A motley herd cavorts on Frank Scheid's meadow. The oldest Limousin cow is a proud 18 years old and the youngest herd members are just a few weeks old. They were born here on the Hunsrück meadows and spend summer and winter in the great outdoors. A total of 100 cattle live on an area of 20 hectares, shelters are available on the winter pastures. "We've also fenced in 1.5 hectares of forest and that's where the cattle are mostly in winter," says Frank Scheid. But even now in summer it is important to him that his animals always find a place in the shade, like here under the mighty blackthorn bush. The fact that his animals are so trusting is because he checks on them every day and always brings a feeding bucket or dry rolls with him. The farmer and his family are welcome visitors to the cattle.
Even the impressive breeding bull, which belongs to the Belgian Blue and White breed, is tame with Frank Scheid. “We have a second, younger breeding bull. When a cow is about to have her first calf, he is used, the calves are then smaller.” However, the two bulls are only seasonal guests in the herds. They are lent to another farm for several months so that no calves are born during the icy season between Christmas and March. The hardy animals are usually disease free and the use of antibiotics is unnecessary. In addition to grass, the animals also get silage - no problem for cattle - from their own production as well as mineral feed, all GMO-free. The slaughtering takes place in-house and the animals are usually killed directly on the meadow without stress. Up until then they had lived a good life there.