‘If your cows get fitter, the installation pays for itself quickly’

De Groot (23) is in partnership with his brother and parents. He is the youngest of the family. Together with his father, he does most of the work on the farm. His mother does the administration and jumps in when needed. His brother also works at an agricultural mechanisation company. The farm is in the middle of the Frisian lake district. Close to the farm, a wide canal runs between two lakes. The family has 70 hectares of peat pasture, on which they grow only grass. They buy maize and by-products such as press pulp.

The farm has grown significantly in recent years. In 2015, the entrepreneurs had the cubicle barn extended, allowing growth from 90 to 136 dairy cows. The cows always drink surface water in the barn. The entrepreneurs had long noticed that the water in the drinking troughs in the barn was turbid, especially in summer. ‘You could also smell that a bit,’ says De Groot. Moreover, every year it was necessary to flush the pipes at least once, because the flow was not optimal. 'The quality of drinking water for the cows was always an issue. It would have been good if we had done something about it earlier, we notice now,' says the young livestock farmer.

Difference of night and day

Two years ago, he therefore sought contact with Watter after reading about it in a magazine. At the time, De Groot himself was not so convinced of the usefulness of investing in the installation to purify the drinking water, but the other mates already saw the benefit. Watter therefore installed a pilot plant for six months.

After a week, the difference could already be seen in the water tanks in the barn. The water became cleaner,' De Groot recalls. Gradually, the water became clearer and fresher. That convinced him. 'In the six months that the installation was on trial here, I became increasingly enthusiastic. Especially in summer, the difference was very noticeable; the water often stank a bit, now it is always clean and fresh.'

The family then quickly decided to buy the installation that was on trial.

Since then, the cows have much preferred drinking water in the barn rather than outside, De Groot observes. 'When they come in, they walk straight to the water trough. That was not the case before. It's a night and day difference from how it was before.'

Moreover, the family notices that cleaner drinking water is good for the cows' health. 'They suffer less from diseases. We don't see a change all at once, but still it is improving. If you have fewer problems with cows, the installation pays for itself quickly. I certainly don't want to lose the installation again.'