pricelessland

While researching for ZEIT ung for Heimat I met the herd manager Anne-Sophie Jentho. Unfortunately, for reasons of space, only one quote from her has found space in the newspaper. So here is the whole story.

Boss for 750 animals
How an animal lover became a herd manager
A contribution by Ingo Goschütz

“When I was little, I wanted to be a naturalist, and later a horse farmer. Now I'm herd manager and responsible for 750 animals.” For 24-year-old Anne-Sophie Jentho, a great wish has come true. Country air and animals have always been part of her life. She grew up in the Niesky district of See. Her father had a large property there with small livestock, so that the passion for the animal world was awakened at an early age. “It was never an issue for me to leave the region. A long-term life in the big city was never an option for me,” confirms the young woman. However, it was not possible without a big city. In Dresden, she passed her Abitur with an advanced course in agricultural engineering. She then studied agricultural sciences at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Due to the corona virus, most of the studies took place online from the second semester onwards. Many lectures were offered as video recordings. "I'm right back in the village and in the cowshed," reports Anne-Sophie Jentho. “I was able to organize my time to study well. I also listened to some of the lectures at home when I was working in my own barn.” She still has her bachelor thesis to do, but she already has the exciting job. Since September 2022 she has been herd manager at the Ödernitz dairy farm, which belongs to Jänkendorfer Agrar GmbH. The young woman is now responsible for 750 animals, eight employees and five trainees on site. "I was prepared for working with the animals, but not for managing employees," smiles the herd manager. "I still have to be sensitive and find the right way of communicating for me."

The range of tasks of a herd manager is wide. Breeding analysis, feeding, ensuring veterinary care, personnel planning. Instruction of the employees and a lot more are on the daily to-do list. Anne-Sophie Jentho needs to know how each individual cow is doing. She is supported by a database system in which all measurable parameters for each animal are recorded. "The challenge is to be able to correctly interpret the time efficiency data."

Anne-Sophie Jentho has arrived professionally. With the task as a herd manager, a wish that had been cherished since high school came true. Her job is held in high esteem here at home. Almost everyone in the village has points of contact with agriculture. It's different in the big city. "During my studies in Berlin, I realized that I was very ignorant of agricultural topics. There are often basic things that are not known,” the agronomist wonders. "I would like school classes not only to visit the petting zoo, but also to get to know the work in agriculture."

In addition to her job, the cheerful villager is also happy in her private life. In Kosel she lives in a small four-sided courtyard with a barn. There she also has the opportunity to use a few hectares of grassland. There is room for a few of your own animals and soon your horse will move in here too. The herd manager now also owns three calves privately. She goes for a lot of walks with the bull. At some point she would like to break him in. She loves the many bathing lakes that only the villagers know about and the huge forest areas north of Niesky. “I can walk in the woods for hours without meeting anyone. I think this calm is great.”