Feuer, Verlust und Hoffnung: Wie Daniel seine Existenz vor dem Aus rettete | Die Nordreportage | NDR

Even two weeks after the devastating fire, farmer Daniel Wehmeyer is still reeling: "I can't cry anymore. The burden is too heavy." On the night of September 27, 2024, a fire destroyed everything. The barn for his Harz Mountain cattle is a ruin. Arson is suspected. No one was injured. But Daniel wonders: What will happen to his farm? One thing is certain: Giving up is not an option. Daniel has to act. His family and farm workers are behind him. Time is of the essence. His more than 200 cattle, still grazing in the Harz meadows, will soon need winter quarters. Daniel Wehmeyer has to improvise, first clearing away the rubble and ashes. With the help of volunteers, he builds a convertible barn. In December 2024, the first animals move into their roofless quarters. Daily life on the farm becomes arduous. Every morning during the winter, he pushes large puddles of water off the feeding trough. Daniel seems to be working around the clock, getting little sleep, and his family and farm workers are stressed out. But the cattle are doing well. The new barn is still a long way off. Progress won't begin until summer 2025. Daniel is having a new hay barn built. And in late autumn, construction of the new barn finally begins. The roof is on in December. Shortly before Christmas, the first cattle move into the new building. The mood on the farm noticeably improves. "I'm looking forward to getting back to a routine," says Daniel. "From now on, I just want to be able to focus on farming again." "The North Report" follows the Harz farmer for 15 months as he rebuilds his livelihood. Due to numerous requests from our community, we have documented these events in this North Report. ____________________________________________________________ Authors: Frank Baebenroth and Tobias Hartmann Editors: Thomas Kensy and Joachim Grimm We at NDR in the Countryside take you to the countryside. To passionate people, their farms, and their families. To where they live and work, laugh, argue, and make plans for the future. Everything between fields and idyllic countryside. North German, authentic, and honest. Subscribe to our channel now and never miss a video. More about the countryside can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/ndraufmland... ___________________________________________________________ Our comment guidelines: https://www.ndr.de/service/technische...