How a Dutch dairy farmer reduces emissions and increases grass yield

Dairy farmer Teus van der Wind is experiencing improved manure and soil quality. He is seeing higher grass yields and better digestibility and emissions are also reduced.

Anne-Marie van der LindeLivestock editor, Boerderij

Oct 19

Article

Teus van der Wind (59) runs a dairy farm in Woudenberg, Utrecht province, the Netherlands, with 175 cows on 82 hectares of land. Photos: Herbert Wiggerman

---

---

It is a standard cubicle barn: feed fence, cubicles, and cows, though some of the herd do graze in the pasture. What stands out, however, is the smell inside the barn. Even though the manure scraper hasn't finished its round yet, there is no odour of manure.

“We’ve been spraying Kopros over the slats every month for 3 years now. It reduces urea activity and immediately creates a kind of biofilm on the floor and in the manure pit, which significantly cuts down on the smell,” explains Teus van der Wind. He himself doesn't have to do the work of spreading the solution, which contains bacteria and fungi.