cow power (kracht van koeien)
TRANSCRIPT
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Cow Power
Designs orSystem Innovation
Stepping stones towards sustainablelivestock husbandry
How animal welare, the environment andeconomy may ortiy each other in dairy husbandry
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This brochure is one o the results o the Cow Power (Kracht van Koeien) project, realised bythe Animal Sciences Group o Wageningen University and Research Centre (Wageningen UR)
and commissioned by the Dutch Ministry o Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality within the
ramework o the research programme titled Towards Sustainability in Production and Transition
(Verduurzaming Productie en Transitie) (BO-07-009-005).
Learn more about the project and subsequent activities at
www.krachtvankoeien.wur.nl
editor: Marieke Mittelmeijer
drawings: JAM / Visueel Denken
graphic design: Wageningen UR Communication Services
Slightly edited version 1.1 23 March 2009
Copying text and data and quoting rom this publication is permitted provided with complete and
correct acknowledgement o sources
A.P. (Bram) Bos, Jessica M.R. Cornelissen and Peter W.G. Groot Koerkamp (2009)
Cow Power Designs or system innovation. Wageningen Lelystad, Wageningen UR,
ISBN 978-90-8585-486-9
ASG Animal Sciences Group o Wageningen UR, Lelystad
PreaceStepping stones towards sustainable livestock
husbandry
Livestock armers and others are increasingly moving towards
sustainable livestock husbandry. A husbandry system uniting the
needs o animal, environment, consumer and entrepreneur. I it was
up to the Dutch Ministry o Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality
(LNV), sustainability is the uture. The Minister o Agriculture has
dened unambiguous ambitions: in 2023, livestock husbandry in the
Netherlands will be 100% sustainable.
Realising sustainable livestock husbandry is a practical quest in the end. Many
parties and initiatives are already aiming at sustainability in dairy husbandry.
In interaction with livestock armers, trade and industry, and policy makers,
the Animal Sciences Group o Wageningen UR has produced designs or our
completely new husbandry systems that will contribute to making Dutch dairy
husbandry more sustainable by leaps and bounds.
We are convinced that a sustainable uture requires a turnaround in thinking
and acting: a system innovation. That is why the designs o Cow Power (in
Dutch: Kracht van Koeien) leave t he well-trodden path: they bring new promises
and in some cases they are unorthodox. But they also clearly represent the
wishes o the stakeholders: the armer, the environment and the citizen as well
as the cows.
The design concepts break with a number o generally accepted ideas, but
that also means they hold great promise. A promise that can be ullled in the
not too distant uture. In this respect the designs must be seen as sources o
inspiration, certainly not as blueprints.
And we shouldnt rely on just the armers to realise that promise. It requires
an eort rom many dierent parties. Ater all, the social benets are not only
or the armer or the animal either. Thereore, we hope you will consider them
with an open mind and that you will use them to contribute to a sustainable
development o Dutch dairy husbandry. At the end o this brochure you will nd
inormation on how to respond and how to take initiatives. We look orward to
hearing rom you.
Bram Bos
or the Cow Power (Kracht van Koeien) Project Team
Animal Sciences Group Wageningen UR (March 2009)
Table o contents
1. Cow Power in a nutshell
2. Sustainability is the uture3. Everyone has his wishes
4. Think dierently, act dierently
5. Design concepts or sustainable
dairy husbandry
6. In conclusion
7. The next steps
8. Response
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Cow Power
in a nutshellDairy husbandry in the Netherlands could be much more sustainable than it
is now. It seems dicult, but it is certainly easible: dairy husbandry where
cows have a good lie, where the armer makes a good living, a husbandry that
cares or the environment and, on top o all that, caters or the wishes o the
citizen. This ambition is the starting point in Cow Power as well as the objective
o the designs. In this way we can ensure that it is not in the rst place the
milk, but dairy husbandry itsel that can be kept or a long time.
Cow Power shows that a number o paradoxes and conficts such as between animal
welare and environment or between environment and economy are not laws o nature.
They are the consequence o the way dairy husbandry in the Netherlands has developed
over the past decades. Parting with certain standards and accepted operations will
make it possible to overcome such paradoxes. That will not happen overnight.
It requires a turnaround in thinking and acting. A system innovation.
Dairy husbandry is an intricate system where
armer, animal, soil, crop, capital, energy, and
nutrients are interconnected in many ways.
Pulling one string will have consequences
elsewhere - in unexpected places. This is why
system innovation is necessary: a turnaround
in thinking and acting. We have based Cow
Power on the conviction that this way will allow
animal welare, environment and economy to go
excellently hand in hand.
Peter Groot Koerkamp, co-projectleader Cow Power
But what is perect dairy husbandry?
First o all, we investigated what the ideal
situation is or armers, cows, citizens
and the environment. These ideals seem
at odds in many cases. Then we went
on to trace the main bottlenecks in the
current dairy husbandry system that
obstruct reconciliation o these ideals.
Removing these bottlenecks requires
major turnarounds in thinking and acting.
These turnarounds are not really new
in themselves. Elements o them have
been devised and tested here and there
by pioneering dairy armers, ellow
researchers and other stakeholders
in the sector. Combined, they are t he
starting points or the our design
concepts or dairy husbandry systems.
Turnaround in thinking,turnaround in acting
A. Satisy the cows every need rather than
giving her what happens to be let over
Give the cow much more space, quietness, and
exercise. Throughout the year.
Take cow power as starting point, rather than the
power o eed concentrates.
Consider housing, outdoor range and pasture as
one entity.
B. Consider minerals as a resource rather than
waste
Keep aeces (dry manure) and urine separate.
Substitute articial ertiliser and apply new
ertilisers dierently.
Process aeces and urine sub fows and apply
them with precision.
Do not use eed concentrate rom araway
countries.
C. Share capital and labour with others instead
o dividing them over more cows
Save labour and cost by sharing capital assets.
Cooperate between arms.
Combine energy production with cheap shelter or
cows.
Use land or multiple unctions and share land
ownership.
D. Consider the soil a productive ecosystem
instead o a dead substrate
Treat soil as a live organism.
Minimise soil tillage, prevent compaction.
Apply intensive and extensive (low-input) arming
practices at the same time.
Increase the soil production by precision
ertilisation and irrigation.
ImprovementsWe have combined these turnarounds
in thinking and acting in our design
concepts or dairy husbandry, resulting
in the ollowing main improvements:
For the animal: much better animal
welare, better health, more physical
exercise, need-based eeding
and, consequently, a longer lie
expectancy o up to an average o
nine years.
For the environment: a reduction
o ammonia emissions by 75%,
a reduction o greenhouse gas
emissions by 50-75%, a reduction o
eutrophication by 75%, the possibility
o climate neutrality through green
energy production, a smaller
ecological ootprint o odder and
eed concentrate production, and an
increased biodiversity on the arm
and in the surrounding area.
For the armer: labour savings
through automation and a system that
is easier to manage and requires less
intervention. More fexible labour by
sharing capital assets and an equal
or better prot, also when producing
regular milk.
For the surroundings and society:
socially desirable dairy husbandry that
is visible and incorporated in other
spatial and social unctions, such
as nature and urban development.
Suitable in Natura 2000 areas.
Veriable good animal welare which
is visible and recognisable.
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In this brochure we present our design concepts o sustainable dairy
husbandry. Our main objective is to show that a much higher degree o
sustainability in dairy husbandry is easible. The designs are not technological
panaceas nor are they blueprints. Some innovations require more development
and testing and that takes time. Other innovations are not concerned with
technology, but with dierent methods o operation and collaboration. The
designs show how it could be done, not how it has to be done; dierent roads
lead to sustainability.
We are aware o the act that armers come in all types and sizes. That is why we have
made dierent designs that may be attractive to dierent entrepreneurs. Every dairy
armer can benet rom them, pick out elements and modiy them to suit his own arm.
But they are just as much a challenge to system designers and governments to examine
their own role with dierent eyes. And last but not least, the designs will require room
or entrepreneurs to make riskul investments in sustainable systems. Consequently, it
is the duty o local, regional and national authorities to provide that room.
Substantial gainspossibleCow Power presents great promises.
Within ve years it can be possible to
considerably increase animal welare,
reduce environmental load, and still
maintain protable operations at a dairy
arm. However, it is vital that we do not
stubbornly stick to our old ways and that
we are prepared to consider things we
once thought impossible. Our designsdemand fexible thinking on the part o
armers, consultants, policy makers,
researchers and citizens, and the
willingness to develop and enrich them
on the basis o their own needs.
Sustainability is
the utureA Dutch landscape without cows is inconceivable. For tourists, and certainly
or the Dutch themselves. We have been keeping cows in the Netherlands or
thousands o years. We have grown together. Over the past decades, improved
breeds, new technology and strong dairy cooperatives have made it possible
or the Dutch dairy branch to develop into a leading global exporter o milk,
milk powder, cheese and butter. But will it stay that way? Cow Power shows
that integrated, sustainable dairy husbandry has a uture in the Netherlands.
Dutch dairy armers are acing exciting times. Land and labour are relatively expensive,
while prices are increasingly being liberalised and EU product subsidies are being
phased out. Substantial increases o scale seem unavoidable, though many wonder
whether such strong growth is actually cost-eective. At the same time, the environment
and animal welare are a growing ocus o attention. All these issues will not solve
themselves. The dairy branch ears that autonomous developments will increasingly
orce dairy husbandry towards actory (intensive) arming. Preventing this will require
system innovation, a turnaround in thinking and acting.
To many people, a Dutch
landscape without cows is
inconceivable.
The Cow Power designs are not
blueprints, but they do show that animal
welare, environment, and the economy
can be congruent in dairy husbandry.
What people will think o the design concepts?
I guess that many will show scepticism, while others
will be surprised by the possibilities. We hope the
designs will the topic o conversation.
I expect that ambitious and progressive armers,
consultants and parties o the agri- and ood
business will steal a glance at the designs and make
a practical conversion to their own arm or work.
Bram Bos, co-project leader Cow Power
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Dutch dairy husbandryLet us start with the gures. In 2007 there were 21,313 arms in the Netherlands with
a total o about 1.4 million dairy cows. The total milk production amounted to 10,800
million kilos o milk; the average milk yield per cow was 7,879 kilos per year. Forty
percent o the arms had 70 dairy cows or more. Out o the total armland area in the
Netherlands (1.9 million hectares), some 1.0 million hectares were in use as grassland
(53%). In addition, 221,000 hectares were used or green maize (12% o the total).
Only a relatively limited share, that is some 10%, o the milk produced is consumed
as resh milk and dairy products. The rest is processed into cheese, butter, condensed
milk, and milk powder. It takes 10 litres o milk to make one kilo o cheese and as much
as 25 litres to make one kilo o butter. More than 80% o these processed products are
exported. In addition, all specic types o proteins, sugars and ats rom the milk are
used or special applications. For that purpose the milk is cracked.
Production
(*million kg)
Export total
(* million kg)
For fresh consumption
Cream 11.9
Milk and milk products 1445.1
Whole milk and cream 406.7
Milk processing products
Cheese 714.0 562.6
Butter 125.2 112.5
Butter oil 41.5
Condensed milk 308.9 274.1
No n-skimm ed milk po wder 105 .6 13 8.2
Skimmed milk powder 48.9 42.9
Whey powder 264.0
Source: PZ/CBS. The total number o kilos in this table is lower than the 10,800 million
kilos o milk that are produced, because 1 kilo o cheese or butter requires many more
kilos o milk.
Environment and animalwelfareThere is a lot o economic pressure on
dairy arming these days and thereore
attention or other sustainability
aspects such as animal welare and the
environment will not come naturally.
Lets rst scrape a living, then we can
start worrying about the rills, is what
many think. Fortunately, many other dairy
armers realise that this is not the way
orward. The milk quotas may b e repealed,
but in their place environment and animalwelare will increasingly be preconditions
or growth and development. So you
better make sure you are prepared.
And that is what happens throughout
the Netherlands. There are numerous
networks o armers and consultants
who are experimenting with pasturing
(or instance PureGraze, Koe & Wij),
animal health (Vetvice), minerals (Koeien
& Kansen, Vel & Vanla), space or cows
(oil arch dairy housing (serrestal), loose
housing (vrijloopstal)), cooperation
(Ecolana), agrobiodiversity (numerous
agricultural nature conservation
associations), labour eciency (EDF), and
mutual learning (Melkvee Academie). So a
lot is already happening in specic areas.
We think it takes more to achieve
integrated sustainable dairy husbandry.
Why? First o all, because a specic
solution to one problem in dairy husbandry
will oten and easily have unwantedconsequences or a dierent aspect.
Secondly, because the responsibility or
sustainable dairy husbandry will usually
end up on the dairy armers plates. At the
same time parties such as consultants,
dairy cooperatives, banks and
governments have a major infuence, both
directly and indirectly, on the opportunities
and scope or dairy armers to improve
their operations. And thirdly, because
the eects o improvements on specic
aspects may easily evaporate under the
pressure o autonomous developments
such as continuing increases o scale and
increased production per cow.
Sustainable base:The power of cows
Denitions o sustainability are
innumerable. Usually it is no problem
to agree on the general idea: that
eventually our welare should not harm
others people elsewhere on the planet,
animals, the environment and nature, at
the present or in the long term. However,
as soon as we talk about sustainability
in more concrete terms, it is harder to
give an agreed and practical denition o
sustainability. People may undamentally
dissent on livestock husbandry regarding
the question whether using and killing
animals can be sustainable in the rstplace. In this brochure we assume animal
production can basically be sustainable,
even i we keep animals locked up and
eventually even kill them. This is a value-
based starting point, not a scientic
argument. A starting point however, that
links up with the vision o our client, the
Minister o Agriculture o The Netherlands.
In 2008, in her Toekomstvisie Duurzame
Veehouderij (her uture vision on
sustainable animal husbandry) she
portrayed the ideal o an in all aspects
sustainable husbandry, with broad public
support.
In addition, it is our opinion that
dairy husbandry in the Netherlands
can have a legitimate and sustainable
uture as ood supplier. The power and
capacity o cows lies in their skill to
convert low-grade vegetable products
such as grass and residual fows into
high-grade oodstus. Those low-grade
products and residual fows are amplyavailable in the Netherlands and much
armland is not even suitable or anything
but grass production. Moreover, we
have a avourable climate or animals
and sucient reshwater. In addition,
the development towards a bio-based
economy means that new classes o
residual fows become available. Dairy
arming and livestock husbandry in general
can play an important role in a cascaded
conversion o these residual fows into
valuable resources.
In short: dairy husbandry which is primarily
based on what is locally available has a
perect place in this region. It does mean
a shit in the purpose o dairy husbandry:
rom just milk production to putting
to value regionally available low-grade
vegetable products and residual fows.
This also sets a maximum on the volume
o dairy husbandry in the Netherlands.With the entire package o changes
that we propose here, we think that
the volume will mainly be limited by the
regional availability o residual fows. I
as expected this availability increases,
urther growth o dairy husbandry in
the Netherlands can be compatible with
integrated sustainability o that branch.
Yet it will be a completely dierent type o
dairy husbandry.
Economic pressureincreasesTo many dairy armers, 2015 will be
a magic year. That is the year the EU
milk quota regulation will be repealed.
This means there will no longer be a
xed maximum o milk production per
arm. Since the EU agricultural product
subsidies will be phased out at the same
time, many dairy armers eel orced to
increase their arm size substantially. It
seems the only way to keep the amily
income up to the mark. For a large groupo armers this will mean more credits
and even harder work, in a market o
fuctuating milk prices. On top o that,
the cost price o a litre o milk is already
higher than the revenues apart rom
exceptions such as in 2007. Dairy
armers compensate the dierence with a
lot o unpaid labour. Ater all, to many o
them dairy arming is not just or prot - it
is their way o lie.
Given the current growth o scale in
dairy husbandry, this situation can not be
maintained orever. Eventually, armers
will have to start hiring people to do the
extra work, and they will have to pay
those employees. Furthermore, there is
a limit to mortgaging the land to nance
additional investments. As a result, dairy
husbandry will increasingly be cost-price
driven, at least as long as this milk will
have to compete on the world market as
high-grade, but anonymous raw material.
In our opinion dairy
husbandry in the
Netherlands has a
legitimate and sustainable
future as global food
supplier.
To many dairy farmers, 2015
will be a magic year. That is
the year the EU milk quota
regulation will be repealed.
Since the EU agricultural
product subsidies will be
phased out at the same time,
many dairy farmers feel forced
to increase their farm size
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Everyone has his wishesSustainability means preventing that the costs and side eects o our
prosperity are passed to others, Herman Wijels, a reknown Dutch banker and
visionary, stated. In order to make a design that shits as little expense onto
others, we must rst nd out what those involved want. In this case at least:
the armers, the citizens, the environment and o course: the cows.
I it were up to the cowI it were up to the cow, she would have space. Cows are happy when they
are healthy, when they can choose between being indoors or outdoors, when
they have a place to rest and can display social behaviour within their own
amiliar herd. This is what the brie o requirements o the dairy cow, the BoR
Dairy Cow, shows. But what does this mean in practice? The Cowel model
that we developed shows the relative importance o dierent environment
characteristics or a good lie o the cow.
Animal welare and health are important. Not only or the animals themselves, but also
or the dairy armers. I the cows needs are not ullled, this may lead to abnormalbehaviour, weakness, pain, stress, illness or even death. In addition to the ethical
objections this raises, it also costs money. Cows in the Netherlands do not live as long
as we would like and this has economic consequences. They are replaced at a relatively
young age because o claw disorders, mastitis and, due to the ocus on production and
lack o space, problems with conception. And the latter is still what starts lactation. O
course we can try to adapt cows to their environment through breeding. But why not
look at it rom another angle: what adaptations does the cow ask rom her surroundings
or maximum welare and good health?
Focus on the cowsrequirementsWe assume a maximum welare and good
health or the cow is guaranteed i all her
needs are met. Thereore, she should
be able to perorm all activities and
behaviour necessary to ull those needs,
without limitations. We have laid this
down in a list o requirements the cow
imposes upon her surroundings: the brie
o requirements (BoR) o the dairy cow.
These requirements have been classied
per need and they have been worded
solution-ree. This means the way a
requirement is met in practice is open or
various solutions.
BoR Dairy Cow: depicts the cows
requirements to satisy all her needs. It
is based on some ve hundred, mainly
scientic, articles and on experiences o
experts in welare and behaviour.
Cowel: indicates what impact an
environment characteristic has on the
dairy cows welare i this characteristic
does not comply with the ideal.
You can nd more inormation on both
studies at www.krachtvankoeien.wur.nl
The Cowel model was developed by
the Animal Sciences Group in order to
gain insight into the extent to which the
various characteristics o a husbandry
system are important to the cow. It
indicates the impact an environment
characteristic has on the dairy cows
welare i this characteristic does not
comply with the ideal. At the same time
the model provides an insight into which
characteristics o a husbandry systemare most important to animal welare
and which ones are less important.
The BoR Dairy Cow shows that the
cow preers to have at least 360 m
o space to move around. Then cows
are not in each others way, they can
move away i they want to and they do
not show aggressive behaviour among
themselves. O course that space is
considerably more than the area o
6 to 8 m the average cow now has in
current housing systems.
Cowel makes it easier or us to
estimate the relative importance o
this aspect: the gains in welare rom
doubling the cows space to at least
13.5 m is considerably greater than
the gains in welare we make with the
step rom 13.5 to 360 m. Despite this
act, we have based three out o the our
design concepts on the ideal. Yet dairy
armers who double the space to13.5 m are already realising a
considerable welare improvement.
What does the cow want?Not all environment characteristics are equally important to the cow. Some have a much
greater impact on the cows welare than others. Below we will discuss in more detail the nine
characteristics o a husbandry system with the greatest eect on the dairy cows welare,
according to Cowel. Cutting back on these characteristics has a major impact on the cows
welare.
At least one spacious resting spot or every cow.
Cows like to rest together as a group. Rest is
a necessity o lie or the cow.
Good eed.
The eed must enable the cow to maintain homeostasis and
to produce milk. It must contain sucient energy, dry matter,
crude bre, protein and trace elements. Cows are selective whenit comes to ood: it must be tasty, varied and resh, and not
contaminated with manure or saliva.
No negative stimuli such as leakage o current and cow trainers.
Negative stimuli will cause (chronic) stress. This has an adverse infuence on welare and
health.
Complete reedom o choice to move within the area and within the herd.
A cow wants to make up her own mind. Cows want to be able to get out o the way o higher
ranked animals and in large herds they like to
split up into smaller groups. Sometimes a cow
wants to get away rom the group. Yet, she
still wants to be able to see and hear the rest
o the herd.
Calm and predictable handling by the people, so she can move at her own pace.
A cow likes an orderly lie and she preers to know what to expect. Driving and other
unriendly treatments will cause stress.
No impact o obstacles during rising up, lying down and during lying and resting.
Possibility to lie down at a distance o at least two metres rom another cow. A cow
must be able to lie down in the way she would in the pasture. She wants to be able to opt or
her own personal space, but cows may still like to lie close together.
A comortable climate
(Temperature Humidity Index below 71).
To avoid stress rom heat or cold.
Passage ways and eeding areas with a nonslip, dry and
clean foor without sudden changes in the level or texture.
I the foor is too smooth, the cow may slip, i too rough, she may
damage her claws. Uneven, wet or dirty foors are detrimental to the
cows locomotor system.
Sucient light during the day (more than 200 Lux). A cow must be able to see her
surroundings properly, so she can recognise her herd ellows, explore her surroundings or
play with her companions. In addition, light is important or ertility, which in turn is in the
armers interest.
The relative importanceo requirements: Cowel
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Cows in pasture
Pasturing can easily be incorporated in the
Cow Power design concepts. People very
much like to see cows out in the pastures,
and pasturing is an excellent solution or
many requirements a cow makes upon
her environment with regard to health
and welare. Yet we have not included
pasturing as a rm requirement in the BoR
o the cow.
Why not? Pasturing in act combines
several unctions, such as being outdoors,
exercising and grazing.
Being outdoors and exercising can be
solved in various ways. But or grazing
pulling o and taking up grass in the
mouth pasture land is a prerequisite.
Although there is discussion and
uncertainty among scientists whether this
is one o the cows needs, we nevertheless
decided to include pasturing in our designs
as a precautionary measure. With current
pasturing methods, this has consequences
or the environment (nitrate), economy
(reduced grass yield) and labour (collecting
cows every day).
The green outdoor range o 360 m per
animal available to the cows throughout
the year in three o the our designs is
necessary or maximum welare. The
green outdoor range is a major increase
in living space, but it is not intended as
an alternative to grazing in summer and
certainly not sucient or the production
o eed.
I it were up to the armer
There is no such thing as the dairy armer. Farmers come in alltypes and sizes. Cow Power wants to call upon entrepreneurs
who look beyond just economy. Entrepreneurs who also want
to do justice to the values o the animal, the environment, the
landscape and the citizen in their operations. Kreas buorkje is
what they call it in Frisian, in other words arming neatly. The
designs provide or ve needs that we recognise among our
armers.
In Cow Power we specically address two groups o dairy
armers: social armers and new growers. Those are armers
who want to develop in their own way and want to seize the
opportunities presented by social desires and trends, including
the attention or animal welare and or the environment.
Two target groups
Social armers are interested in developing their arm by adding
new activities and creating economic and social links with their
surroundings, such as nature and landscape management,
organic agriculture etc. Growth in arm size is not their rst
priority, but growth in quality is. They have a positive view o the
uture and as entrepreneurs they have every condence that their
branch will be able to maintain a solid position in the Netherlands.
New growers keep striving ater the largest possible top arm in
an unorthodox business structure and have interest in innovations.
They are creative, persevering people who like to take initiative
and who show leadership. In many cases they are young people
with relatively large arms. They have condence in the uture.
What do these progressivearmers want?
Growth and development
The design concept oers possibilities
or developing the arm, while growth is
accompanied by and based on reinorcement
o the relations with the social setting.
Social orientation
The design considers that social desires and
developments are an opportunity to create
economic and social values. Functional
relations and all types o cooperation withthe surroundings are utilised to the ull.
Labour
The design must guarantee work satisaction
and some variation. Interaction with
cows contributes considerably to work
satisaction. Automation must not stand in
the way o interaction with cows and the
work must be suciently fexible to allow a
fourishing social lie.
Operational continuity
The business must be suciently protable
to let at least one amily make a living. The
business must, possibly temporarily, be able
to provide or more than one amily in the
event o a takeover. Hiring labour is another
option, just like diversiying and entering into
steady relations with the surroundings.
Pasturing
The design allows pasturing without causingconfict with other needs, such as labour, or
limiting conditions such as the ratio between
home plot area and herd size.
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I it were up to the citizenDutch citizens increasingly care about animal husbandry. Positive interest
is growing, and so is criticism - in particular with regard to the position
o animals in livestock husbandry. The act that this does not always lead
directly to a change in buying behaviour in the supermarket, is connected
with things such as the lack o choice and trust, and the relative scarcity o
products that combine personal and social advantages. On the basis o nearly
a hundred interviews we investigated the image o Dutch citizens towards
livestock husbandry, in order to fnd out what the brie o requirements o
the citizens is. Then, when we know what the ideal o citizens is, we want to
approach this ideal as much as possible in our design concepts.
Just like the armer, the cit izen does not exist either. Yet a meaningul classifcationo citizens can be made. A division in three classes emerged rom our study: the
romantics (50%), the pragmatists (35%) and the ethicists (15%). The pragmatists do
not worry too much: ater all, we keep animals or our own ends. The ethicists, on the
other hand, do not take that or granted: using animals is an important ethical choice.
The largest group, the romantics, are convinced that their interest is ully in line with
that o the animal. A good lie or the animal is good ood or me.
Compromise or ideal production method
Economic pressure is the main explanation or below-standard animal welare
according to those interviewed. Pursuit o short-term proft, particularly in the ood
industry, victimises the animals, nature and the environment, and in many cases
also the armers themselves. Things will get better, they think. Livestock husbandry
is gradually developing in the desired direction, and will eventually arrive at a
compromise between economic production and respect or nature and animals. Not
quite the ideal, but an estimate o what people consider practically easible.
It is striking that dairy husbandry scores a only little higher than intensive arming.
Without prior knowledge, citizens have the impression that cows are hardly better o
than chickens or pigs. On the other hand, cows in the pastures represent exactly what
is considered ideal. Citizens do not want animals to be locked up, but to roam reely
and live their lives outdoors in natural circumstances.
In the design concepts we want to link up with the image o the romantics as ar as
possible. I those designs can do that without major economic repercussions, the
pragmatists will be content too. The ethicists will at least consider it a desirable
development.
What does the citizen want?The eleven most important positive
characteristics o ideal husbandry in the
citizens eyes are listed below. However,
the three dierent groups o citizens
(romantics, pragmatists and ethicists) have
dierent emphasis.
1. Let animals roam reely
2. Treat animals as brothers and sisters
3. Take good care o animals
4. Natural and resh animal eed
5. A higher price or better animal welare,i necessary
6. Let animals live in natural surroundings
7. A tasty and resh product (or people)
8. Fair and sustainable production methods
9. Proessional reedom to operate or
armers
10. Reasonable margins or armers
11. Rules or quality assurance
I it were up to the environmentDairy husbandry places a considerable burden on the environment: locally by
eutrophication and acidifcation, and globally by greenhouse gas emissions,
indirect use o energy or artifcial ertiliser and eed concentrate, and use
o natural resources rom elsewhere. Keeping the sector viable in the uture
requires drastic steps. Much more drastic than current legislation requires.
In our brie o requirements or the environment we deliberately set our aims
high because that orces us to consider dierent solutions. When we do so,
much more appears possible than we thought.
Energy and manure
We distinguish nine types o environmental impact: land use, energy use,
eutrophication, acidifcation, greenhouse eect, soil quality, water consumption, localsurroundings, and biodiversity. Ater defning sources and types o environmental
impact, a lie-cycle analysis (LCA) gives a good impression o the environmental load
caused by Dutch dairy husbandry.
The lie-cycle analysis o dairy husbandry
The table below shows the results o a lie-cycle analysis o dairy husbandry in the
Netherlands. The contribution caused by dairy husbandry or fve environmental impact
categories and our links in the chain is displayed. In this analysis the chain reers
to the series o production steps including production and transport o supplied
products up to the point that the milk is collected at the arm.
Table: LCA o dairy husbandry in t he Netherlands, based on 119 regular dairy arms
(Source: Thomassen 2008)
It is striking that the supply o products causes a substantial share o the
environmental impact. Energy use is particularly important in this respect. The main
environmental impact on a dairy arm itsel is eutrophication through nitrate leaching,
acidifcation through ammonia emissions, and the contribution to the greenhouse
eect through emissions o methane and nitrous oxide. For that reason we have
defned specifc targets which are higher than the legal minimum with regard to
energy use, eutrophication, acidifcation and greenhouse eect. For the other types
o environmental impact, qualitative requirements have been defned or they are in
accordance with legal requirements.
Land use Energy use Eutrophication Acidifcation Greenhouse gases
Total
divided over
1,2 m2/kg milk 5,1 MJ/kg milk 0,15 kg NO3-eq/
kg milk
11,2 g SO2-eq/
kg milk
1,3 kg CO2-eq/
kg milk
% supplied
concentrate
24 58 17 26 26
% supplied roughage +
wet by-products
12 9 12 4 8
% supplied artifcial
ertiliser
0 12 1 3 6
% arm: land, housing,
animals
60 18 70 65 59
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What do we want or the environment?Good land use
We use land to grow grass and ood crops. Dairy husbandry uses more than 50% o
the armland in the Netherlands, which makes it the largest land user. Cultivation o
cereals, soy and palm kernels or the production o eed concentrate takes up land,
not just here, but also in other countries.
Reduced energy use
We mainly generate energy rom mineral oil. The European Union wants at least 20%
o the energy to come rom renewable energy sources by 2020. The national action
programme called Schoon en Zuinig (translates to clean and economical) responds
to this by striving ater an increase o the share o sustainable energy rom 2% in
2007 to 20% in 2020. In addition, it has been decided that national energy savingsmust be doubled rom 1% to 2% per year. The Cow Power project presents design
concepts which give 75% savings on energy use, mainly by reducing the use that is
linked to the supplied products such as articial ertiliser and concentrates. On top o
that we want to take maximum advantage o the possibilities o generating sustainable
energy (sun, wind and bio-digestion without the use o valuable co-products, i.e. no
co-digestion).
Reduced eutrophication
Nitrate and phosphate rom livestock husbandry cause a major share o the
eutrophication o surace water and groundwater. At European level there are
guidelines or the permissible quantity o nitrate in groundwater (50 mg o nitrate per
litre) and measures have been dened or the use o ertilisers containing nitrogen and
phosphate. In the designs we reduce eutrophication by 75% by minimising losses on
the use o ertilisers.
Reduced acidication
Livestock husbandry is responsible or some 90% o the Dutch ammonia emissions.
National emission ceilings (NEC) have been dened or 2010 or every EU member;
or the Netherlands that is 128 kilotons o ammonia. The Netherlands will be able
to meet that t arget through measures in intensive arming, in par ticular. A relatively
modest requirement o 9.5 kg per housed animal per year has been imposed upon
dairy husbandry. In addition, special application techniques to reduce emissions arerequired: injection, shallow injection on grassland and direct incorporation on arable
land. However, the EU ceilings are ar rom adequate or the problems in the areas
that are sensitive to acidication, such as the Natura 2000 areas. For that reason,
the designs aim at a 75% reduction o the ammonia emissions by reducing emissions
rom barns and rom the application o manure.
Reduced greenhouse eect
The ambition in the Netherlands is to reduce the emission o greenhouse gases by
30% in 2020 compared to 1990. However, as yet no legal requirements exist or
arable arming and livestock production to reduce the emission o carbon dioxide or
the other greenhouse gases, methane and nitrous oxide. The design concepts result in
a reduction o the methane production by 50% and o the nitrous oxide production by
75%. This is the result o dierent storage and use o aeces and urine and reduced
use o articial ertiliser and eed concentrate.
.
Improved soil quality
Dairy arms have to observe a directive that protects the soil quality when they store
and handle agricultural products and eed, animal waste and oal, ertilisers and green
municipal waste. The organic matter content and other heavy metal concentrations
are primarily important or the soil quality o grassland and arable land. Organic matter
improves the structure and workability o the top soil, increases aeration and water
drainage, which stimulates soil lie. So soil quality is in the armers interest as well.
In the designs, a very diverse soil lie is part o the system and the organic matter
content in the soil will increase.
Improved water use
A dairy arm may use water rom dierent sources such as tap water, ditch water,
spring water and rainwater. The main uses include drinking water or cows, water or
cleaning and or growing crops. The major share o the total water use comes rom
rainwater, which evaporates rom plants and soil or is carried o through the soil.
In the designs we store water rom the urine fow, and we make better use o water
through irrigation, as a result o which the yield per hectare will increase.
Improved air quality surroundings
Air quality increasingly becomes an important actor in assessing and granting
licences. For arms this mainly concerns the emission o ne dust and the limitation or
prevention o odour nuisance. Major sources o dust particles on dairy arms include
manure, straw and bedding, dry eed, fakes o skin rom animals and soil particles
blown away on tillage. The European and Dutch standards or permissible ne dust
concentrations in living environments will become stricter in the coming years. As ar
as odour nuisance is concerned, a minimum distance o 50 meters between barns and
houses applies outside residential areas and o 100 metres inside residential areas.
Rapid discharge o aeces and urine fows will reduce these sources o ne dust and
odour.
Richer biodiversity
Biodiversity reers to the diversity o fora and auna in a certain area. Because dairy
husbandry uses an enormous area o land, it has a major impact on the numbers o
species in fora and auna on arable land, ditch banks and water fows. In addition,
biodiversity elsewhere in the world is reduced due to land used or eed concentrateproduction. Through all kinds o direct and indirect eects, biodiversity is reduced
as production intensies. In the designs, the negative eect on biodiversity in the
surroundings o dairy arms is lessened considerably as a result o a major reduction
o eutrophication and acidication, and through improving the soil quality.
Ammonia emissions rom husbandry cause eutrophication o nature areas,
causing a reduction in biodiversity. Dairy husbandry is responsible or hal
o this. Ammonia is a major problem or dairy armers close to Natura 2000
areas, because they have no more possibilities or growth.
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Farmers, citizens, cows and the environment: they may all have their own
wishes, but are these compatible? Isnt sustainability just as much a permanent
struggle to get the best part o the cake? O course there are limits,
according to Peter Groot Koerkamp and Bram Bos, project leaders o Cow
Power. You cant have the best o both worlds all the time, but oten you can
have much more than you think. However, that does require the courage to let
go o our trusted standard ways o thinking and acting.
Currently a quest or sustainability is taking place in many dierent elds. Many
unsustainable eects o our current ways o producing and consuming can be avoided,
Peter Groot Koerkamp says. They can be solved without any loss o prosperity or
quality o lie or ourselves and others. In some cases that is easy, without changing
behaviour: A LED lamp, or instance, produces the same quantity o light at a raction
o the energy that a regular incandescent lamp requires.
Deeply rooted
But more oten the non-sustainability is rooted more deeply in our systems.
Groot Koerkamp: Sure we can make a clean car running on hydrogen, but the entireinrastructure around it is geared to petrol engines. Consequently, we usually just keep
trudging along on the amiliar road, with gradual modications to our present cars to
make them less polluting. The result is not particularly earth-shattering.
In dairy husbandry it is oten exactly the same, Bram Bos continues. It is easier
to install an energy-gobbling air scrubber in an existing livestock house than to design
new accommodation in such a manner that we take away the source o the pollution.
The same applies to housing animals close together to save costs and to keep track
o them rather than giving them the space or their specic animal behaviour, letting go
and being uncertain about the eect on your income.
Think dierently,
act dierentlyIn many cases non-sustainability
is deeply rooted in our systems.
It is easier to install an energy-
gobbling air scrubber in existing
barns than to design new
housing systems in such a
manner that we take away the
source o the pollution.
There is a dierent way
Bos and Groot Koerkamp are convinced: there really is a dierent way. O course they
know the objections many people will come up with. Dairy husbandry is a delicate
system in which armer, cow, soil, crop, capital, energy, and nutrients are intricately
interconnected. Pulling one string has co nsequences elsewhere - in unexpected places.
Making dairy husbandry more sustainable gets stuck on all kinds o contradictions that
seem incongruent.
Bos names a number o these paradoxes. More space or cows costs money and
increases the cost price. It also causes high emissions o ammonia. Concentrates must
be ed eciently and sparingly in order to reduce the environmental impact, while the
use o slurry is inherently connected with uncontrollable losses to the environment.
Keeping more cows on a arm oten seems the only way to keep the amily income up
to the mark.These contradictions are almost unavoidable with existing methods, the researchers
acknowledge. It is true that every square metre o slatted foor or slurry pit costs
money, says Groot Koerkamp . And it is just as true that you can better avoid
spreading out slurry over a large area because o the emissions. Concentrates are
ecologically sound - as long as you ignore the environmental impact o production,
transport and processing. Indeed, increasing the number o cows is the only way to
make enough money i you are ocussed on doing more o the same all the time.
Dierent context
There are many contradictions in the current practice. But, Bos and Groot Koerkamp
emphasise, these contradictions apply within a certain context, in a situation where
everything else remains the same. In order to step out o this context and to mitigate or
even overcome the contradictions, we must think dierently and act dierently.
We will not be able to make substantial improvements i we continue as usual. We
think it is necessary as well as worthwhile not to take the easy road, Bos says. I we
want to combine the needs o the cow and the armer with the requirements o the
citizen and the environment, we will only succeed i we have the courage to let go o our
ingrained patterns o thinking and acting. Only then will it be conceivable that we do not
have to balance the interest o animals against that o the environment or the economy.
Cow Power contains proposals or thinking dierently and acting dierently,
Groot Koerkamp says. They are the oundations o the designs or sustainable
dairy husbandry. Note: none o those proposals is specically our idea. All kinds oresearchers, armers and other people in the eld have been studying various elements
or years. We combine their ideas coherently to show that together they can mean a
sustainability leap in multiple respects.
I we want to combine the needs o the cow and the
armer with the requirements o the citizen and the
environment, we will only succeed i we have the
courage to let go o our ingrained patterns o
thinking and acting.
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THINKING: our turnaroundsThe design concepts o Cow Power are based on our turnarounds in thinking:
1. CowMeet all the cows needs rather
than giving her what is economically
easible or conceivable.
2. Nutrients cycleConsider minerals in aeces and urine
as a resource instead o waste.
3. Capital and labourShare capital and labour with others
rather than dividing them over more
cows.
4. SoilConsider the soil a productive
ecosystem instead o a dead
substrate.
Turnaround in thinking 1: the cowReally meeting the cows needs not only improves her welare. There are positive
eects that simultaneously contribute to economic objectives: reduced physical
and social stress, natural hierarchy in the herd, improved health through improved
adaptation and improved perormance o the immune system as well as a lower
inection pressure. Healthy cows live longer, require less care and thereore less labour,
and even the eed eciency increases when the animal does not have to use energy to
combat disease and stress.
Turnaround in thinking 2: nutrients cycleThe environmental load o dairy husbandry is caused by losses o nutrients and gases
to soil, water and air, mainly involving nitrogen, phosphate and carbon compounds. We
are used to reducing these losses by increasing the eciency o parts o the system,
or instance the soil or the cow. This strategy does work, but has its limits. It may also
cause unwanted side eects, to the cows health, or instance. Thereore, it would be
better i we looked at the eectiveness o the entire system and ensure that sub fows
are preserved in a useul manner. That is what we call Cradle to Cradle. In doing so,
we should not ocus solely on the nutrients cycle on the dairy arm. Cycles at a higher
scale, such as at regional or national level, are just as important. These include, or
instance, the useul application o nutrients in vegetable cultivation.
1
2
It is better i aeces (dry manure)
and urine are kept separate.
That is good or the cow, the
environment and the armer.
3
4
No more ploughing is a lot
like quitting smoking.
Problematic, but much
better in the end.
Turnaround in thinking 3: capital and labourLabour and capital assets such as land, buildings and machines are a major cost item
in the total production costs o milk. Currently, the main strategy to reduce those costs
is to increase the scale per arm, dividing the xed costs over more cows. However,
increases o scale are not always possible or reasons o nance or space. Moreover,
in many cases the scope o the benets remains limited and side eects occur, suchas a urther decrease in income per hour and longer periods that the cows are kept
inside. For that reason it would be better to keep down costs through undamental
measures such as reducing investments in livestock housing, using machines such as a
milking parlour together with other dairy armers and substantially increasing the crop
yield o the land. We can also automate simple labour and drastically reduce the time
required or cow management by improving the cows health and welare, supported
by automated sensor systems. That requires new cooperation rameworks, both
mutually between dairy armers and between armers and other parties. In addition,
nancial support or this turnaround can be ound in new unctions, such as local
energy production, that operate in synergy with the primary production process, and by
combining unctions, or instance by shared land use.
Turnaround in thinking 4: soilThe soil is a complex ecosystem in itsel. A living, good quality soil is good or
productivity and structure and improves the storage and use o nutrients. Such an
ecosystem cannot, or cannot easily, be managed. It can also easily be destroyed i we
consider the soil mainly to be dead matter, a place where you can get rid o minerals
and where you have to work as quickly as possible with large machines.
The alternative is much trickier, but in the end the yield is greater: by striving ater
positive qualities o manure or the soil, maintaining the natural balance and applying
ertilisers specically and customised as to time and place, we utilise the productive
capacity o the soil.
Cradle to cradleCradle to cradle (C2C) is a new approach to sustainable design. Ater their lie in one product, all
materials must be put to use in a dierent product. Without loss o quality. Residual products must
also be reused or at least be environment-neutral. The ideas have been developed in a book by William
McDonough and Michael Braungart: Cradle-to-Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.
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ACTING: four turnaroundsThe four turnarounds in thinking require concrete changes to realise a type of
dairy husbandry that is sustainable in every respect. But we do not know and
cannot do everything yet. The development of knowledge and technology and
their coherent application in a dairy husbandry system requires time and effort
from various parties. But still, the course for sustainable dairy husbandry is
clear.
1. Cow create space or the cow throughout
the year
oer resting acilities
give reedom o choice
oer suitable foors
oer exercise possibilities
avoid interventions and stressul
treatments
provide sucient and varied eed
2. Nutrients cycle utilise available plant and residual
products
oer eed supplements but no eed
concentrate
keep aeces and urine separate
process and ully utilise sub fows o
manure (C2C)
make articial ertilisers superfuous
keep and accumulate organic matter
in the soil
3. Capital and labour oer space or the cow without
expensive housing
share capital assets
cooperate between arms
put cheap by products to value
increase yield o grassland and
arable land
generate energy with solar cell roos
increase labour quality and value
put new unctions to value
4. Soil utilise organic matter rom manure
apply intensive and extensive (low-
input) arming practices at the same
time.
optimise the orm o nitrogen
ertiliser
apply nutrients accurately
minimise tillage
prevent soil compaction
This coherent package o measures will have multiple positive eects and it will takeaway major bottlenecks that hinder reconciliation o the requirements o armer, citizen,
environment and cow.
1) Turnaround in acting 1: the cowI we want to satisy the cows needs, we must give her sucient space to perorm all
her behavioural characteristics out o her own ree will. In summer as well as in winter.
Resting is very important to the cow and she needs sucient space and time to do that.
A clean and dry foor will stimulate the cow to exercise and to show oestrus behaviour.
That has a direct positive eect on the cows welare as well as an indirect eect on
her health: much less stress, low inection pressure rom the living environment and a
properly unctioning immune system. That reduces diseases and disorders, so the cow
can be kept or a larger number o lactations. And in turn that simplies management
or the dairy armer and reduces costs. With a varied diet, space and room to eed or
all cows, lower-ranking cows can also produce milk without living on their reserves or
permanently experiencing stress rom herd ellows.
1
A good foor or cows is sot,
nonslip, and clean at the
same time. There are many
possibilities. These our
combine those characteristics
with provisions to keep aeces
and urine separate. Some
foor types are available
already; others still require
urther development.
It is no problem to give the
cows space, i at the same
time we carry o urine and
aeces quickly and separa-
tely. A sandy soil is a per-
ect place to lie down. The
drawing shows how urine is
harvested through drains. In
case o heavy rain, the water
is discharged.
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Turnaround in acting 2: the nutrients cycleI we eed the cow mainly with plant material containing crude bre, she can play an
important role in utilising these residual fows, or instance rom nature areas and rom
the ood and beverage industry. At the same time we can considerably reduce the use
o eed concentrate and ocus on a diet aimed at health rather than production level.
Keeping aeces and urine separate creates two unique nutrient fows without
expensive treatment: the aeces with organically bound nitrogen and phosphor, and the
urine with mainly mineral nitrogen and potassium. The urine can be used directly, but it
can also be processed into an articial ertiliser substitute. In summer, the aeces can
be used directly with minimal losses because it contains hardly any mineral nitrogen.
In other periods it can be digested or biogas production. Adding additional biomass is
not necessary because the dry matter content is much higher and there is no negativeinfuence rom mineral nitrogen.
This way, the dairy arm is able to produce high-quality nutrients and organic matter
in various sub fows, simply and with limited investments, which can be completely
utilised in various types o plant cultivation, on the own arm or in arable arming. This
means a contribution to a reduction in the use o articial ertiliser in Dutch agriculture.
As such, dairy armers will be storing and using various fows o nutrients on their arms
and partly supplying them to arable arms.
Turnaround in acting 3: capital and labourA dairy arm that perorms other unctions in addition to the production o milk oers
a sound oundation or a stable and sustainable sector. Cows may, or instance, eat
certied residual fows such as those released during rening grasses and algae. These
fows are likely to increase in uture. An important new unction o dairy husbandry could
be the production o electric energy rom solar cells on or as roos, or rom a new
generation o small wind turbines, or instance.
Increasing the yield o specic sections o grassland and arable land saves costs
and creates room or own cultivation o protein-rich crops, or nature or or grasslands
with ecological value. The costs o housing dairy cows can greatly be reduced i we
stop thinking in terms o conventional livestock houses and start searching or dierent
solutions or slatted foors and slurry pits.Other interesting possibilities to drastically reduce costs include sharing capital-
intensive assets such as milking parlours, tractors and harvesting machines. Even
ar-reaching cooperation is an option - without loss o unctionality. Automation and
robotisation will urther increase in the uture. Then cows may, or instance, get their
eed rom autonomous vehicles without human intervention.
Giving the cows all the space they want, will make them happy, vital and healthy, so
diseases will not bother them very much. They will have ew problems with claws and
the locomotor system and they can timely be inseminated to have the next cal. The
much better hygiene will also make persistent problems such as mastitis a thing o the
past. As a result, the dairy armers job will shit to high-quality, unique labour that pays
well.
2
3 4Turnaround in acting 4: the soilThe soil and the crop can be supplied with organic matter and minerals rom aeces and
urine. That will require a new application method. Liquid mineral nitrogen rom urine is
applied to the soil several times during the growing season. Dependent on the plants
needs, soil and weather conditions, application is rst in small quantities and close to
the plant roots, later in greater volumes and broadcast. Organically bound nitrogen,
phosphate and organic matter can be injected or incorporated in the soil according to
crop and rotation.
Minimising tillage operations such as ploughing and harrowing prevents undesired
decomposition o organic matter. Accumulating organic matter will even make it possibleto store carbon in the soil. These measures, in combination with avoiding soil compaction
(no more heavy machinery), will stimulate aeration and soil lie. That makes plants grow
better and reduces nitrate leaching as well as the ormation o the greenhouse gas
nitrous oxide. Applying intensive arming on some elds and extensive arming (low-input)
on others, gives possibilities to make an important contribution to the richness o species
o plant and animals (biodiversity). Precision ertilisation and using irrigation tubes in
the topsoil or watering will increase production on grassland, creating possibilities to
compensate or production losses rom low-input arming.
Expensive capital assets such as an advanced milking
parlour can better be utilised to the ull. A milking parlour
shared by various arms considerably reduces costs and
makes labour more fexible.
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De MeentSpace or physical exercise, ree choice and social behaviour
Spacious bedding and distance between cows
Protection rom heat stress, strong winds and heavy rain
solar energy
harvesting solid manure(aeces) and urine
water
urine
Year-round spaceA unit o 50 cows
Year-round space (360 m per cow)
Three living ranges plus pasture
Welare: 95% o maximum score (Cowel)
Keep aeces (solid manure) and urine separate
Ammonia emissions 75% lower
20 m solar roo per cow
Economy: not more expensive
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Four undamental turnarounds in thinking and acting: those are the basis
or De Meent, De Meent XL, De Bronck and Amstelmelk. The starting points
are the same or these our designs or sustainable husbandry systems: only
the detailing diers. The design o De Meent has the most comprehensive
description. Many o the solutions presented there can also be ound in the
other designs. Once more, these designs are not blueprints but examples o
how it could be done.
Design concepts or
sustainable dairy husbandry
De Meent: year-round spaceAt De Meent - see previous page - 50 cows are kept together as a herd with
all the space they need: 360 m per animal in summer as well as in winter. A
herd size o ty heads oers the animals saety, social ranking order and the
possibility to recognise all herd ellows. De Meent oers cows space or social
interaction and play, to fee or to keep a proper distance. In this way, conficts
will develop less easily.
Some dairy armers already keep their cows outdoors in the pastures
throughout the year, also when it is cold. For instance, dairy armers working
according to the PureGraze system.
De Meent does not oer the herd a traditional barn. The cows have three
unctional areas that are interconnected over the ull width: the green outdoor
range, the shelter and the sand bedding. These three zones together oer the
cow space or all natural patterns o behaviour.
Own choice
In dry weather and good soil conditions, the three areas are
permanently available. When it rains or when the soil is wet in the
outdoor range, the cows can stand or lie under the shelter (20 m
per animal) or on the sand bed. That protects the sward. Actual
pasturing with grazing takes place on the elds around De Meent.
1) The green outdoor range
The green outdoor range is the largest zone: a grass eld,
specially laid out, with an intensive drainage system and a very
strong type o grass. This area is intended or lying and exercising.
Grass production comes s econd here. In summer, the green
outdoor range oers access to the pastures around it where the
cows can graze. Drainage ensures discharge o rainwater and
harvesting o urine.
2) The shelter
The shelter is what catches the eye. Most unctions are
concentrated here, such as resting, eeding and milking. For
every cow there is a sheltered, spacious and sot bed. The
resting places are grouped in islands. It means that subgroups
o beriended cows can lie together. At the same time, it is easy
or cows to nd a resting place away rom a higher ranking cow.
Over the entire width there are ample numbers o easily accessible
eating places. Fity cows are milked in one automatic milking
system. This also allows lower ranking cows to be milked without
waiting time.
The superstructure o the shelter consists o a simple, sel-
supporting construction o some ve metres high. Towards the
south it is covered with solar panels, towards the north the roo is
made o transparent perspex or canvas. That makes it light, but
not hot under the shelter. This structure makes it possible to install
solar cells in any building block with optimum orientation towards
the south. Rollable wire mesh wind breakers around the shelter
keep out the cold wind.
3) The sand bed
The uncovered sand bed lies b etween the green outdoor range
and the shelter. That sand bed is intended as lying area and it is
large enough or all cows to lie down on it, with a spacing o at
least two metres, which cows regard as pleasant.
Harvesting aeces and urine
Loss o nutrients and emissions o harmul gases are limited in De
Meent. Ater pasturing in the surrounding elds, the animals go
back to the outdoor range to rest. In this way minimum quantities
o aeces and urine end up in the pastures and maximum
quantities can be harvested in the outdoor range. We expect that
50% o the aeces and urine will end up under the shelter, some
25% in the sand bed, 20% in the outdoor range, and 5% in the
pastures.
Resting beds
Cows spend the better part o the day quietly ruminating.
Thereore, it is important that there are sucient places to lie
down. De Meent has three types o beds.
1. Green outdoor range: here the cows can lie down under normal
conditions at some 8-12 metres rom each other.
2. Sand bed: a lying dist ance o at least 2 metres. Sand is a
pleasant material to lie on. The sand bed is a good alternative
when the soil in the outdoor range is too wet.
3. Under the shelter: here are sucient spacious places to lie
down where the animals lie a little closer together or a while.
The beds are pitched, so the cows will automatically lie down
with their head up and their bottom towards the technical foor.
That makes it easy to collect aeces and urine.
Healthy cow
De Meent is a good place or a vital cow that likes to exercise
actively, can stand her own in the herd and yet has a sizeable
production. The cows no longer have to be dehorned - the social
ranking order, the space and the husbandry system allow that.
Because o the good lie, the lie expectancy o a dairy cow can
easily be nine years. Good foors prevent claw problems and
natural behaviour improves ertility. The lower inection pressure
and clean suraces, together with an ample ration and sucient
eating and resting acilities, will reduce mastitis and other arm-
specic diseases. Since the cows do not eat much concentrate,
De Meent is less suitable or highly productive dairy cattle.However, we expect that the considerably improved standard o
animal welare will also have a positive eect on the milk yield.
As long it is dry and not too cold outside, cows preer to be outdoors. Even at
10C that is no problem or them. But cows do need shelter in strong wind,
heavy rain, or blazing sun.
Very high animal welare, good health and long lie
Cow welare is considerably higher than in existing husbandry systems, see the graphs on page 33. This is the result o much more
space to move, reedom o choice, and ample and sucient lying places, among other things.
Good health and low replacement rates o cows through clean and dry foors, exercise, rapid and separate discharge o aeces and
urine, a production level suitable or armers management style, and calving in spring.
With a suitable type o cow, the lie expectancy o the cows will increase to the economically optimal age o nine years without any
problem.
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Harvesting minerals: three birds with one stoneDe Meent is geared or harvesting minerals and reducing emissions. That
is done by separating the aeces (solid manure) and the urine o the cows
in the three areas and eectively carrying o the two products and storing
them separately.
De Meent kills three birds with one stone by harvesting aeces and urine. Firstly:
ammonia is ormed when urine and manure get mixed. Keeping them apart reduces
emissions considerably. Secondly, urine and aeces are separately suitable or
processing into useul ertilisers. The urine can relatively easily be converted into a
manageable nitrogen concentrate. The solid manure can be spread out over the land
or digested rst. That can be done in a smaller digester than usual and without co-
digestion because no urine is mixed in. Use o a plug fow digester allows intensive
digestion o the aeces with a high dry matter content at a higher temperature.
Thirdly, quickly carrying o the aeces rom t he system promotes hygiene. It reduces
the general inection pressure and the development o pathogenic germs.
Harvesting urineHarvesting minerals takes place in a dierent way in each o the three zones. Under
the sheltered area, where most unctions are concentrated, there is a technical foor
through which urine passes but solid manure does not. The shallow space below the
foor is permanently kept at negative air pressure. In this way no ammonia rom the
pit will escape to the atmosphere. A small in-line air scrubber can strip the nitrogen
rom the urine and put it in a concentrated solution. This way the better part o the
urine can be harvested as an articial ertiliser substitute.
The sand bed also acts as a lter. The urine seeps through the sand, is
discharged through the drainpipes and then stripped o nitrogen. As the sand bed
is not covered, much more water will be carried o when it rains. The rst rain will
fush the urine rom the sand bed. It will then be collected, processed and stored. In
heavy rain the cows will be lying under the shelter, so no new urine will end up in the
sand bed. Then, the discharge water contains so little urine, that it can be discharged
without any problem.
Urine can also be harvested in the green outdoor range. Part o the minerals rom
the urine is taken up by the grass in summer. In addition, here too the urine can be
collected and carried o using drainpipes under normal circumstances. In heavy
rain, the rst fow will be collected. In summer the highly diluted fow o water can be
used or sprinkling or irrigating other elds and in winter it can be discharged. That
minimises mineral losses.
Harvesting solid manureOne or more robots drive around 24 hours a day, pick up the manure throughout the
system and bring it to one collection point. Those could be modied versions o the
existing Scarab manure scraper, now still manned.
Such unmanned robots are currently under development and eventually they will
be suitable or use in all three zones. As long as this technology is not yet available,
an improved grooved foor system with holes is a good option. On the sandy bottom
and in the green outdoor range, man-driven machines can remove the manure.
The main benet o this approach is a hygienic system that produces hardly any
ammonia and keeps minerals available in an easily utilisable orm. In this way the
dairy arm creates various fows o dierent nutrients that are
stored separately. The armer can then decide which ertiliser is
the most suitable one at what moment or which crop. Moreover,
he can also supply sub fows to arable arms.
Energy rom sun and aeces
The roo o De Meent not only provides
shelter or the cows: its structure also
makes it possible to harvest solar energy.
Photovoltaic cells, or PV cells, are an
integrated part o a ramework with space
rame girders. Because o their sturdy
triangular design, the bearing structure does
not have to be heavy and they can always
be positioned to the south in every building
block. That makes this shelter cheap. The
area o PV cells is 20 m per cow. That
is almost sucient to compensate thegreenhouse eect o the enteric methane
emission o the cows themselves. In
combination with other measures to reduce
greenhouse gases, this system makes it
possible to become energy-neutral at the
start. With the expected doubling o the
eciency o solar cells over some ten years,
dairy husbandry may even become climate-
neutral through compensation.
Keeping aeces and urine separate has
yet another major advantage: digestion
makes it possible to generate biogas rom
the aeces without co-digestion. In act,
this is the only gas you can truly call green
gas. Ater all, co-products require a lot o
energy or transport and in many cases they
are valuable ood products as such. That
applies or instance to maize. On top o that,
it makes the digestion process easier to
control because there is much less mineral
nitrogen. As a result, smaller installations will
suce.The gas can be supplied directly to
neighbouring residential areas or it can be
used in a total energy system supplying
heat or the arm (housekeeping and drying
residues) and electricity to the mains.
Simple to expand
Because o its shape, De Meent can easily
be expanded in width, allowing incremental
growth. However, the main limiting actor is
the capacity o the milking robot. For that
reason a armer who strives ater step-by-
step growth along the De Meent concept will
opt or a milking parlour rather than a robot.
Growing cropsAt De Meent or another nearby arable arm, maize and other crops will be grown in
addition to grass or a varied and balanced ration. These crops could include odder
beet, alala, peas, barley, odder lupines and clover in the grass. The leguminous
crops bind nitrogen rom the air. Cultivation o the other crops does not require articial
nitrogen ertiliser because substitutes with mineral nitrogen have been produced rom
the harvested urine.
Precision ertilisation and shallow and deep injection make it possible to administer
exact quantities and types o urine based liquid ertiliser. On top o that, it can also
be done at the right place - at the plants roots - at the right time and under the right
weather conditions, so not outside the growing season and not on waterlogged soils.
This method reduces nitrate leaching, almost completely eliminates ammonia emissions
and considerably reduces the ormation and emission o nitrous oxide and other nitrousgases. Thanks to the reduction o these losses, the nitrogen application rate can also
be reduced drastically.
Developing ertiliser application technologies urther
Existing technologies, such as the spoke wheel injector, are suitable to use and to
develop urther or accurate application o the liquids. In the long term we may even
see autonomous vehicles delivering weekly small applications to the crops, or instance.
The harvested aeces contain mainly organically bound nitrogen and phosphate as well
as organic matter and in summer they can directly be used or the crops. During other
periods o the year they can be sent to the digester and stored as digestate or use
during the growing season.
Reduced ploughing and harrowing
When growing grass and other crops, and or crop rotation, traditional tilling operations
such as ploughing and harrowing are less applied. This considerably reduces the
decomposition o organic matter in the soil. So, the organic matter content increases
and the soil can be used or CO2
storage through the accumulation o carbon. With
urther development o existing technology or minimum tillage - such as reseeding and
local tillage - crop rotation without ploughing while maintaining proper weed control is
increasingly possible. Combination o crops may then contribute to increasing the yield
per hectare while at the same time reducing the environmental impact.
Lighter machinery
A well-aerated soil with sucient organic matter contributes to improved rooting in the
crops, xing nitrogen in the topsoil, and a good soil water status. Consequently, it is
important to prevent soil compaction by using less heavy machines. Automation should
make that possible in uture. When human labour is no longer necessary, many light
machines can do the job o one large one.
The cows eed and pasturing
With a varied diet o resh grass, grass
silage, maize, untreated residual fows
rom the ood industry and high-protein
sources, the cow can receive optimum
eed in all stages o her lie. On the
one hand this reduces the methane
emissions by the cow, with the added
advantage o a reduction in urine spots
since the urine contains less nitrogen.
With a proper diet it is no longer
necessary to closely control the cows
nitrogen and phosphate eciency, but
instead ocus should be on the quality
and composition o the excreted aeces
and urine. Residual heat rom the
digester and the total energy system are
suitable or drying residual products or
or improving the roughage quality.
I cows graze or short periods at a time
on slightly older, long grass, this grass
will have more structure and contain
less nitrogen. The grass production
will remain high as well. Contamination
o the pasture grass with aeces is
minimal because the cows rest in the
green outdoor range. Application o an
irrigation system with underground hoses
at a depth o 30 to 40 centimetres
makes it possible to supply water and
nutrients and a yield o 16 tons o dry
matter per hectare can be achieved.
Ammonia emissions are 75% lower as a result o:
rapid separate discharge o urine and aeces to a closed storage
separate application o urine (or concentrate) and aeces (or digestate)
injection o urine (concentrate)
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Economy: competing with existing systems
The design concepts o Cow Power can compete with existing
systems economically, and eventually even perorm b etter. This
does depend on the development o necessary technology,
in particular, labour-saving robotics and precision ertiliser
application, and the development o an attitude towards intensive
cooperation between armers in dairy husbandry. Cost reductions
and new yields in the designs compensate the additional costs
and lower yields elsewhere. Major yields and savings are
achieved by the cheaper inrastructure - cheaper roo with a
double unction, no slurry pits - a higher crop yield per hectare,
a longer cow lie, major reduction o the concentrate supply and
ertiliser application and sharing capital assets (at De Bronck and
Amstelmelk). An overview is shown below.
New costs
Green outdoor range and promenade with lower grassproduction (De Meent and De Bronck)
Drainage o outdoor range (De Meent and De Bronck)
Faeces collection robot
Irrigation o pastures
Lying space on sand
Storages or urine and aeces
Storage acilities and, i necessary, processing o residual
fows rom the ood industry
New yields
Higher grass production o pastures Grass production rom nature areas
Electricity production
Sale o articial ertiliser substitutes
Compensation or carbon storage in the soil
Higher costs Lower occupation rate o milking robot (De Meent and De
Meent XL)
Low-emission foor that separates aeces and urine
Development o dierent management methods by the armer
(mainly De Bronck)
Savings Longer lie o dairy cows will reduce the need or rearing
young stock
No expensive slurry pits
Cheap and light roo structure
Optimum utilisation o milking parlour (De Bronck and
Amstelmelk)
Smaller digester without biomass; no purchase o co-products
Minimum processing o eed concentrates
No articial ertiliser required
Minimal tillage
Less labour per cow
More fexible use o labour
Less diseases and stress or the cow
De Meent XL: i you want moreDe Meent XL is a combination o three De Meent-units
o 50 cows. The herds live in separate areas so as
to minimise any ranking order conficts. Farmhouse,
armyard and storage acilities are at the centre o the
system. De Meent XL ts well into a 1-hectare building
block.
From a spatial and unctional point o view it is no problem to
enlarge the design o De Meent without aecting the design
principles; the additional yields and costs apply here as well.
Keeping spacious transition areas b etween the shelter, the sand
bed, and the green outdoor range is important or De Meent
XL, too, since the cows are completely ree to go outside or,
conversely, to nd shelter.
De Meent XL can benet rom the size o scale in a number
o ways: purchasing, supplying, storing and processing residual
fows rom the ood industry, processing aeces and urine into
specic nutrient fows and inrastructure or transport o the
generated energy.
Energy-neutral systems through:
no use o articial ertiliser, keeping tillage to a minimum
eed concentrate only rom minimally processed residual
products rom regional sources
local and regional application o minerals (limited transport)
solar cells
energy production rom digestion without co-digestion
The welare score o the designs in Cowel
The graph below shows a comparison between our relatively
avourable practical situations o existing husbandry systems or
cows (tie stall, cubicle house, straw yard and year-round pasture
based), the our design concepts, and the modied version o
Cow Power (CP). The graph shows that the Cow Power designs
score 16 to 30 points higher than the existing best system or
animal welare, which is year-round grazing.
The De Meent & XL and De Bronck designs only all 12 point
short o the maximum possible score (313). The dierence
is caused by the lack o cow-cal contact, the milking system
and the lower milking requency, three characteristics clos ely
connected with the production purpose o the system. In theAmstelmelk design, the score is also lower because o the
application o dehorning and the more limited space per cow
in winter. The modied version o an existing cubicle house, in
particular, scores lower because we have based the assessment
on the - though modied - still concrete foor in the barn,
standard lying beds and dehorning.
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Tie stall
Cubicle housing
CP modified version
Straw yard
Year-round pasture based
CP Amst