In hundshof, the cow is doing well
Anyone who talks to georg and barbara bessler from hundshof in the municipality of frensdorf about the work on their dairy farm soon realizes how much heart and soul they put into the farm and the well-being of their animals. When lena, now 50, and his wife took over his parents' farm in 1993, the couple had to decide what kind of farming they wanted to focus on. "We decided right at the beginning to work with the cows. There lay our strong. Besides, the necessary flat and the corresponding land were available", georg bessler looks back on the beginnings 25 years ago. As the number of cows increased rapidly from 22 in the beginning, the family farm decided to build a new dairy barn in 1996. This provided space for a total of 80 cows and, with its open barn front and the resulting freedom of movement, ensured that the animals felt completely at ease. But the stable should not be the only investment in the farm.
"No mass animal husbandry"
Werner nutzel, district executive officer of the bavarian farmers' association, visited the family farm as part of the association's stall discussion. He was pleased with the way the cows are kept and stated: "the animals have never been kept as well as they are today." In this way, he was able to vehemently counter the criticism of many members of the public, who often compare the situation on the farm with factory farming. "There is no such thing in the bamberg district or in bavaria in general. But it must also be said that the romantic, small farm of the past with its 20 cows could no longer support a family nowadays. Similar to crafts and industry, a farm needs a minimum size in order to exist economically."