Elisabeth Fresen
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Farmer - the most beautiful profession in the world
Elisabeth Fresen - BSc Organic Agriculture, graduated in 2018.
Currently: Farm manager of the Stoffers Hoff organic farm, Verden, and Federal Chairwoman of the AbL
For me, being a farmer is the best job in the world. But I only realized this after graduating from high school. It had long been clear to me that I wanted to work for climate and nature conservation, fair trade and healthy food, perhaps even politically. It only became clear to me relatively late that the solution was right under my nose, on my parents' farm.
Today, a good ten years later, I manage Stoffers Hoff in Verden (Aller). We keep around 100 suckler cows in year-round pasture on a good 150 hectares. We manage a large part of the organic farm in accordance with nature conservation regulations and try to protect the climate, species, water, animals and our cultural landscape with our work. But we also want to earn money with our work and have contact with consumers. That's why one of my first projects is to set up a direct marketing business. Witzenhausen was an important stop on my path to self-employment. Why was that?
Studying in Witzenhausen - practical, in-depth and worth living for
During my training as a farmer, I learned how to milk cows, look after laying hens, memorize fist numbers and what crop rotation is. Combined with my family's farming skills and a little bit of cockiness, I felt well equipped for my future as a farmer. But I wanted more, more in-depth knowledge, as well as foresight, networking and agricultural policy. Witzenhausen seemed to offer me the best overall package for all of this. I started my undergraduate studies with a lot of anticipation and a few prejudices against science that is far removed from practice, and I learned immediately that the teaching in Witzenhausen is practical, examines tangible issues and challenges on farms, develops concepts and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of organic farming.
In addition to the first lectures, I associate my arrival in Witzenhausen with lovingly organized parties in the club, in the forest, in shared flats, with good food, with community and social gatherings, with exchanges and debates about good agriculture. In my main studies, I focused on marketing and economics and worked on several theses to build a solid foundation on which I can now make decisions, realize my ideas and work safely. Looking back, however, Witzenhausen is more: a diverse and colourful place, a place worth living in, a place full of curiosity, where I enjoyed being at home and made friends for life.
Helping to shape the political framework
So I was able to hone my skills and goals in Witzenhausen and lay solid foundations. At the same time, I felt there were limits. It wasn't just us farmers and students who would determine the future of our agriculture, but also the legal and political framework. I wanted to get involved and shape them. I found my political home in the Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL). I have been a volunteer member of the federal board for several years and was elected federal chairwoman. Today, when I am fighting for rural, resource-conserving agriculture and working on concepts for change, I also draw on my wealth of knowledge and my network from Witzenhausen.
Agriculture is facing profound change. Climate change, the necessary restructuring of livestock farming, the extinction of farms, the loss of biodiversity and right-wing forces in the countryside present us with major challenges. Witzenhausen as a place of study, students, graduates and teaching staff bear responsibility for shaping the agriculture of the future. We all bear responsibility for a resilient, regional food system, for sustainable agriculture, for common ground instead of deep rifts, for livable rural areas and for diverse farms.