ruth901
Rubber boots instead of community board: Claudia Brandes swapped her office for a milking parlor and stable for a day. However, the day was special in two respects, as the cow Lotte was honored for an outstanding performance.
Petersberg – “We mixed two actions together today,” explains Claudia Brandes (independent), mayor of Petersberg. “On the one hand, a cow that gave 100,000 liters of milk, that's record-breaking. And on the other hand, the call for mayors to consciously spend a day in agriculture today.” The aim of the campaign is exchange and mutual acceptance, explains Brandes and clarifies: “We are constantly advertising for the same areas. What is fodder area for the farmer is a building or commercial area for us.”
Record cow Lotte gives 100,000 liters of milk and is honored
The day at the Fronbachhof on the edge of Petersberg began at 6.30 a.m. in the milking parlor. “We first started with milking cows,” she reports. “There is no milking robot here yet. The cows are herded into the milking parlor one after the other, the udders are cleaned and then milked by hand. It really makes your muscles sore if you're not used to it. It's not that easy,” admits Brandes.
Later we continued with feeding the animals and a ride on the tractor. “I learned a lot – also economically, for example about the price of milk,” she says and adds: “We buy milk and cheese in the supermarket and it shouldn't cost anything if possible. But people are often not interested in what's behind it. The fluctuating milk price has a direct impact on the farm. In the end, it affects sales and profits – and therefore the farmer directly.”
Brandes was impressed by the constant commitment of the farming families. “Of course you know that you have to milk morning and evening. But experiencing it is something different. If you ask: 'What actually happens when you want to go on holiday?', then it means: there is no such thing as a holiday.”
But the mayor wasn't the only special feature on the Leipold family farm that day: Cow Lotte, who lives in the family stable, was honored for a special achievement. “The cow will soon be eleven years old, has calved seven times and reached 100,000 kilos of milk with the seventh calving in April,” explains operations manager Stefan Leipold. If you filled them into the typical 1 liter tetra packs and placed them all next to each other, the route would be 6.8 kilometers long.
The Hessian dairy queen Hanna I also came to the honor. “A 100,000 liter cow is nothing to be taken for granted,” she emphasizes. “That’s a feat that you have to achieve first.” There was a similar event a few years ago at the Zinkhan farm in Drasenberg: There, three cows have reached the magical “milk limit”..
District farmer Winfried Schäfer also finds clear words: “It is not a given that a cow will achieve something like this. The company has to stand behind it, the attitude has to be right.” For him, the result is more than just performance: “I always say that a 100,000 liter cow is animal welfare in action. They can only achieve such performance if the cows are doing well.”
Brandes also sees this as an important message for the region. “It doesn't work here without the farmers. Our milk, our cheese and our meat have to come from somewhere. That's why I would like to see agriculture given a higher status among the population.”
action
At the “Rent a Mayor – Farm” action day organized by the Young Mayors Network, they get a direct insight into the work, challenges and perspectives of local agricultural businesses. Personal exchange is an important basis for local political work, especially in rural regions.
After her day at work on the farm, the mayor draws a positive conclusion. The campaign showed “how important communication is at the end of the day”. You can only put yourself in other people's shoes “if you are in conversation with them”.
And the idea could definitely catch on: “Absolutely,” says Brandes when asked about a sequel. Incidentally, she is not the only mayor in the region who swapped her town hall for a stable for a day. Andre Stenda (CDU), mayor of the municipality of Hohenroda, and Dana Hauke (CDU), head of the town hall in Eiterfeld, also took part in the “Rent a Mayor – Farm” campaign.
Just recently, another cow caused a stir in the region: The cow Elly from Poppenhausen went missing and reappeared two weeks later. Their appearance was no less mysterious than their sudden disappearance.
