The modern dairy farm of Peter Dijkveld Stol is located just outside Rutten, a village in the North-East Polder of the Netherlands.
“At our dairy farm in Rutten we milk +/- 265 cows year-round”, explains dairy farmer Dijkveld Stol. “Yearly our cows produce 9.500 kg of milk with 4,5% fat and 3,6% protein. Dry manure is used as a box cover and the milk somatic cell count ranges between 80.000 and 180.000. The daily dose per animal ranges between 0,5 and 1 per day. In April we started with rumination activity collars, which are an excellent support in our herd management.”
Peter Dijkveld Stol continues: “About 4 years ago I started dosing the Cooldown on the advise of Harold Kelderhuis from VisscherHolland (*Cooldown is a private label name for Daavisions DaaTMR). I have been doing business with Harold for over a decade. I use the Cooldown during ration changes, for example when the pit is not stable yet. Of course I also use it during the summer weather, when the temperature is rising.”
Every 2 days the dairy farmer prepares a separate ration for the dry cows. “I always mix Cooldown through this ration. You know that heat formation can occur when the food lies at the feeding rack for 24 hours. I know that I can trust on the Cooldown as I have been using it successfully for four years now. We like to enjoy a hot meal but our cows don’t!”
“We do not seek maximum production per cow, but maximum return. Healthy livestock that is our goal!”