'We do everything we can to avoid emitting anything'

The dairy farm of Yvonne (47) and Hans (51) Oosterhuis is located 170 meters from a Natura2000 area. This means that they will eventually have to stop or move house, but they do not simply resign themselves to that thought. "Although most of the farms in the immediate vicinity have already disappeared, we are doing everything we can to keep this spot. The aim is to show that we do not emit anything in a possible measurement," says Yvonne.

"My in-laws, Hans's parents, had an agricultural business in the village of Wittelte for many years. Due to land consolidation they decided to move to the location where we are still located today," Yvonne explains. "The move was quite a task, because there was nothing here yet. There was only pasture. However, the choice was made, because the Oosterhuis family wanted everything at home, from milking parlor to young stock. "I am proud of that choice, because as far as you can see, is now ours. We have 100 acres at home and a few lots down the road. If they hadn't moved, none of this would have been possible."

Incidentally, it was not Hans's childhood dream to take over the farm from his parents. "First I was employed. When I was done with that, we started thinking about the future together. Do I want to become a farmer or contractor? After all, the latter also ran in the family," says the dairy farmer. In the end Hans decided to take over the company, mainly because of his love for the cows. Also for Yvonne it was not self-evident to go and soak on the farm. "I used to be afraid of cows," she says with a laugh. "Before I started working at the company, I worked in healthcare. However, I didn't like that anymore, after which I fully devoted myself to supporting Hans."

Back to traditional milking
Hans and Yvonne cannot name a moment when they definitively joined the company. "We have actually grown together with the company. In 1997 I entered into a partnership with Hans and then my father-in-law left." At that time, Hans's father could still be found at the company every day. "Only at the weekend he was not there, because we were not allowed to do that. He also had to take a rest", Yvonne jokes. Hans' father passed away 5 years ago. "He was a good adviser to us, although there were of course also differences of opinion. Hans and I wanted to get the cows outside as much as possible, while he wondered whether that was smart so early in a season."

The fact that Hans and Yvonne are real entrepreneurs is evident from the fact that they like to try things out. "If it doesn't work or you don't like it, that's bad luck." An example of this was the choice for a milking robot. "We bought 2 milking robots years ago and eventually kept them for about 10 years. It did not suit us. The milking robot was relatively expensive and you are never ready. That is why in 2008, when we had to choose a third robot or another parlor, opted for a faster parlor and got rid of the milking robots again." They now milk in a 2x20 swing-over parlor. For the entrepreneurs, this traditional way of milking is also better for the relationship with the cows. "After all, you now see every cow, twice a day. We can now also go away in the morning after milking and feeding for a day and you only have to be back in the evening before milking. Sometimes the children milk in the evening ."

Keep emissions as low as possible
At the Oosterhuis partnership, the nitrogen discussion also plays a role. "Our dairy farm is located 170 meters from a Natura2000 area. This means that we may have to move out of here in the long run, but we don't just resign ourselves to that idea. We do everything we can to keep our emissions as low as possible. "says Yvonne. The Oosterhuis dairy farm is therefore almost organic. "Because of all the rules, we don't want that on paper. Our cows are outside as much as possible and we take the cycle into account. What goes into the cow, and what comes out afterwards? We also didn't grow maize this year , but we have sown 24 hectares of herb-rich grassland. On dry sandy soil you have a longer taproot and more moisture is extracted from the soil, so that we hopefully need to irrigate less."

"So we do everything we can to avoid emitting anything. If they ever come to measure, we want to be able to demonstrate this. That may be the only solution for us to be able to continue farming at this location." In addition, Yvonne and Hans believe that medicines should be used as little as possible in cows. "There is a remedy for every problem, but it is better to look at the cause. Why does a calf have diarrhea or a cow udder infection? There lies the solution."

The 'Fresh Milk Tap'
Although Yvonne is having a great time as a farmer's wife, she also enjoys teaching society more about farming life. For this she founded the 'Fresh Milk Tap'. "This is really my hobby, the men have little use for it." According to Yvonne, there is a lot of ignorance about the agricultural sector. The Fresh Milk Tap is a way for her to transfer knowledge. "I like to chat and I have incorporated that passion into this concept. Anyone who (coincidentally) passes by by bike, after all, the company is located next to a tourist cycling route, can get a tour. At least, if we also have time. In this way I want to educate people about our company and dairy farming in the Netherlands.For example, I answer a question such as: why are your cows outside and the neighbor's not?"

According to Yvonne, this project should not be seen as a second source of income. "We don't earn anything from it. It even only costs money. We do it purely to show the 'real farm life' to the citizen. So it is a piece of PR for the sector. The nice thing about this is that people are very come up differently than they go off. Then my goal has been achieved," concludes Yvonne.

Look to the future
Since Hans and Yvonne's company is so close to a Natura2000 area, there are currently no plans to expand. "We are now milking about 170 cows, but have a permit for 200 cows. However, since the planning of Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) is not yet clear, we are not changing our dairy herd for the time being. to get bigger if necessary." Yet Yvonne does have hope for the future. "Once all the figures are clearly on the table, they will find out that we as farmers are not doing that crazy at all."

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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