‘Milk production from our cows is above average; they produce almost 500,000kg of milk in total per year. The cows eat a lot of grass and are not fed any corn. They do get some sugar beet pulp, because that boosts milk production. All the manure they produce is used on our own land, meaning that we don’t have to dispose of manure and buy only small amounts of artificial fertilizer. This, too, helps keep greenhouse gas emissions down.’
‘Our focus is entirely on the cows. Our oldest cow is 13 years old. In our kitchen, we have put up all the certificates for cows who have produced more than 100,000 litres of milk and, therefore, achieved high production levels! Evert has a background in agricultural care, where he helped many farmers with their milking practices, but also in cattle hoof care. So this is also something we focus on a lot. By trimming properly, you can prevent infectious cow foot diseases as much as possible, which can help ensure that cows live longer.
‘My job is to take care of the young calves: by feeding them well while they’re young, we hope to make them live longer. When a cow has difficulty going in calf, you need a lot of patience. We keep trying for a long time until the cow is in calf.