Grazing suits climate change

Gerbert Krukerink (left in the photo) is one of the 'Nieuwe Weiders', who will be holding an open day on Tuesday 29 August. In Brussels, he told the 'Milk & Climate' knowledge group what he is doing at his own company to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing the profit margin.

Together with his parents and his wife Linda, Gerbert Krukerink farms on a typical East Dutch family farm in Geesteren, Gelderland. In 2008 they stopped pig farming and invested in milk production growth. A new milking parlor was built. The herd grew from 118 to the current 135, but there is room for 178 dairy cows. The cows will produce 1,15 million liters of milk this year. The company comprises approximately 45 hectares of land, of which 8 hectares are silage maize. The vast majority is grassland.

Closing the cycle at the company
Krukerink tries to close the cycle on his company. He spoke about this at the EU congress on the agricultural sector and climate change last December. Wageningen UR calculated for him which measures yield the most reduction of greenhouse gases. These are, in order of most effect on greenhouse gas emissions:

1. Biogas production
2. Higher milk production
3. Grazing
4. Older cows

The biogas production
Biogas production is definitely number one. However, it has not come that far in the Achterhoek yet. "Partly due to the current phosphate regulation, a fertilizer cycle has not yet got off the ground. I think that joint biogas production can be a good solution to complete the circle. By fermenting manure and producing high-quality fertilizers, savings can be made on methane emissions. less natural gas is needed to produce the fertilizer."

Grazing
Grazing has a smaller effect on the greenhouse gas reduction. However, it is precisely in this area that Krukerink has taken steps. On Tuesday 29 August, he is one of the dozens of 'New Pastures', who open the doors to tell colleagues about their experiences when they started grazing again.

Krukerink: "My goal is to achieve the highest possible yield with grazing. I do this by offering a new plot every 2 days. A meadow plan is made every week with the help of a grassland altimeter. is in a lower concentrate dose. The total dry matter yield will be slightly lower than with mowing, but the quality is better. If the lower dry matter yield is compensated by silage maize, this also has a favorable effect on the 'footprint'."

Increase livestock
Krukerink also plans to increase the lifespan of the livestock, so that he needs less young stock. This significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, he plans to plow less and tear less permanent grassland for maize cultivation. The effect of this is just as great as grazing. Increasing milk production also has an even greater effect on greenhouse gas production.

"For me, good agricultural practice is the way to work on the 'footprint'. If it can be done even better before the decimal point, you should not count 3 digits after the decimal. This cuts both ways, both better efficiency and a better efficiency. If we can improve the efficiency of our raw materials, such as animal feed and fertilizers, with technology, we should certainly address this. However, I will only apply new technology, such as precision equipment, if I am really convinced that it will that adds something to our company. If you want to take steps towards making your business operations more sustainable, I recommend that you keep it clear and simple. Take the measures that suit you best and get started."

Importance of the derogation
Gerbert Krukerink explained in Brussels the importance of the derogation for mineral efficiency. "The more efficient, the smaller the burden on the environment and the climate. Without high-yielding grassland, it will not be possible to be efficient and without derogation, it will not be possible to achieve high grassland production." 

He also indicated that Dutch dairy farming organic fertilizers (OS), which promote soil OS build-up and soil diversity. And also reduce mineral losses compared to slurry.

This article is part of the summer series on climate change. All articles can be found here.

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