Together with his father, Maarten Verhoef runs a dairy farm with 190 dairy cows and 110 young stock. Milking is done with three milking robots. Although they had been aware of the impact of drinking water on animal health for some time, problems persisted, especially udder infections lately.

For years, Maarten was a feed consultant in addition to being a dairy farmer. He stopped doing that two years ago, but his background still helps him take a sharp look at nutrition and water quality; one of the reasons the dairy farmer cleaned the drinking troughs two to three times a week. And using chlorine dioxide didn't offer a solution either. The water continued to pollute rapidly. A slimy plaque formed on the walls and bottom of the stainless steel troughs at lightning speed that the dairy farmer was somewhat eager to get rid of. “We knew that water was a challenge, but no matter what we tried, the problems kept coming back,” says Verhoef.

The switch to the Watter system

“Over the past two years, the number of mastitis cases increased remarkably fast and the cases became more severe until it was no longer tolerable. That was the decisive factor for us to measure the drinking water quality and to look for a good solution based on the results,” explains Verhoef. In July 2024, therefore, the Watter system was installed on the farm.

The zero-measurement water samples before installation:

For reference, according to IKB Rund, the limits for good drinking water are less than 10,000 germs and less than 10 E. coli.

Recent water samples:

After installing the system, Maarten noticed a difference almost immediately: “From the first few days, I noticed that the cows took in over 10% more water. What I also noticed: almost no cow defecated in the troughs anymore. It seemed like they found the fresh water more attractive.”

The result: healthier cows and more efficient operations

The positive effects did not stop with the water alone. The cows felt significantly better, which Maarten noticed especially in the run on the milking robots. The number of mastitis cases also dropped sharply. “The first seven months after the start I didn't see any mastitis. Now it still occurs sporadically, but less extreme than before. It is clearly noticeable that the cows have more resistance,” Verhoef explains.

The tank cell count dropped below 100 and remained stable. The number of mastitis cases decreased by about 80%. “So I'm very happy with that,” smiles the dairy farmer.

Dry cows also benefit

Something stood out in the dry cows as well: “I always fed a resistance supporter on top. Since starting with Watter, I stopped doing that and yet the BRIX value of the colostrum increased by 2 to 3 points. That confirms to me that the cows have to sacrifice less resistance because their drinking water is cleaner.”

That the dairy farmer is very happy with the investment made should be obvious: “The Watter system makes a great contribution to job satisfaction and animal welfare, because you have to deal much less often with unnecessarily sick cows. And the vet costs fall solidly with it.”

Finally, the Verhoef tells his colleagues, “If I start listing the benefits, it pays for itself quickly. I also believe that as an entrepreneur in today's times, you cannot avoid making responsible choices for optimal animal health. Every cow that lasts longer clearly contributes to 'balance' and job satisfaction. Knowledge advances and as an entrepreneur you can definitely take advantage of that.”