The cows drink a lot and we don’t want to use chemicals

With his dairy farm in Noordbeemster, a small village in North Holland, Peter Konijn keeps 70 dairy cows and 50 young stock. In addition to cows, Peter and his wife Lieneke also keep 100 dams on their farm in the polder. These are pure Texels with a high health status. Together, Peter and Lieneke run things and put all their energy into the farm. However, despite their enthusiasm, passion and good intentions, animal health remained a challenge with the cows. For a while now, this has finally been under better control and that brings a lot of peace to the usually headstrong farmer. The Watter system came as a solution for Peter Konijn, and he has now been using it for two years.

Definitely no harmful chemicals

According to Peter, a solution had to be found for the water, as it was incredibly foul. "For a long time, a black spongy goo caused by microbiological contamination could be seen in the tanks. It was as if you could just take it out with a shovel," Peter described. This 'goo' comes from the well and causes turbid water and annoyance to the cattle farmer. Rabbit also struggled with many claw problems. Those leg problems caused quite a bit less production, and all in all, it also cost him a lot of money. They were struggling with many problems and were keen to find a solution. "The cows drink a lot and you supply the food industry, so it is important that the water is good". After some searching, Watter came their way. "The main reason we chose Watter is because we don't want to use chemicals," begins Peter. "What struck me is the ease in using dangerous chemicals. It scares you to death!" he responds emotionally. He had already made it clear to himself: he doesn't want it that way.

Minerals story

Peter explains that he greatly overestimated minerals. "Around us there is only old grassland, old sea clay and we fertilise with our own farmyard manure. No tillage is done to the land either. We started doubting whether this was also a factor. Your gut tells you that your mineral management is in order, but it is not." Peter started supplementing minerals at the same time. Clean drinking water makes these minerals better absorbed. On Rabbit's farm, they use groundwater. This is where the suspicion of poor water quality began. "The GD took a water sample and concluded that the water was not suitable for drinking water. The results of the samples showed, among other things, an excess of germs and E. Coli and a high level of ammonium. Eurofins then also took a water sample and came to the same conclusion."

Water is a lot cleaner

On the impact the Watter system has made, he says: "You hope that when the system is installed, all your problems are solved at once. That everything you had in the water will be out in no time. Unfortunately, it's not that black and white." Peter concludes, "It did take a while for our pipe to get clean. The microbiologist did point this out at the time, but against my better judgment I still hoped it would be quicker. The progress we have made is already quite something, and we are sure Watter has definitely played a part in that. The water is a lot cleaner now."

Water test results drinking water

Water results VOF Konijn-Bark

Improvement Mortellaro problems

In the woes they have had, the Watter system has made a significant difference. "Where times ago there were a lot of Mortellaro problems, until one month ago only two cows have been diagnosed with them," he says. He himself does not notice much difference in drinking. "Our cows walk outside most of the time, we are big grazers. As many as 15 to 20 hours in a day! There are water troughs with ditch water there. We don't notice much difference anymore. Inside, they drink heartily, and we haven't noticed them running outside to drink there like before. That's not a bad sign."

Watter system fought off woes

Peter Konijn, together with his wife, looks back on the results and the decision of the purchase Together they conclude: "With Mortellaro you have to be very careful. It's just like a cow with antibiotics in the milk pit. You have to watch out for cross-contamination. With the accumulation of all the problems, we are glad we bought the Watter system. It has definitely helped reduce all the woes. The black goo in the troughs is not 100 per cent gone, but this is partly because the water is stagnant." Family Rabbit realises the importance of good drinking water. "Water is a foundation and from there we want to get back to where we were. Purchasing the Watter system is definitely worthwhile. The clean water means the minerals that are supplemented are better absorbed." This combination leads to a much happier farmer. "If you start comparing, the cost of salt does not outweigh all the woes. We have experienced that ourselves."

2023 is nearing its end, but as a livestock farmer, you can still benefit from the MIA/Vamil scheme this year. This scheme also applies to investments that are good for the environment, such as the Watter system. Would you like to know more about the Watter system? Then contact us without any obligation.