Surrounded by ‘his ladies’ in the stable, Frens van Oirschot is beaming with pride. He has a chance to win the title of Agricultural Entrepreneur of the Year 2023. “This nomination feels like winning the Champions League. Really great!” The farmer from Boxtel changed course in 2018 and exchanged his cows for water buffaloes. “That kept me awake, you know.”
Frens and his family’s change of course did not happen overnight. “With dairy cattle you had to walk on your toes and practice top sport. It became difficult to pay the bills. My parents saw that too. They see that you change as a person, that you become irritable.”
Frens found it difficult to tell his parents about his decision “We’ve been here since 1885. And then I, ‘that brat’, suddenly decided that the cows would go out and we would do something else,” he laughs. Yet the water buffalo farmer never really regretted it. “Except in the beginning. The first time I spent a whole day milking nine buffaloes and thought what have I started? That must have kept me awake.”
“We’re doing this as a family, together.”
In retrospect, it turned out to be a very good decision that may be awarded next week with the prize for Agricultural Entrepreneur of the Year 2023. “Actually, we have already won,” says his wife proudly. “We are among the last five. The great thing is that we all do this together: as a family, together. I also told the jury that.”
Their 20-year-old son Thijm sends all buffaloes to the milking robot every morning. “He takes care of them, feeds them, cleans them and delivers orders. In fact, he helps with all the daily tasks.” Lau (9) also contributes. “He sometimes helps with the guided tours on Fridays. Then our farm shop is open and everyone can come by to admire the water buffalo.”
“I sometimes think that they are jealous of it at the Beekse Bergen.”
When the water buffaloes graze outside in better weather and cool off in the water, it attracts a lot of attention. “It is sometimes so busy here that I think they are jealous of it at the Beekse Bergen,” laughs Frens. “Then the whole road here is full of cars and cyclists. Sometimes people even stop with a camper who then fold out a table and quietly drink a glass of wine on the side of the road.”
On Thursday 30 March, the Van Oirschot family will hear whether they can call themselves Agricultural Entrepreneur of the Year 2023.