Description
The farm from the family Groot Koerkamp is located in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province Gelderland. The 145 cows are robotic milked combined with grazing. A grazing gateway with a grazing time registration and the participation of the project ’robotic milking and grazing’ made it a successful combination.
A grazing gateway determines if a cow get permission to graze. This specific grazing gateway also registers the grazing time of every single cow. The cows are registered in two directions: going out and going in the cowshed.
The project ‘robotic milking and grazing’ from the dairy industry gave a lot of knowledge about the do’s and don’t. A special coach guided the farmers with the grazing management.
Reason for the innovation
The farmer is successfully grazing his cows with robotic milking. The grazing management is done by a grazing gateway with a special grazing time registration.
The data from the registration gives more insight in the grazing time and grazing behaviour of the cows. Also, with the registered grazing time of the cows the farmer is able to evince the grazing time to the milk collector for a bonus payment.
The grazing management combined with the robotic milking gives a high production.
Farm description
Environment
- Soil: Sandy
- Climate: Temperate oceanic
- Altitude: ±sea level
- Slope: flat
Grassland management
- Grazing: Yes
- Grazing management: Rotational
- Length of grazing period: 6 months/year
- Main composition grassland: Perennial ryegrass
Structure
- Annual work units (AWU): 2
- Agricultural Area 93 ha UAA
- Permanent grassland 75 ha
- Corn silage 18 ha
- Production method: Conventional
- Stock
- 145 dairy cows
- 70 young stock
- Breed Holstein-Friesian
Animal performance
- Milk production: 10 000 kg/year
Why it is working
The innovation is successful on this farm because:
- grazing is self-evident for the farmer so with the introduction of the robotic milking he wanted to continue the grazing.
- grazing is important for the license to produce, so the milk collector is paying a bonus.
- the knowledge and the experience from the project and the coach.
- the cows were familiar with grazing.
