the humble carrot like no other village. It is a legacy worth remembering.