5 questions for Kees de Koning
'Data is our main source of income'
On the innovative experimental farm Dairy Campus, data has become one of the most important sources of income. This was stated by manager Kees de Koning during the Drone Workers meeting on Friday 1 January.
The use of robots in dairy farming has made these companies extremely data-driven. The innovative experimental farm Dairy Campus in Goutum (Friesland) is an example of this. Manager Kees de Koning sees opportunities to increase production with the help of precision farming, but also to make nature-inclusive dairy farming possible.
The milking robot is well established in dairy farming. Surely that will yield a wealth of data?
"Data has almost become the main source of income for the Dairy Campus. Not surprising, because we are of course a research institute. The milk money is currently on an equal footing in terms of income. Robots generate enormous amounts of data, but there is more. the DNA profile of the 500 dairy cows and all calves was determined. The herd is extremely diverse."
It took a long time before the milking robot was picked up on a large scale. What does this say about the future of precision farming?
"Robot milking goes back about 20 years. We have only seen significant growth of dairy farms using the technology since 2000. This number has only really increased in recent decades. 1 in 5 dairy farmers in the Netherlands now milks with a robot. now it's about linking systems in the barn and in the field. This requires decision support systems."
Can precision agriculture be used for the 'cultivation' of grass?
"In the Netherlands, we focus on the milk yield and we don't look at the grass. In Brazil, for example, grass-based milking has been going on for some time. You then look at the input instead of the output. Collecting data is not the problem. We now know that from experience. You have to know what's going on and that is not always easy. Moreover, you can also be too early. If you start calculating early, you count everything to death. Just like with robot milking, you have to go through this phase We need to move to models for calculating grass growth and focus on quality and yield."
In your presentation you explain that precision farming is also good for nature. What's up with that?
"Grass is the largest monoculture in the Netherlands. You cannot just focus on maximizing production, because then social problems will arise. We have not made any progress in biodiversity and meadow birds are experiencing a strong decline. The question is what new techniques can do about this One possibility is to move the milking robot outside, in order to create more grazing. Another possibility is to partially intensify, so that part of the farm is farmed extensively. With the help of new techniques you can improve both parts "For example, we are experimenting with intensifying 75% to 95% of the surface. The rest is then intended for biodiversity and meadow birds. A loss of production is compensated by more yield from the intensive part."
There are still many challenges for precision farming. How do you face the future?
"Data ownership is an important issue. Strong parties such as Lely and Delaval are active in the sector. Their interference does not always match the idea of free data. That is why the 'Smart Dairy Farming' consortium was established and Datahub was set up. The latter regulates the traffic and permission for the company between the farmer and the business community. This foundation is owned by CAV, Royal FrieslandCampina and Agrifirm. The raw data always remains with the farmer. Akkerweb has been developed for arable farming. Veeweb is next. For precision agriculture we are now looking for challenges outside the barn. That takes more than 1 year. Moreover, you should not only look at the yield. The use of robots narrows the gap between practice and precision agriculture. In that respect, the gap between arable farming and dairy farming horribly large."
Niels van der Boom
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