In our region, which is highly urbanized and industrialized, many basic connections with regard to food production have literally been lost. Many people no longer know where their food comes from and the majority of the food produced in the small town of Lorsch is not consumed there. It is produced for the “global market” and does not find any added value in the community itself. This goes along with the fact that the regional and local infrastructure has gradually collapsed. There is a lack of local processing facilities for food: often products have to be transported many kilometres before they can be processed at all.

In my opinion, cattle are the most underrated working animals we have. We must not forget the amazing things they do for us, whether in milk production, as a source of leather and meat, or as a supplier of fertilizer. In addition, draft cattle provide one of the main pillars for securing the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people on this planet with their labor. They are our co-workers and sometimes even our therapists.

As part of a grant program on ecological farming and draft animal powered systems, we also cultivate agricultural fields outside Museum limits and in modern contexts. Last fall we planted a combination of four old heritage wheat varieties in order to build up a diverse and resilient wheat population. Today we used a weed harrow (tine weeder) on said wheat field for weed control and undersowed white clover. We did this with ox-power only.

(On a recent) Sunday, a large field day was held for the second time in the surroundings of the Lauresham Open-Air Lab. The main purpose of the event was on one hand to strengthen the public awareness of animal traction systems, but on the other hand also to create a forum for professional exchange on various issues of harnessing, equipment, cultivation methods and animal welfare. In addition, there were information stands and sales booths with products that are characterized by the inclusion of animal traction in the production process.

An international group consisting of cattle experts and specialists under the coordination of the Center for Draft Cattle Research and Education (Lorsch, Germany) took over the development of new test standards. It was important to both the test committee and the active members of the draft cattle community in Germany that the trials should not be a competition, but rather a joint review of quality standards. It should also explicitly not be about demanding maximum performance from the animals (in terms of maximum pulling power), but rather the average pulling power that the animals should be able to deliver over a period of several hours.

South of the impressive Magura-Codlei mountain and in the southeastern part of the Transylvanian basin lies the Romanian commune of Holbav. Although only twenty kilometers from the county capital of Brasov, traditional small-scale farming lifestyles have survived in Holbav to this day, forming living testaments to a resilient and successful circular economy of the local people. Of outstanding importance are the individual farms situated on the surrounding hills of the actual village center which is located on the valley floor. Each of the hills is farmed by one of the families – and has been for several generations.

Work now becomes a purpose,
effort turns to flow,
the sound of clods to symphony,
and exhaustion leads to fun.

In March 2024, more than 125 cattle experts, farmers, scientists, historians, archaeologists, museum experts and engineers from 21 countries met in Lorsch in southern Hesse (Germany) for the first World Draft Cattle Symposium. The event was initiated by the Lauresham Open-Air Laboratory, which has been working on the topic of cattle traction for over ten years, and has considered both historic and modern contexts. As a central result of the event, an International Center for Draft Cattle Research and Education was founded, which will be tasked with facilitating joint efforts and creating an international platform for professional exchanges.

I think there are external and internal motivations that drive our actions, and this has been no different for me. I would like to say that I come from a family of small farmers, but this is not the case. I grew up in a medium-sized town along a main road. We didn’t have any pets until I was twelve and I had no real exposure to farming. That changed during my teenage years, when I first worked a garden with my parents, later added one of my own and finally started keeping my own animals (first rabbits, later chickens). I also spent some time on my grandfather’s dairy goat farm in southern Wisconsin. These experiences with growing my own food, acquiring craft skills and literally grasping our nature were certainly the seeds that later germinated everything.

When I first came into contact with the world of draft cattle over ten years ago, I would never have believed the importance that this topic would one day have for me. Not only did I gradually become an advocate for the positive impact of draft cattle in agriculture or silviculture, but I also became a draft cattle farmer and trainer myself. It is with great pleasure that I get to teach people about working with draft cattle each year, and I am pleased that the demand for this all-important traditional knowledge continues to grow. Draft cattle can be so much – working companions, community builders, and securers of livelihoods.