Roughage tour Silvain Kuster
'Every cow that walks here is special to me'
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 the sixth part: Silvain Kusters (photo) from Guttecoven (L).
The Limburg dairy farmer Silvain Kusters is participating in the for the second time this year Boerenbusiness Roughage tour. His dairy farm is located in Guttecoven, a village in the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. The village is about three and a half kilometers from the Belgian border and seven kilometers from the German border. The area is used by both arable farmers and dairy farmers. The soil is also suitable for almost all crops. This offers dairy farmers opportunities to exchange land for the placement of manure or the cultivation of arable crops. Kusters works together with various arable farmers in the area. Through these partnerships, he buys spelled and maize, sells manure and exchanges land for sugar beets, for example.
Between 115 and 120 milk and calf cows are kept on the farm with 30 calves and 30 heifers. A total of 41 hectares are cultivated, of which 38 hectares are grass and 3 hectares are maize. The soil is generally loose, 20% silt. Production averages 9.500 kilos of milk with 4,70% fat and 3,60% protein. The current choice of grass varieties is Havera 4, 6 and 3, of which Kusters also has test strips. The LG 31.206 was used for maize last year. Part grazing is also used.
Kusters describes himself as a real cow farmer, whereby the tractor work is sometimes a necessary evil for him. Livestock comes first for the entrepreneur, from calf to very elderly cow. "Every cow that walks here is special to me and gets my full attention". The company also shows that the entrepreneur is committed to comfort and the welfare of the animals. This already starts with the youngest calves lying in a fresh straw bed, with the youngest calves wearing a calf cover. The calves receive the milk via an automatic feeder "An investment that I do not regret for a moment. It works great for the calves. They are all fed individually with a good build-up and breakdown, which is a plus for health and growth".
The charm of red fur
From the past, Kusters has always worked with the MRIJ variety. This has been further bred to HF cows, where the red & white breed is still clearly visible. Kusters walks past the feeding fence with big strides, while he is busy looking for a number of favorite cows. "I can't find her that quickly", he shouts when he is looking for his 100.000 liter cow.
"My heart is with the red ones. I have used some black and white bulls in the past and also Fleckvieh bulls for a while on the high yielding cows, but nowadays I only use red and white Holstein bulls". The focus within the choice of bulls is on selecting robot suitability. Kusters would like to take another step in the company and the cows. One in which the current dairy is replaced by two milking robots, with which he can maintain and care for 120 dairy cows alone.
The first part of the barn dates from 1976, when the barn was used for both young and dairy cattle. The young stock was built in 2005, after which the dairy barn could only be used for dairy cattle. In 2006 the milking parlor was built to what it is now: a 2x8 herringbone. A significant growth step was also taken at that time, with which the company grew from five to eight tons of milk. Kusters last extended the barn in 2010, so that the barn can now offer enough space for 180 animals. The dairy farmer does not intend to keep this number of animals, but by extending the barn a large straw pen could be made. "This is perfect for calf cows or cows that are having a hard time".
Top pit winner Limburg 2021
The passion of the dairy farmer is not only noticeable in the field of his cows. In the country too, the dairy farmer is always busy extracting high-quality roughage. He always tries to mow every four weeks and Kusters is constantly trying to get good roughage. In this he is not afraid to test something every now and then. For example, Kusters shows a number of test strips in the plot next to the farm, where different mixtures have been sown. He can tell you exactly the properties of the strips and how the mixtures were sown down to the last detail.
The pits are all stored in trench silos. The grass silages are often ensiled in lasagna. "The soil here can be worked fairly easily and quickly. Irrigation is not possible here. That is why the three dry years of 2018, 2019 and 2020 were very difficult to extract good and enough roughage. Last year, on the other hand, was a very good roughage year, where I am very pleased with it".
Satisfied with blends
Kusters does not have many machines and he does not want more than what he has now. The Kusters feed train can be found next to a few haymaking machines. In this he is very pleased with his recently purchased OMAS mixer. "The mixer wagon does a much better job compared to the old mixer wagon that was on the farm. The product is now mixed much better and more homogeneously. Selection is no longer an issue." Kusters saw the big difference in the dry cows. Shorter straw and a better mixed ration ensure a higher intake and a better start of the lactation.
Kusters is very satisfied with the mixing quality: "Selection is impossible and the carving of the car is also very good". The choice for the mixer wagon was actually due to the limited number of service points that Kusters often encounters. "There is little diversity in this area when it comes to mechanization companies. As a result, the choice is limited and I am quite dependent on the dealers concerned."
Ronald Smit
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