A Bernese farmer must sell his entire herd of cows. The termination of his lease is fatal to him. The farmer is now looking for buyers for his animals – and a new job.
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Farmer Reto Isenschmid from Heimenschwand BE finds himself with nothing: he must part with his entire herd of cows. The reason is his lease, which was terminated, as an indirect consequence of his divorce from his wife.
For this passionate breeder, who has worked on the farm since childhood, it is a hard blow. At the Heimenschwand livestock fair, which he recently went to to sell his animals, he felt like he was at a funeral. “Something died inside me,” he explains to “Bärn Today” to describe the painful farewell to his animals.
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 carried out with great dedication and hard work. “I have always had a good nose and I was even able to present a particularly beautiful cow to the BEA this year,” he explains to the portal. But he now faces the challenge of finding new places for his cows.
Looking for a new job
Besides livestock shows, he also looks for buyers on Facebook – but he doesn’t just want to sell his animals to the highest bidder. “I want to make sure that they are well taken care of and that they do not fall into mass breeding,” emphasizes Isenschmid.
The decision to take her eleven-year-old cow “Elena” to the butchery was a particularly painful moment. “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. But at his age, there were no more buyers.
Since a return to his former profession as a carpenter is not possible due to knee problems, Isenschmid is now considering a new career path. He hopes to work as an animal carer at the Bern veterinary hospital, helping sick animals. He thus wants to contribute “to ensuring that the animals regain health and that farmers can bring their darlings home happy,” he says.
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