Close to people | Stories from Bethel
Dream job at the Bethel sheep farm in Freistatt
A fluffy but imposing white "lump" peers attentively through the pasture fence. Who is approaching his territory? All-clear: it's not intruders, but shepherd Klaus Menke and apprentice Milena Gerken, who are trudging through the tall grass in the Freistätter Moor on this sunny morning. The livestock guarding dog wags its tail happily.
Milena Gerken greets the strong Pyrenean mountain dog with a long petting session. Goat Fritz comes over curiously and nudges the young woman. The sheep look up briefly and then turn back to the grass. In the summer, Milena Gerken began her three-year training as an animal farmer specialising in sheep farming in Freistatt. "I had already tried out an apprenticeship and a degree course beforehand, but quickly realised that it wasn't for me," says the 24-year-old. "We've had a few enquiries from school leavers who aren't just looking for a job, but for a way of life," reports her trainer Klaus Menke.
Milena Gerken is a real stroke of luck for the Freistatt sheep farm, emphasises the shepherd. Also because she already has previous experience. Her family has been running a hobby sheep farm for ten years. "It makes a big difference whether you do it in your free time or as a job," she says. Her parents have 80 sheep. The Bethel sheep farm looks after 1,400 moorland sheep and 100 goats in Freistatt. The animals are used for nature and landscape conservation on a total of 1,400 hectares of grassland and moorland. They eat grasses, heather and shrubs.
"Standing in the pasture, surrounded by animals - that's the best moment of the day for me."
Training to become an animal farmer is varied: the course content ranges from plant science, animal husbandry and feeding to anatomy and animal health. The theory lessons take place in blocks at the Saxony-Anhalt State Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture. Milena Gerken's training programme includes 17 students from almost all over Germany. "That's not exactly a lot. Even though there is a general interest in the profession, we have a considerable shortage of young people," says the Bethel shepherd.
Whether it's raining, hot or cold, the shepherds look after their flocks in all weathers. "The hot summers are particularly physically demanding," says Klaus Menke. There is no time off in the heat. Even at 40 degrees, the animals have to be looked after, pasture fences erected and water provided. But there are also strenuous phases in winter with the shearing and lambing season. Milena Gerken is excited. "I've only experienced this on a small scale so far, but it's a whole different ball game when up to 80 sheep a day get their lambs on peak days," says the apprentice.
In spring and autumn, the Bethel shepherd and his four colleagues walk through the Freistätter Moor with separate herds. They are accompanied by herding dogs. In the warmer months, the herd only moves a little further from day to day and is fenced in - long walks would be too arduous for the animals with their thick wool. For the sheep team, this means putting up and taking down fences every day. There are also many other tasks, including regular health checks.
Milena Gerken has found her dream job at the Freistatt sheep farm. She doesn't mind the hard work. "I love being out in nature and draw a lot of strength from it," says the budding shepherdess. "Standing in the pasture, surrounded by animals - that's the best moment of the day for me."
Text: Christina Heitkämper | Photos: Christian Weische
This story simply told
Milena Gerken has been training as an animal farmer at the sheep farm in Freistatt since the summer. She loves being out in nature and enjoys spending time with the animals on the pasture. The sheep and goats eat grasses, shrubs and trees. This is how they maintain the landscape. Milena Gerken looks after the herd.
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Nature Conservation and Landscape Management
Jörg Ermshausen
v.-Lepel-Straße 27
27259 Freistatt
Further information is available here
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The Freistatt landscape conservation organisation is responsible for maintaining the nature conservation areas in the "Freistätter Moor" and the "Nördliches Wietingsmoor". An area of 1,400 hectares is managed under EU organic conditions. The shepherds and their animals look after the moorland and grassland areas. The annual harvest of hay and silage provides the important winter feed for the farm's own sheep and goats.
