Shaking it up

It is early morning in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeranian village of Juergenshagen. The sun is just coming up. A loud, low "moooo" emanates from the barn. A cow has started to calve. Her calf's hind legs are starting to emerge. Constien kneels in the hay. Carefully, he pulls on the calf, helping the birth along. It will be a full hour before the calf is finally born.

Farmer by conviction

Constiens farm, with 40 workers, is surrounded with canola and grain feeds and green grass. Black-and-white cows and their calves graze peacefully. Constien has nearly 1,500 cows and bulls. As often as possible, the 54-year-old spends time with them in the barn.

It is 7:00 a.m. Right on time, the big silver truck drives up to collect the milk, just like every day. Today, the take is 8,000 liters. The farmer is content. In his dark boots, he stamps over to his office. He has raised the collar of his green wool jacket against the cool morning air.

The truck will take the milk to Waren on the Mueritz lake, one of six huge dairy processing plants in the state. In the same vein, the meat from his cows, the harvested grain, canola and the sugarbeets will be processed in MeckPomm.

Constien prefers to keep transport to a minimum. It's more ecological, he says, and he wants to support the local economy.

Hotelier by profession

Next to farming and livestock breeding, Mecklenburg is a state devoted to tourism. Which is why Constien opened a country hotel in the county of Penzin, just a few kilometers from his farm.

Here, he hosts plattdeutsch evenings, family gatherings, and weddings. He often tends bar at these events.

When Constien isn't on the farm or behind the bar, he can be found hunting for deer, stags or boar. Hunting is his third passion, after farming and his hotel. He believes Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is the best region in Germany for hunting. Not only because there are so many varieties of animal, but because of the unique landscape, he says. From his raised hunting blind he can see everything: hills, rivers and lakes. He watches cranes and enormous buzzards.

Mecklenburg's Milky Way

Constien is a busy and active man, but in his own way, he is relaxed and humorous. He sings in the church choir and is the acting mayor of his village, Juergenshagen. He is also a co-founder of the Milky Way - a hiking tour for tourists that takes them past idyllic villages, an agriculture museum, a local history museum, and of course, some modern farms - including his own.

For Constien, it is clear that Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is the most pleasant state in Germany.

"God gave his best when he was creating Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania," he says with a laugh.