Testimonial | We don't have that extreme drop in milk fat anymore...

130

dairy cows

80

youngstock

75

hectares of land

10,000

kg of milk per cow per year

How do you prevent the drop in milk fat during the grazing season? Meet John Dibbelink: a driven dairy farmer who is determined and pulling the strings. At the Dibbelink family farm, passion and animal welfare go hand in hand. For John, it’s simple: “If the cow is comfortable, then the farmer is comfortable, too.”

His smile speaks volumes, symbolizing his determination not to become acidic about political turbulence. With his wife Anja and son Jeen, John forms the heart of the Dibbelink dairy farm. Their ambition? Maximum efficiency by feeding the cow more high-quality roughage. Peace, cleanliness, and stability are the fundamental pillars.

In the spring of 2023, the farm participated in research led by Dutch agricultural students. The findings were promising: replacing sodium bicarbonate in the TMR with a natural alternative. The result? A minimal drop in milk fat during the grazing season and stable results throughout the year.

The Dibbelinks are satisfied people with an open mind to the future. Quality Calf took us to this lovely family farm.

Why did you start with pHom Norway?

The dairy farm wants to get more and more roughage through the cow, so less feed concentrate supply is needed. John Dibbelink explains, “More than a year ago, we started a trial. We were one of five field farms that started it. We started with 80 grams per cow per day of pHom Norway in the ration to keep the pH in the rumen stable for good forage intake and utilization. Before that, we used sodium bicarbonate, but pHom Norway is a natural product, which appealed to us.”

Why do you use pHom Norway year-round?

Dibbelink feeds a fresh, high-quality ration for the feed fence daily. They add pHom Norway to the TMR in the feeding wagon and use the product year-round to support the cow’s process. John compares the rumen in the cow to his grassland: “In the soil, the pH has to be right, but the same applies to the cow. If the pH in the rumen remains stable for a long time, then the cow can convert more roughage to milk.” The dairy farm believes this supports animal health, stability, and continuity. John Dibbelink says, “The cows are happy, the manure is good, the production is good, we see minimal problems with the claws and calving. It runs, it just runs well, and then you are satisfied.”

What are your experiences with pHom Norway?

At the kitchen table, Dibbelink explains that the change of silage, rations, grazing, and the weather affect, for example, the drop in milk fat. According to John, roughage has the most effect on milk yields. Since they started feeding pHom Norway, they have seen a change. Dibbelink says, “During the 2023 grazing season, we saw a small drop in milk fat from 4.50 to 4.30%. In other years, it went from 4.50 to 4.0%. We don’t have that extreme drop in milk fat anymore. The contents and that rumen remain at a good level.”

How do you use pHom Norway?

Dairy Farm Dibbelink used sodium bicarbonate to maintain the rumen’s pH year-round. In winter, 80 grams are used, and in summer, against heat stress, 160 – 200 grams are consumed per cow/day. Since March 2023, pHom Norway has replaced sodium bicarbonate with 80 grams/cow/day. Once the temperature exceeds 25°C, they feed 100 – 120 grams/cow/day pHom Norway.

Dibbelink continues, “In winter, we feed a fixed ration based on 60% grass, 35% corn, and 5% sugarbeet pulp. In summer, they get pasture grass. Silage was very fast-digesting in the spring of 2023 due to high acidity. pHom Norway in the ration keeps the rumen calm.” Furthermore, the dairy farm ensures they allow at least one week for a new silage and change of ration. pHom Norway supports calmness in the rumen to prevent rumen acidosis.

Why do you continue to use the product?

Dairy Farm Dibbelink thinks pHom Norway supports roughage processing because the rumen stays well. The rumen function has also been studied with the pH smaXtec bolus in cows at the Dutch Agricultural College. The students also went to regularly sieve manure at practical farms to assess the cows’ digestibility and feed intake. The Dibbelink farm was previously unaware of how much information another can extract from manure. Since they started feeding pHom Norway, the overall manure status has improved. Dibbelink says: “The results from the manure sievings look incredibly nice. There is now a nice line in the ratio of manure fractions.” The picture shows that pHom Norway had a 10% coarse fraction compared to 16% with sodium bicarbonate. The results indicate that the cow can get more energy from roughage. One year of pHom Norway as a standard in the feed ration shows that the proportion of coarse manure fraction is minimal.