The Waiboerhoeve on the Runderweg in Lelystad has a parcel of 200 hectares with the buildings and a field parcel of 150 hectares. Fodder is produced on 140 ha of grassland and 60 ha of silage maize (special provision). Every year, the Waiboerhoeve leases about 150 ha to arable farmers from the region, who also use the excess manure. The soil type is young marine clay.
The milk quota is 4.5 million kg, with a fat reference of 4.48%. The young animals are raised at a specialised farm in Biddinghuizen. The average milk production per cow in 2009 was 9205 kg (rolling annual average) with 4.38% fat and 3.48% protein.
Large scale
With 400 animals, it is relatively easy to create a representative group of fresh cows, which can quickly and easily be selected from the existing herd. With its large herd, the Waiboerhoeve takes account of the national trend towards larger dairy farms. A logical design and good internal logistics on the farm ensure low-cost production. The construction costs were approximately €4000 per cow.
Different sections
The barn is split into two sections, which can also be seen from the roof construction. One section has a saddle roof and the other has a greenhouse-type roof. Nutrition research, which involves aspects such as individual feeding, takes place in the section with the saddle (traditional) roof. That part of the barn is equipped with the familiar 'blue troughs'. The feed aisles with these ‘RIC stations’ are located along the external walls of the barn. On the central feed aisle, it is also possible to feed the animals 'normally'. In addition to 160 milking cows, this section also contains a herd of young animals and non-lactating cows. The outside of the barn has a fairly conventional appearance. Only the 12 feed silos in front of the barn indicate that this is an unusual farm. The side walls are open, with windbreak mesh. The plastic skylight on the peak is an unusual feature. But the slatted floor and pens are conventional. As a result, this part of the farm links up closely with conventional practice.
Greenhouse roof and various floors
Innovative elements in the housing can be found in the section of the barn with the greenhouse roof. This part is similar to a tunnel greenhouse, but for cows instead of plants. The durability of this type of roof construction is being evaluated. The material is much lighter and construction costs are lower, but will it also last long enough? This question is very topical. In addition, this section of the barn has four types of floors: a traditional slatted floor, a slatted floor with a rubber surface, a solid floor with a rubber surface, and a profiled floor. The different types of floors are compared regarding their effect on animal welfare, using a selected group of milking cows. Automatic manure scrapers have been installed throughout the barn.
Milking
In this section with the greenhouse roof, four automatic milking systems are used. A traditional milking system is also used: 2*5 open tandem. For nutrition research, a regular milking interval is required, which is difficult to achieve with a milking robot. In this way, we can also conduct animal-oriented research in the area of milking.
30 man-hours per cow
On the new farm, six employees manage the entire herd. This does not include additional labour for research purposes. For the conventional work on the farm, 30 man-hours per cow per year are scheduled. Converted into kilograms of milk per employee, each employee accounts for approximately 650,000 kg of milk per year This is a major challenge. The new dairy farm aims not only to reflect conventional dairy farming in the Netherlands and abroad, but also to take an emphatic pioneering role.
Merger
The new dairy farm is the result of the merger of three research institutes: ’t Gen, Het Oude Hoorn, and the feed milk farm (Applied Research).
Examples from practice
Click here for examples of current research at the Waiboerhoeve.