For all the changes that Robinson Barracks (RB) has seen over the years — going from a bustling service hub of 4,000 workers to a quieter, smaller residential installation — there’s at least one constant presence that residents have appreciated for decades: flocks of sheep serving dutifully as four-legged groundskeepers and unofficial mascots.
“I don’t love them quite as much as my own children, but it’s close,” joked Sarah Frazer, who currently calls RB home. “Some communities have community gardens, we have community sheep.”
The sight came as a big surprise to Frazer and her children on a morning walk to school during their first year at the grassy Army post on Stuttgart’s north side. Her family’s enjoyment of the sheep and eager anticipation of their arrival each year comes courtesy of agreements with a local shepherd dating back to 1978.
“The area was offered to me for grazing as a sheep pasture over 40 years ago,” said Dieter Fischle, who was about 30 years old at the time and had taken over the trade from his father.
Fischle offered a fairly straightforward answer when asked what has kept the RB arrangement going for so long: good grass, and an even better relationship with those who live there.
“My phone number is listed on the fence, and people call me almost daily to say how nice it is that the sheep are there,” Fischle said, adding that while his English skills are limited, he’s happy when people are friendly to him and his sheep.
Dag Kregenow, chief of roads and grounds for the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Directorate of Public Works, oversees the contract which brings Fischle’s sheep to RB each year.
Up to 60 can be onsite at a time, he said. The exact number, however, fluctuates as some are added to and removed from the flock. And thanks to a portable electric fence, their location can be shifted approximately every 10 days to cover a new area so the grass can be munched on evenly. While this year hasn’t quite seen the maximum number, the herd is still growing, with four lambs having already been born.
The typical grazing period runs from early autumn to late spring, with the intervening time allowing grasses to re-grow and the sheep to be sheared, Kregenow said.
Their trip to RB is made either by truck or on foot from Fischle’s pastures in Aichwald, near Esslingen. On foot, their journey covers at least 12 miles, initially through the countryside and vineyards, followed by a trek through the city streets of Bad Cannstatt with a two-car police escort.
The decidedly low-tech approach to maintaining green spaces benefits the garrison for a variety of reasons. First, it’s environmentally friendly — but not simply because it avoids the fuel and emissions from motorized lawnmowers.
Areas designated for military use have restrictions on construction and access, which often allows biodiversity to thrive. This is the case in the landscape of RB, which Kregenow said is home to at least 18 different types of plants which don’t grow anywhere else in the area.
“When sheep eat grass, they don’t pull it out by the roots, which is a better cut and easier for the grass and plants to take,” compared to the blades of a lawnmower, he explained. Their hooves aerate the soil and don’t compact it like heavy equipment does, improving water drainage and prospects for plant growth. And the animals’ urine fertilizes the grass, while their manure helps further distribute seeds from the unique flora.
It’s also less expensive, Kregenow said, but another benefit is more intangible: RB residents adore them.
When Eric Aschendorf, whose request for a U.S. flag flown over Robinson Barracks was reported by the Stuttgart Citizen in 2020, was asked about his fondest memories of serving there in the early 1980s, his love of watching the sheep was at the top of the list.
Heidi Malarchik, then-USAG Stuttgart deputy to the commander and a former RB resident herself, even described them as ‘legendary’ in 2015.
The pen functions as an informal community meeting spot, and some residents have made habits out of spending time around it, whether stopping by on the way home from school each day or picnicking nearby whenever the weather permits.
“Where they are now on the hillside has such a beautiful view…when you go see them, other residents are usually there, so it’s a good place to come and see your neighbors,” Frazer said. “It’s kind of a community builder to go and hang out with the sheep, and I think most of us out here are really big on our community.”
Kregenow explains the enduring popularity, at least in part, through a sense of novelty. With so many people only having ever lived in towns and cities, their up-close experience with farm animals is limited. The sheeps’ demeanor also helps.
“Sheep are so friendly,” he says. “When you stand still there, they come — of course, they associate people with getting food — but when they’re close and you can pet them, it’s a nice interaction.”
And as good as RB’s grass might be, it’s certainly not the only thing its wooly guests are eating.
“My family keeps all of our vegetable scraps for the sheep, and we go down every two or three days with a bag to feed them, but some people even buy carrots or cabbage for them specifically.” said Frazer. “We [RB residents] take good care of making sure that people aren’t feeding them junk food.”
Now in his 70s, and spending as much time herding grand-children as he does sheep, the question everyone asks Fischle — can this nearly half century tradition continue? “I think so, and I hope so,” he said confidently.
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2022 07:21 |
| Story ID: | 435512 |
| Location: | BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, DE |
| Web Views: | 57 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The ‘legendary’ living lawnmowers of Robinson Barracks, by Bardia Khajenoori, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
