Automation helps next generation of Dutch farmers

In order to divide his time between his agricultural construction company, and the family farm, Arnold Van Dorp says he needed to invest in labour-saving technology.

Up until 2010 Mr Van Dorp was milking cows conventionally at the family’s existing family farm set-up near the town of Hazerswoude dorp in the west of the Netherlands.

Mr Van Dorp explains: “My parents started with 50 cows on 30 hectares in 1983, and it was very much a traditional Dutch farm with tie barns.

“I knew from an early age I wanted to be a dairy farmer, but I also wanted something of my own, so I started my own construction business in 2000.”

Expansion

At the same time, quota was bought which allowed the herd to expand to 130 cows, with youngstock reared away from the farm.

However, in 2010 the decision was made to build a new farm set-up across the road from the original farm buildings.

At the same time, the family made the decision to stop investing in land, which Mr Van Dorp says was becoming too expensive, and instead invest in improving their production capacity.

“We wanted to be sustainable for the future, and knew to be able to do that we would have to produce more milk with what land we had,” says Mr Van Dorp.

The 210 cows currently produce just short of 3m kg of milk per year off 52ha (128 acres).

However, Mr Van Dorp says this intensive system does throw up a number of challenges.

“We buy in 60-70 per cent of our feed in the form of corn silage and concentrates, and utilise our own grass silage for the rest of the feed requirements,” he says.

Phosphate rights

The country’s phosphate regulations means Mr Van Dorp is only able to spread 50 per cent of the farm’s manure on his land. The rest is exported at a cost of 9.5€/tonne to nearby arable farms.

The phosphate regulations have also had an impact on herd numbers, with the farm over-producing after the 2015 limits were set.

“We have the capacity for 300 cows, but only have phosphate rights for the 210 we are currently milking,” he says.

“So we are planning to sell our youngstock and start buying in fresh heifers rather than rearing our own. This will allow us to milk another 36 cows.

“This will mean we can fill our most expensive shed – the milking shed – as we have to maximise our production in it.”

Robotics

The four Lely milking robots in the facility mean Mr Van Dorp can fit his off-farm work around coming into the milking shed in the morning and evening to fetch cows which have not visited the robot and clean the beds.

As well the robotic milkers the farm also has three robotic manure scrapers, and a feed pusher.

“I employ someone to be here every day for things like AI and foot trimming and I farm at the weekends and at either end of the day,” Mr Van Dorp says. “I need to be able to maximise production with the least amount of labour as possible.”

Maximising production