This story was also published in the CSR 2023-2024 report, released Nov. 5, 2024.
"You have to go with the spices."
Dairy farm and farm shop
Dairy farmer Vincent Smit's milk has a high fat and protein content. On the Noordervaart in Stompetoren, Vincent and his wife Roos also have the farm store Smit's Boer & Goed, where they sell local products in addition to milk and meat from their own cows. The quality of the milk is not only in the genes of the MRIJ (Maas-Rijn-IJsselvee) cows, a so-called "dual-purpose breed. The herb-rich grassland on which the cows graze also plays an important role, Vincent has seen in practice for a few years now.
Herb-rich grassland - a varied diet
"The herbs include narrow plantain, alfalfa, chicory, clovers and caraway. It is a varied diet and the animals are doing very well on it. It also seems to have medicinal effects; I have to adjust much less with minerals in the feed." In addition, the herb-rich grassland is good for biodiversity, Vincent said. "I recently went into the field early in the morning to get the cows and saw a very large swarm of swallows hunting for gnats and flies above the field. I hadn't seen that before. I'm also seeing a lot more butterflies. You can really see life increasing."
Soil quality increases
Vincent started about four years ago and hopes to be completely on herbs in about six years. Of his four lots, one and a half are now full of herb-rich grassland. "Three and a half acres are added to that every year. I try different mixtures of herbs and reed fescue, which roots as much as ninety centimeters deep." Soil quality is also improving noticeably. "I'm finding a lot more commuters now, worms that travel up and down from the surface to the soil water, taking plant debris down with them." And that's good for soil permeability and fertility.
CO2 emissions decrease
Then there is CO2 emissions; they are decreasing because Vincent is using less and less fertilizer. "Soon I will have a 'kitchen table discussion' with advisors organized by CONO (part of Caring Dairy) about what else is possible to reduce the footprint of the milk. We do want to do more." If herb-rich grassland is so good for animals, milk and biodiversity, why don't many more farmers switch to an herb mix? "At first you're still afraid you'll grow less grass, but I soon saw that I could use less fertilizer. You also have to get used to it, because it looks messier on the land, rougher. But those animals don't eat less because of it. And you have to go with the herbs. So mowing a little higher, that's better for regrowth, you don't cut the herbs up then."