'If the cow feels good, we are also doing well'

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 second part: Roel Assies (photo), dairy farmer in Zeewolde (FL).

The dairy farmer and arable farmer Roel Assies is located in Zeewolde, on the border with Almere. It is noticeable that the company is a real family business. Together with his wife Anneke, their son Jeandré and daughter Mathilde, Roel puts the work around the company. Jeandré and Mathilde both follow an agricultural education. They are the potential successors. 

Roel Assies shows the most recent project his son and he are making: a new calf housing (photo below). The calves are now lying in a freshly made straw bed where the horse boxes used to be. At the rear of the group pens, work is still being done on a large straw pen for calving cows. "Most of the work has to be done on the weekends, because Jeandré is home then. So we do a little bit every weekend," Assies says proudly.

Everything shows that the area where Assies operates is geared to agriculture. Square plots, equal surfaces and tarmac roads mainly used for agricultural traffic. Roel Assies is originally from the village of Een in Drenthe. "In 1993 we were able to acquire the plot in Zeewolde, to which we moved in 1994. Since the company takeover in 2011, we have grown from an annual production of 450.000 kilos of milk to 800.000 kilos of milk with approximately 85 dairy cows".

Forced to choose between arable farming or dairy cattle
Assies notices that times are changing and that Flevoland, which was very agriculturally oriented, is starting to change. For example, the large wind turbines are growing out of the ground like trees and Zeewolde was national news a while ago with the approval for the construction of a data center from Meta (Facebook). Such things only add up in a moment, in addition to the national uncertainty that Assies is concerned about. The uncertainty surrounding the 7th Nitrates Directive can have major consequences for his company, because he then has to cut more in his arable sector. As a result, he is actually forced to make a choice between dairy cattle and arable farming on his farm.

Assies and his company are also active in trials and projects that are carried out at both national and provincial level. For example, this year he is participating in the BES pilot, where fertilization is allowed on the basis of phosphate extraction from the soil. He is also participating in the national project Network practical company, in which 40 companies are looking at how ammonia and methane emissions can be reduced with management measures. During this period, the ammonia and methane emissions are measured 24/7 in the dairy barn at Assies. It keeps track of how much his company actually emits, in order to get a good overview of the losses. "I think it's important to know where the losses are at our company and how we can limit them to the lowest possible level. So that we know what it is about in terms of emissions."

Always new grassland
The Assies plots are all approximately 12,5 hectares in size. Grass, onions, beets and maize are grown on this. The potatoes, bulbs and Brussels sprouts are largely outsourced. Due to the crop rotation with the arable crops, Assies grows grass on a plot for two years in a row, after which the plow is put back in it. In this way he always keeps track of his grassland. Roughage extraction is done in-house. The cuts are ensiled in lasagna as much as possible. Partly because Assies also feeds fresh grass, the quantities per cut are still manageable with two people. The grassland always consists of two blocks of approximately 12,5 hectares, of which the block of grass for the second year is freshly raised and the other 12,5 hectares are used for winter stock. Roel is a fan of stable feeding, because it is the most efficient way of converting roughage into milk. "Certainly with the autumn grass, stable feeding is an added value, because there are no silage losses and the protein can still be used well."

During the week, Assies has to complete most of the work alone, especially during the periods when the arable branch is busier. Because of this, he strives for a herd that is 'easy'. This means that the cows should produce without many problems. He therefore does not aim for an extremely high production. "As long as the cow is healthy, it's good. Animal health is our number one priority on the farm, and if she feels good, we're doing well too," Assies motivates.
 

The uncertain time and changeable regulations mean that dairy farmers find it difficult to have a goal for which they remain farmers. This results in many stoppages and a decrease in the number of agricultural dairy farms in the Netherlands. It is also sometimes difficult for Assies to keep moving with the new rules that put increasing pressure on the freedom of his company. This is why he is also looking forward to the new generation, his son Jeandré, who is ready to take over the company and give it new direction.

It is not yet certain which direction that will be. Assies does think it wants to robotize more in the future. "A milking robot does suit us at the company and I also expect Jeandré to want to go in that direction. The company will also focus more on dairy cattle, because Jeandré feels that branch more."

The milk is supplied to Farmel through a supplier association. This milk is further sold to processors who mainly make products such as butter and milk powder from the milk. Feeding is from De Heus. "We can spar well with our representative from De Heus", Assies explains the main argument for the choice of his feed supplier.

© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.