Holland

Production

	cows in holland	days in production	Kg  of  milk	% FAT	% Protein	Kg. FAT and Protein
AVERAGE
Black Holstein ‘04-’05	620.777	349	9.257	4,39	3,49	729
		305	8.469	4,35	3,45	660
Black Holstein ‘03-’04	638.251	351	9.218	4,37	3,48	724
		305	8.403	4,33	3,43	651
Red Holstein   ‘04-’05	154.926	332	7.944	4,56	3,56	645
		305	7.539	4,52	3,54	608
Red Holstein ‘03-’04	150.360	334	7.909	4,56	3,56	643
		305	7.484	4,54	3,52	604

The 305 days production is to compare farms so you always have the same number of days.

Ration

Basis ration is grass and mais, beside these are many types at products such as: soya, beer brush, potato fibre, etc. This are most of the time second products of the industry. This is generally a good product witch many minerals in it, that’s good for the milk, production, and most of the time it’s tasty for the cows. Mais are mainly given for better exploitation of protein and quick energy. The maïs is well for the condition (healthy) because it includes rather much starch, and mais is also good for the structure of the ration what well is for the exploitation for minerals.

Grass is given especially for endosperm and minerals for the milk.  

The system what is applied here also is the TMR (Total Mix Ration) system. In this ration become beside grass and mais many by-products, this is in the place of concentrate. The ration of this is that she can a beautiful ration as a result of which the mineral can be well exploited compose. This system is most used on large companies, because then it is cheaper as concentrate.

In Holland we use a different way of calculation, that we only use in Holland. VEM and DVE. VEM is called feed unit milk. VEM is based on one kilogram of barley. One kg of barley includes 1000 VEM so all the types of food are comparing to barley. And DVE is the protein level that can be used in the bowels. And we use VW= satiety value

to calculate how much a cow can eat.

Health problems

The biggest health problem in The Netherlands is milk fever. Because the most farmer milk around 50 cows its very hard to feed the cows in the different lactation stadium ore dry period a different ration that’s includes what the cow needs. If you want to that, you have to make groups. But it’s very difficult to do it because some groups are then only two or tree cows and most buildings are not  arranged for it. So most of the time all the cows get the same ration. Only the dry cows are separate from the milk producing group.  

Page updated 11.4.2006