van Wijk - the Netherlands

Location: the Netherlands
Owner: Jeroen van Wijk and his parents
Number of dairy cows: 110
Breed: Holstein-Friesian
Milk production: 951,000 kg per year
Milking system: 2 voluntary milking systems VMS
Number of milkings per day: on average 2.9
Farm size: 34 ha owned land, and 35 ha rented land

Our story

Jeroen van Wijk is a fourth-generation farmer. His family ownes a farm in Odijk, the Netherland and 1961 the farm building was renovated and housed both cows and pigs. The family also farmed fruit and grain. In the late 1970s, they re-focused their efforts on dairy farming.

In 1995, the van Wijks built a new freestanding housing barn, and in 2005 they purchased an additional farm, increasing their cow quota from 60 to 100. Even before acquiring the second farm, the family had been thinking about investing in an automatic milking system. But the expansion of the farm meant that the workload really increased, especially as milking was done three times a day. After looking at various products on the market, speaking with dealers and visiting other farms, they decided on the DeLaval VMS. In April 2006, the van Wijks replaced their 20-year-old Manus 2x5 herringbone with a new VMS robot. The first robotic milking system, which appeared in their region ten year ago, was not very effective; consequently, uptake among other farmers was limited. While robots are still limited in the area, the uptake is picking up today.

Farm management

Farm management at the van Wijk farm is a family affair. Decisions are made together and the day-to-day operations are run by the father-and-son team. Jeroen does most of the physical labour, while his father handles most of the administrative side.

Herd management

The van Wijks have 110 cows, of which 85 are calves and heifers. The replacement rate is 30%, and they have a lot of young stock. The age of calving is 2 years and 2 months. Although the family raises their herd themselves, breeding is not the focus of their enterprise. For heifers, they use a bull for insemination; for other cows, artificial insemination. Their herd management system is ALPRO in conjunction with another software.

Herd facts:

- average age of cows: 4.07 years
- % in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and higher lactation: 26%, 24%, 43%
- average days in milk: 190 days
- calving interval: 430 days

Feeding

For structure, the van Wijks mix their TMR with 1 kg soya (rape) and 1 kg hay. A partially mixed ration is used and the cows get a maximum of 8 kg of concentrate per day, of which they get 5 kg in the VMS. The roughage used is made of 60% silage and 40% corn. Grass and corn are home-grown; the soya and alfalfa are purchased. Their cows do not graze outdoors.

Manure management

There is a manure pit under the barn, and every year, from between 1 February to 15 September, the manure is injected into the fields by a contractor. According to Dutch regulations, 1.5 cows are allowed per hectare of grass or corn. The excess manure is disposed of at EUR 15 per cubic metre. Jeroen says that even though their land needs it, they are not able to use the excess manure and must use artificial fertilizer instead.

A link to a short description of environmental regulations regarding manure and fertilisers in the Netherlands.

Milking

The van Wijk farm produces 951,000 kg of milk annually. The somatic cell count of 200,000 has remained the same after the introduction of the VMS. Their milk has a total bacteria count of 6,000. Milking takes places on an average of 2.7 times a day, and the milk is collected every three days.

The price of milk has been falling. In 2006, the price ran at EUR 2 per litre; currently it is EUR 1.3.

To ensure milk quality, CMT is used. Veterinarians also give advice on udder health. Furthermore, the van Wijks work closely with veterinarian students from Utrecht University who have chosen milk quality problem-solving for their final thesis project. For cow comfort they use mattresses, cow brushes, manure scrapers, rubber coverage and ventilation.

The van Wijks preferred the VMS to other robotic milking systems they looked at. The pre-milking and teat cleaning are better in the VMS. Time in box is the same as with other systems, but milking time is shorter with the VMS because the thorough cleaning stimulates the milk let-down.

The VMS allows Jeroen to spend more time with the animals, for checking them, and for cleaning. The robot gives more flexibility. Although he initially wanted to purchase a rotary milking system, Jeroen is very pleased he decided to go with the VMS, which he now heartily recommends. He is also very comfortable with the VMS system, and trusts it completely. “We would chose a VMS again if we had to, and if we move the farm we would go for a VMS again” he says.
“However, if you are afraid of relying on or trusting a VMS, then you should stay with a parlour,” he advises.

The future

In the near future they will start with the expansion of the loose housing barn. It will be extended by 26 metres in the shape of a 3 + 1 row barn. This means they will gain an extra 84 cubicles. 60 of them, on the 3-row side, will be used for the dairy cows so they won’t have to cross the feed alley and so the walking distances to the VMS remain short. The 24 cubicles on the other side will be used for the dry cows.

In the existing barn 20 cublicles are sacrificed for the improvement of cow traffic and for the realization of a straw pen. This pen will be used for cows that feel a bit sick. They can choose, by means of a DeLaval Smartgate, if they want to lie down in the straw pen or in a cubicle. In total they will have 140 cubicles for the dairy cows so with the 2 VMS’s these can be optimally utilized.

The van Wijk farm is situated in the centre of the Netherlands, where not much land is left for farming. In the future, due to the scarcity and high price of land in the area, the family will consider moving the farm to northern Holland, where land prices are significantly lower. Jeroen also keeps a close eye on the European Union’s agricultural policies, which have significant impact on farmers and their livelihoods. “You have to follow the developments closely!” he says. In 2015, the EU will abolish the quota system, which Jeroen considers a good first step.