After the severe storms in Valais: Benjamin Zenhäuser is in demand with his 300 hp special tractor. So that land can be used as agricultural land again.
“In the end it should be good, healthy soil again.” That is the goal of Benjamin Zenhäuser, the so-called meadow doctor from Valais. He is brought in after severe storms. When stones, mud and rubble have devastated agricultural land.

The storms at the end of June caused severe damage in Saas-Grund.
Keystone/Jean-Christophe Bott
Just like what happened in Saas-Grund VS at the end of June. The Triftbach overflowed its banks in the middle of the village. Masses of rubble and rubble filled the village street. meters high. A man died.
The floor should be returned to its original condition
Excavators, the military and civil defense were deployed for weeks to clear it all away. And at the beginning of autumn also the meadow doctor.
«When I come to a place, I always have to first assess: What was the soil like before? How much rubble, rubble and mud is there left? Do I have to put this away first or can I mix it straight into the soil?”
That’s how our bureaucracy is. Things are progressing slowly, but nature isn’t waiting.
In the case of Saas-Grund, Benjamin Zenhäuser was called a month after the storms. After that, another month passed until all the permits were there and the money for the work was given: “That’s how our bureaucracy is. Things are progressing slowly, but nature doesn’t wait.”
Because the more time that passes between the storm and his work, the more time there is missing in the fall. Because the freshly sown grass should be able to grow before winter.

The meadow doctor and his work equipment – Benjamin Zenhäuser with his 300 hp special tractor.
SRF/Ruth Seeholzer
The time has come at the beginning of September. Benjamin Zenhäuser drives up with his 300 hp special tractor. He soon notices that it has more coarse stones than expected. That’s why he first has to work with the stone cutter to break the large stones. He then digs these up to a meter deep into the earth with the reversible milling machine.
Small and winding plots
“It progresses very slowly and requires an incredible amount of effort,” says Benjamin Zenhäuser. What makes matters worse is that the plots in Saas-Grund are sometimes small and winding. This means that he has to steer his large special tractor along house walls and fences with centimeter precision.
If rubble and stones are gone or sunk into the ground, the seed drill is used. The seeds are placed 1.5 centimeters deep in the soil and then pressed down with rubber rollers. Zenhäuser says afterwards: “In the spring we have to sow everything again, we were simply too late.”
I’m a machine nut.
Such work after serious accidents is only a small part of his work with the special tractor, says the 41-year-old farmer. He mainly uses it to renovate forest and alpine roads and do winter maintenance. The trained polymechanic has thus built up a second pillar alongside agriculture: “I’m a machine nut.”