Is it due to what? The large, expressive eyes? Or the thick, curly fur on his head? You want to cuddle him. No, not Willi Tölle, the keeper of the Galloway cattle on BILSTER BERG. Although he is an equally impressive and unique character.

The fact that he has knowledge of the subject is immediately apparent. Willi Tölle’s speech is fluent in terms of agriculture and breeding. But the 61-year-old actually likes to take it easy. Standing there in his green overalls and rubber boots, among a herd of cattle: He blends into the picture. Although he doesn’t really fit into the picture of the Bilster Berg Resort. Are his trouser straps on his overalls twisted? The fingernails are slightly dirty? – So what? Willi Tölle is a farmer! And he does so with heart and soul. In June 2012 he came to the BILSTER BERG, to join the technical team. But with a very special task: Willi Tölle is responsible for the 18 Galloway cattle at the facility. But of course he is also there when crash barriers are replaced or gravel beds are dragged around on the track. Born in Nieheim, he is a farmer by nature. In 1972 he took over his father’s farm, which he cultivates in addition to his work on the BERG. He has 20 hectares to look after. “We used to have dairy cows as well,” says Tölle. “Today I only have five to eight Limousin cattle or crossbreeds that keep my grass fresh and go to the butcher after 28 months at the latest.” But Galloways, with their distinctive heads and curly coats, are a particular favourite with him. The cattle breed originates from the southwest of Scotland. That is why Galloways can also live outdoors all year round. “Due to their thick and double-layered coat, they are well protected even in frosty weather,” says Tölle. People sometimes ask him if it is not animal cruelty to keep the cattle outside even in extreme weather conditions. “But they simply feel most comfortable on the meadow.” 46 hectares are available to the nine calves and nine adult cattle on the BILSTER BERG. In summer, Tölle mows down a few areas and makes silage bales from the grass. “As fodder for the upcoming winter,” says the farmer. The process of mowing, turning and swathing has to be mastered; each step in the process is crucial for the quality of the silage later on. Tölle is a specialist when it comes to the machines, their fine-tuning as well as tricky issues such as the right chop length or the right degree of dehydration. To complete the last step, he asks his neighbour, who is also a farmer and who owns a silo press, for help. Together with him, he fills the fodder mass into silo tubes. Finally, he drives the hay bales with his tractor to the stables on the BILSTER BERG.

The cattle whisperer
Tölle opens the gate to the stables. The cattle live here starting in mid-March every year, because “that’s the time for calving”. He usually keeps the cattle in the barn for about six weeks and then takes them out to graze again at the beginning of May. “From June onwards, I’ll put a bull with them for mating.” Apart from that, mucking out, bedding and fencing are part of his tasks. But above all, Tölle is the guardian of the Galloways. So every day he makes sure that all 18 animals are still there and happy. Sometimes a calf escapes under the barbed wire fence. “Then I go on a quest to bring the runaway back home.” He says this very pragmatically, but somehow also lovingly. So far Willi Tölle has been able to bring back all his calves. He keeps the herd together.

Text: Nicole Thesen (Zimmermann Editorial)

Photo: Patrick Meise