Roughage tour Frank Rooker
'Leaving nothing in dairy strategy to chance'
Organized for the third year in a row Boerenbusiness the Roughage Tour. Also this year we are following 10 dairy farmers throughout the Netherlands in their decisions regarding the extraction of roughage. In this series of company reports we introduce the entrepreneurs. In this first part: Frank (photo) and Dirk Rooker, dairy farmers in Aartswoud (NH).
The area around Aartswoud, just above large cities such as Alkmaar, Heerhugowaard and Hoorn, is a diverse area with a lot of arable farming and dairy cattle. Due to the large arable farms, there is pressure on the ground, which means that prices are high. On the other hand, it is also an opportunity for neighboring dairy farmers, because they can easily exchange land with the arable farmers while also controlling the disposal of manure.
On the dairy farm of the brothers Frank and Dirk Rooker, 200 cows are kept with 45 heifers and 50 calves. The average production is 10.700 liters with 4,51% fat and 3,60% protein. A total of 115 hectares is under management, of which 75 hectares are grass, 16 hectares maize and 13 hectares of management land. Annually, approximately 11 hectares are rented out for bulb cultivation.
Frank has been in the company with his brother Dirk for 15 years and they have since taken over. Frank lives with his family on the farm and Dirk lives a little further in the village, just like the father of the entrepreneurs. In 2013, plans were made to grow, because the then outdated dairy barn became too small. The dairy farmers made plans for new construction, the realization of which took a long time due to the necessary consultation processes with villagers. In order to grow as much as possible with the own herd, the entire young stock was kept, which resulted in considerable overcrowding in the dairy barn. However, this did not appear to have any impact on the welfare of the dairy cows. In 2016, Rooker became a finalist in an election for the most sustainable dairy herd in the Netherlands. This is also one of Rooker's spearheads: "we don't want to leave anything to chance and we are always short on time."
The construction of the new dairy barn was finally completed in 2017. The brothers do most of the work together. Frank is very busy with the land and forage harvesting and Dirk spends more time between the cows and in the barn. "Obviously we will help out if necessary and we can easily take over each other's tasks," says Frank. The brothers' father and uncle often help too, especially when it's busy. For the dairy farm Rooker it is important that the company is in balance "a company where you do not lag behind the facts and where there is a good balance between work and private life" is very important for entrepreneurs emphasizes Frank. It also makes clear how the entrepreneurs are involved. It is important to them that farming can be done efficiently and easily. The three milking robots, the sleek trench silos and the well-mechanized machinery illustrate this.
Work neatly and neatly
In the new barn, the dairy cows lie in a freshly prepared deep litter box on a filling of separated manure mixed with lime to keep the boxes dry. In the past there have been some problems with udder infections. As a result, the entrepreneurs are strict and precise with regard to the quality and status of the deep litter boxes. In addition to the three Lely robots, there is also a Juno push-on robot and a grate slide, which ensure that the grates are neat and clean.
On the farm, the feed is intensively mixed with the recently purchased Alimix mixer. All groups of cattle are fed mixed.
The entrepreneurs are interested in supplying PlanetProof milk. "That will be a challenge in view of the share of permanent grassland and the hectares that are rented out annually for bulb cultivation". By this Rooker means that renting out land for bulb cultivation generates annual income, which disappears if a fixed share of permanent grassland has to remain for PlanetProof. The milk is supplied to FrieslandCampina and Agrifirm is fed. Frank Rooker says about this that they like to work cooperatively.
'Sometimes you have to gamble'
The pits are stored in four recent trench silos, where lasagne is always ensiled. In this period, Rooker takes the first and second cut. The aim is to silage between four to five weeks and then have the grass in the silage within 36 hours. In the past year, Rooker was one of the former farmers who mowed around Ascension Day. "When I started mowing, many people thought I was crazy and it also rained a bit. Afterwards I am glad I made the choice," says Frank
Sustainable livestock becomes the goal
In the future, the entrepreneurs want to optimize their dairy herd. In particular, the lifetime production and the average age must return to the old level or perhaps even higher. They aim for a replacement percentage of 20%. Now they are still quite spacious in the young stock and there is still room for some cutting. The old dairy barn that can be seen in the photo, now serves the dry cows and pregnant heifers. Half of the barn is now a straw house that offers enough space for the calf cows.
Ronald Smit
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