Massimo Balena: Ticino farmer in the Swiss calendar

Context

In brief

• Massimo Balena is 29 years old and is originally from Bellinzona.
• She is the Ticino face of the Swiss Farmers' Calendar.
• Apprenticeship: Bergün, Jenins and Davos, a different company every year.
• His farm of 650 hens has been closed.

Key Facts

• Person → Massimo Balena
• Age → 29 years
• Origin → Bellinzona
• Calendar → Swiss Farmers' Calendar
• Apprenticeship → Bergün, Jenins and Davos
• Farm → 650 hens
• Stream → about 2 meters from the stable
• Haymaking → up to 15 hours per day

Massimo Balena, a 29-year-old native of Bellinzona, is the Ticino face of the Swiss Farmers' Calendar. His presence in the calendar was born from an inscription made by his girlfriend, almost for fun. For him, accustomed to a daily life between animals and agricultural rhythms, putting himself in front of a photographer meant entering a new environment.

At first he feared that people who know him would joke about participation. In the workplace there were jokes, but in a light atmosphere. During the shots, the tension decreased, to the point of leaving room for greater spontaneity. He said he was almost proud of the result: he is a shy person, but he chose to put his face to it and get involved.

"He signed me up and we said: 'let's see what happens'. If they take me well, if they don't take me I have nothing to lose."

From grandmother to career path

Massimo's agricultural story began away from the spotlight and without a peasant tradition behind him. The first contact came at his grandmother's holiday home in Campoblenio, when he was seven, eight or nine years old: he went from one stable to another to see how it worked and helped as much as he could. Interest grew when his brother chose an agricultural background.

Hence the decision to do the apprenticeship away from Ticino: Bergün the first year, Jenins the second and Davos the last. Changing companies every year served, in his experience, to learn more. School and work were in German, and the first year was quite hard. The path therefore required both mobility and linguistic adaptation.

He appreciates the days outdoors and the relationship with the animals, to whom he tries to ensure the best possible well-being. He also appreciates the fact that the climate conditions the programs: during haymaking, the rain can quickly change plans. This variability, in his eyes, makes the activity freer and more flexible than the office routine. For those who look at the sector as a possible outlet, his path offers a reference to consult the annunci di lavoro, without separating the professional choice from the concrete conditions of the job.

Operational details

Why the profession remains difficult

The most concrete aspect of the account concerns the relationship between regulations, working hours and economic appeal. Massimo describes an agricultural policy facing major difficulties: he says that every year a different, more complicated law comes along, and that those who work have to adapt. In his case, this adaptation had a clear outcome: the closure of the small farm with 650 hens.

Rules, working hours and the image of the profession

According to the account, the barn was located next to a stream, about two meters away. He was told that the chickens' droppings were polluting it. The barn had been there for more than two or three hundred years, the stream had always run in the same place and the chickens were raised outdoors, in full view of everyone. For years, he adds, cows and horses had also been kept in the area. Then the arrival of a new person in the Canton led to a different decision. In his account, the practical consequence was the closure of the operation.

The second element is time. In summer, during haymaking, one can work as many as 15 hours a day, from morning to evening and from Monday to Sunday. Massimo identifies agriculture as the only sector in which, in his view, one can work more than 55 hours a week and claims that every farmer works more than 60 or 65. Few vacation periods and not-very-high earnings make the profession less attractive to young people. Since the source does not provide a figure, the comparison with busta paga svizzera should be read as a personal tool, not as a sector average.

The third element is image. In Kostlers, where he lives today, Massimo sees young people rejecting agriculture even though they come from families active in the sector. In Bellinzona, as a boy, he instead perceived it as a distant world and encountered stereotypes when he announced to his classmates that he had chosen an apprenticeship. The distance between actual work and its social representation thus becomes another obstacle to entry.

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Key points

How to turn the story into a concrete choice

Massimo's story can become a checklist for anyone considering an apprenticeship or agricultural activity. It is not an administrative procedure valid for everyone: it is a sequence of questions drawn from the conditions he describes. It serves to separate the idea of working outdoors from daily constraints.

Five checks before choosing

1. Verify your relationship with animals and outdoor work. Massimo speaks of affection for animals and the responsibility of ensuring their well-being. For anyone considering the sector, this is the daily aspect to put first.

2. Accept the variability of the weather and working hours. Haymaking can be affected by rain, while summer may require long days. The flexibility Massimo prefers to office routine must be assessed together with the willingness to change plans.

3. View the apprenticeship as a mobile path. In his case, it took place in different locations, with a different company each year so he could learn more. School and work were in German, and the first year was difficult: travel and language are part of the choice described.

4. Examine the relationship between the operation and the environment. The closure of his chicken operation was linked to the stream near the stable. The case suggests clarifying in advance the conditions concerning the place where one works, without taking for granted that a historical situation will remain unchanged.

5. Assess economic and personal sustainability. The story speaks of few vacation periods and not particularly high earnings, as well as weeks that can exceed 55 hours and, according to Massimo, reach more than 60 or 65. These are factors to compare with your own budget.

The choice also requires distinguishing concrete experience from the stereotypes Massimo encountered in Bellinzona. To simulate the effect of income on your personal budget, use calcolatore stipendio

Source: tio.ch