Kaasboerderij Mulder: "There is a lot of profit to be gained in water"
Cheesefarm Mulder is progressive, entrepreneurial and focused on delivering structural quality. For owner Stefan Mulder, who is in the partnership with his parents, the most important thing is that the cheeses have a consistent taste all year round. An approach that bears fruit: the cheeses of the company from Melissant can be found at more than 150 customers in Northwest Europe and recently even in China.
Cheesefarm Mulder is progressive, entrepreneurial and focused on delivering structural quality. For owner Stefan Mulder, who is in the partnership with his parents, the most important thing is that the cheeses have a consistent taste all year round. An approach that bears fruit: the cheeses of the company from Melissant can be found at more than 150 customers in Northwest Europe and recently even in China.
Certainty about rations and health is important
Making cheese is a craft. Because it has to mature for a long time, it takes at least nine months before you can experience the fruits of your labor. Even more than with regular milk production, it is important to avoid risks and have certainty about the ration and health of the cows. In this way, the process remains optimal and taste of the cheese guaranteed to be good. It is therefore a rarity when Mulder changes suppliers or adds something to the business process. At the same time, partners should keep each other on their toes and point out opportunities to improve. This can be done both by working more efficiently and by improving quality.
No more growth, so optimizing
One of the most recent developments on the dairy farm is the use of Watter as a safeguard for drinking water quality. Stefan says: "Because growth seems to have run out of steam, dairy farmers will increasingly look at efficiency, just like pig farmers. Economies of scale are no longer an option, so you have to take a close look at your farm to see where you can optimize. I believe that drinking water is an overlooked issue on most dairy farms. Farmers pay a lot of attention to the silage, that there is no scalding or mold in there. But the water is often dirty and so there is a lot of profit to be made there."
Image below: the drinking water before (left) and after (right) commissioning of Watter.
Note especially the slime layer on the bottom and sides of the drinking trough. This biofilm has completely disappeared.
We ask top-notch performance from animals
Other developments also contribute to the significance the Mulder family attaches to water: "As an industry, we are asking more and more of the animals. Cows deliver top performance, milk 40 to 45 liters and are at the top of their game. To make this possible -and keep it possible- all conditions contribute to this. Sven Kramer doesn't dive into the pub the night before a race either. Water is the basis of the ration." Stefan also sees that summers are becoming increasingly heat stressed. This is disastrous for water quality, as well as cow health and performance. "A cow has to drink well in the summer, as much as 100 to 150 liters a day, so good water is doubly important then and helps cope with the dip."
Thanks to Watter, Mulder notices that the slime layer in the troughs has disappeared and the cows are performing better. Nevertheless, it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what share of improvement clean water has in retrospect, and altogether impossible to predict for anyone else. "What appeals to me tremendously about Watter is the opportunity to try it out. Most dairy farmers are now taking their first steps in drinking water improvement and then such an investment is quite a high threshold.''
"It cannot hurt to try"
The South Hollander's advice is therefore to take advantage of the low-threshold introduction to the Watter system: "If it doesn't hurt, it is worth a try. As an entrepreneur you are always looking for improvements and from my own experience I can speak that drinking water is one."
Curious about the taste of Cheese Farm Mulder? The cheeses can be found in specialty stores and markets or for more information visit http://www.kaasboerderijmulder.nl/.