Lease terminated Farmer has to sell his herd of cows - now he's left with nothing
A farmer from Bern has to sell his entire herd of cows. A terminated lease is his undoing. Now the farmer is looking for buyers for his animals - and a new job.
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- A farmer in Bern has to sell his entire herd of cows.
- The reason for this is his lease, which was terminated as an indirect consequence of his divorce from his wife.
- For the passionate cattle farmer, who has been on the farm since his childhood, this is a heavy blow
Farmer Reto Isenschmid from Heimenschwand BE is faced with nothing: he has to part with his entire herd of cows. The reason for this is his lease, which was terminated as an indirect consequence of his divorce from his wife.
This is a huge blow for the passionate cattle farmer, who has been on the farm since his childhood. At the cattle show in Heimenschwand, which he recently attended to sell his animals, he felt like he was at a funeral. "Something died inside me," he describes the painful farewell to his animals to "Bärn Today".
Over the years, Isenschmid had built up a herd of 35 to 40 animals, including 18 dairy cows. He was particularly proud of his breeding work, which he pursued with great dedication and hard work. "I always had the right nose and was even able to present a particularly beautiful cow at the BEA this year," he tells the portal. But now he faces the challenge of finding new places for his cows.
Looking for a new job
In addition to cattle shows, he is also looking for buyers via Facebook - but he doesn't want to simply sell the animals to the highest bidder. "I want to make sure that they are in good hands and don't end up in factory farming," emphasizes Isenschmid.
One particularly painful moment was the decision to bring his eleven-year-old cow "Elena" to the butcher's shop. "The fact that she had to die broke my heart," he admits. Elena was one of the oldest cows and the mother of 18 offspring. At her age, however, no buyer could be found.
As a return to his old profession as a carpenter is not possible due to knee problems, Isenschmid is now planning a new career path. He hopes to work as an animal keeper at Bern's animal hospital to help sick animals. In this way, he wants to help "animals get well again and farmers can bring their pets home happy," he says.