More than 800 bales of Drenthe’s natural grass are piled up at Joost van Dam’s biodynamic dairy farm in Hattem. After the journey of 90 kilometers, the first straw is here on the floor of the cowshed.
The animals lie relaxed on top of it, now and then nibbling on some stray green blades, while a dividing machine blows fresh straw into the room. This creates a comfortable bed for the 90 dairy cows that are currently grazing outside in the pasture.
Livestock farmer Van Dam watches it with satisfaction, glad that he can get his bedding from Drenthe. Usually it comes from much further away, from France, Germany or Spain. “We don’t grow enough organic grain in the Netherlands to make straw, so that means you have to get it from abroad. I prefer not to use conventional straw, because it still contains remnants of pesticides from grain cultivation.”
Getting straw from Drenthe is therefore an advantage for the farmer, if only because of the shorter transport time, but the natural grass has other advantages for Van Dam. Much more than just grass grows in the nature reserve. All kinds of other plants, flowers and herbs are also mowed and a variety of nutrients end up in the straw.
The cows walk and lie on the straw in the barn, but they also relieve themselves there. Together with the nutrients from the natural mix, these excrements form a perfect fertilizer for the land of a farmer friend, according to Van Dam.
“He can use that for his crops and he grows some grain and grass-clover for me. I can use that as fodder for my cows. And then you have a bit of a cycle.” As an added bonus, says Van Dam, the straw retains the ammonia from the urine and manure better, making his company less polluting for the environment.
So it’s good for farmers, but Staatsbosbeheer also benefits from natural straw. The nature manager gets rid of the ‘green waste’ and avoids the costs of disposal and composting. Staatsbosbeheer is therefore trying to determine whether this type of collaboration can also arise in other places.
Forester Van Son: “Farmers should be able to use it, of course. But more and more organic farmers are joining us who can use this grass. It makes our work easier and the farmer doesn’t have to take it far away. So it’s a win-win.”