Moving fate

Wave of helpfulness saves farmer’s farm

Sabine Hinterberger moved viewers with her story.(Bild: Marion Hörmandinger)

It is a touching story. After the broadcast on ServusTV, there was a wave of helpfulness for a hard-working farmer's wife from the Salzkammergut. An appeal for donations saved her farm from foreclosure. The debt drama surrounding the Upper Austrian woman also moved the readers of "Krone".

A pretty farm nestled in the idyllic Salzkammergut countryside. Sabine Hinterberger is a passionate farmer. She has been selling her delicacies for ten years. Her cheese has won bronze three times. Her raspberry jam yoghurt even won a national award. The Upper Austrian's cheese dumplings have been sold as far away as Dubai.

Single parent had several jobs
But the perfect world in St. Wolfgang is deceptive. The 51-year-old fears for her livelihood. She has already taken over the farm, which has been in the family since 1416, with debts. She could not rely on the helping hand of her husband. Alcohol was more important to him. The mother of four decided to raise her children alone, waitressing in the evenings and delivering newspapers at night.

Sabine Hinterberger in front of her farm, which has been in the family for generations(Bild: Marion Hörmandinger)

Things looked quite good at first. But then the sisters wanted to start their own families. The hard-working farmer was turned down by the bank. Suddenly, an investor from Vorarlberg appeared - the catch: the farmer's wife was supposed to pay everything back after two years. She felt badly advised by her lawyer.

Huge mountain of debt accumulated
The Vorarlberger is said to have averted a forced sale in 2020. He had only offered her temporary financing and not long-term financing. She could not afford the interest. Meanwhile, the mountain of debt has grown to 470,000 euros.

Do you want to help?

The debt drama surrounding the hard-working farmer from Upper Austria has been on the minds of Krone readers for days. On this donation page, you can help to save Sabine Hinterberger's farm once and for all.

After ServusTV shed light on the farmer's fate, viewers launched a fundraising campaign. More than 220,000 euros are already in the pot. As a result, the forced sale could be postponed for the time being on Wednesday.