‘Have an eye for the animal’

Jungingen / DPA

Low-stress cattle consultant Phillip Wenz doesn’t care for the label “cow whisperer.”
“That would imply that I whisper,” he says.
In fact, Wenz, 47, communicates with cows by entirely silent means, walking beside them very calmly, his mouth shut, hands in his pockets.
“Fidgeting around makes the animals nervous,” he says.
Wenz is an expert in low-stress stockmanship and herd management. Put simply, he shows cattle farmers how to treat their animals in a safe and stress-free way.
In his opinion, the relationship between humans and cattle is often in a sorry state. The causes for this include farms which are too large, too many cows kept in cramped sheds, the increased use of technology and stressed humans who don’t understand the animals – or vice versa.
“Despite all the sensor technology and automation in the barn, what makes a farm successful is having an eye for the animal,” says Wenz.
The herders have to cater to the animals’ particular characteristics and give them the time they need, he says.
This makes the work easier and more effective, and also safer, he says. Every year, in Germany alone there are around 8,000 accidents with cattle, around 10 of which are fatal, according to SVLFG, a corporation that insures farmers. “It happens repeatedly that farmers get crushed,” Wenz says.
We join Wenz as he teaches his course to 20 farmers. On a board beside him he has sketched a cow, surrounded by lines, circles and arrows, along with words like “neutral zone” and “movement zone.”
“Adapt your speed to the animals,” he advises the beef farmers.
They listen attentively. Wenz shows them faded films from the United States, of cowboys standing beside cows, and cows marching obligingly into a barn, as if guided by an invisible hand.
Wenz learned his method in the United States and now offers training sessions in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
The concept is simple: if a person gets too close to a cow, they breach its comfort zone and the cow will move away. Wenz controls the cattle entirely through his position in relation to the animals and his speed.
Using this method, the animals allow themselves to be driven forwards with very little stress, whether into the barn, to hoof trimming or to milking.
Wenz says he has also worked with sheep, alpacas, geese and turkeys.
Late one afternoon, Wenz is standing in a field in the drizzling rain. A few dozen Aberdeen Angus cattle are relaxing on a lush, green hillock – some lying, some standing, others grazing away.
The suckler cows – females producing calves for meat – allow themselves to be distracted neither by the rain nor by the cattle herders who are staring at them.
“I don’t know these animals, but nothing can go wrong,” Wenz says, and walks onto the pasture.
“The first impression is very important,” he says, walking in a slow zig-zag towards the cattle. Then something happens. Several cows become unsettled, others inquisitive. They don’t let Wenz out of their sight – hardly surprising given their 330-degree field of vision. Using his presence alone, Wenz pushes the herd gently forward. Several times, animals break away from the group, several times cows stray into the bordering forest. With incredible patience, Wenz moves across the pasture.
“I normally beckon them using my voice, bread and treats,” says Benjamin Junck, who owns the Angus cattle.
He stands in the mud and observes the scene on the pasture with scepticism.
“I’ve trained them completely differently.”
Bjoerk, a 10-month-old cow, is particularly stubborn, always giving him trouble, he says.
“If he gets her, I’ll be convinced,” Junck laughs.
After around two hours, Wenz has the herd under control. He is completely calm as he drives them into the small enclosure. Only the occasional moo can be heard.
Even Bjoerk is now shut in with the others. The farmers applaud – even Junck is impressed.
“After many repetitions, they get used to it. They learn,” Wenz explains.
His credo is: stay kind and friendly to your animals. Because they can cooperate with you, or protest in their own fashion.
“After all, they can’t quit and go find another farmer.”