Description
The family Van der Voort has a biological farm located in the central part of the Netherlands in the province Gelderland. The 90 jersey cows get an innovative grazing management: kurzrasen. The milk is processed on the farm to raw-milk cheese and sold by their own brand ‘Remeker’.
Kurzrasen is a grazing method with grazing on very short grass. The grass length for grazing is maximum 5 centimetre. The whole growing season the cows graze rotational on the same meadows with a grass length between 5 and 6 centimetre.
Reason for the innovation
The strategy of the farmer is based on a total distinctive way of dairy farming to have his own revenue model by making and selling his own raw-milk cheese.
Farm description
Environment
- Soil: Sandy
- Climate: Temperate oceanic
- Altitude: ±sea level
- Slope: flat
Grassland management
- Grazing: Yes
- Grazing management: Kurzrasen
- Length of grazing period: 7 months/year
- Main composition grassland: A broad range of different grass and legume species; Perennial ryegrass, red and white clovers, dandelion, greater plantain, common daisy, soft-grass, smooth meadow-grass and rough bluegrass.
Structure
- Annual work units (AWU): 7
- Agricultural Area 50 ha UAA
- Permanent grassland 50 ha
- Production method: Biological
- Stock
- 90 dairy cows
- 60 young stock
- Breed Jersey
Animal performance
- Milk production: 5000 kg/year
Why it is working
The innovation is successful on this farm because:
- it fits in the distinctive and biological farm management
- the farmer likes to do his farm management in an unconventional way
- the farmer has a passion for the soil from his grassland as a fundamental part of his farm management
- it contributes to his own revenue model / marketing for his own brand of raw-milk cheese
