The Netherlands: Saying Goodbye

It is hard to believe that my time here in the Netherlands has come to an end. I thought it would be fitting to write my final European post about agriculture in the Netherlands and the people involved in it. I have been able to visit a dairy farm, beef farm and pig farm over the past few months. These visits have been great, but my favorite part has been meeting the people behind the farms and watching them do what they love.

It is amazing that in only 5 months I have come to feel at home in the city of Den Bosch. The beautiful parks and active people make Den Bosch a joy to live in. Earlier this year, I joined a community garden where I quickly made friends with a retired doctor, Jan Borm. In May, Jan invited me out to his niece’s dairy farm. We toured the dairy operation and talked about the differences between dairy in Canada and the Netherlands. Jan’s niece had been to Canada previously where she spent a few weeks with a Dutch dairy farmer in Ontario. This was a wonderful experience and I am grateful that I got to know Jan through the community garden. Below is a photo of Jan and his nephew riding around the farm.

I spent one weekend at the family farm of my friend Hanna van der Goot. I met Hanna last summer in Meadow Lake, SK when she was working on a farm in the area. We were both on a crop tour and when I heard her Dutch accent behind me. Of course, I couldn’t give up the opportunity to make a new friend, so I spun around, introduced myself and asked where Hanna was from. Through social media, Hanna and I stayed in touch and she kindly invited me to spend a weekend on her farm in the north of the Netherlands. I felt very welcomed by Hanna and her family. Their organic Limousin beef operation was a new concept to me and I really enjoyed seeing how they ran their business.

The goal of their cow/calf operation is to produce high quality organic Limousin beef. They sell breeding heifers and bulls to other Limousin producers across the Netherlands. Hanna and her family encourage people who live in urban centers to come out and experience a day on their farm. They have meeting room attached to one of the barns where businesses can host meetings or birthday parties can be held.

My weekend away from the city made me remember how much I appreciate being raised on a farm. The values and work ethic that come with growing up in the busy farming environment are priceless. Of course, with cows as the main topic all weekend, there was not much silence from my end!

A tasty supper with Hanna (2nd on the right) and her family.

My final farm visit was to a pig operation only 30 minutes from Den Bosch. During my second term at HAS University, I was put in a project group with Giel van Zeeland, a Dutch pig farmer, in my International Business Development minor. After a few weeks of working together in a group, Giel invited me out to visit his pig farm. Giel and his family have 400 pigs which is considered a small pig farm in the Netherlands. I got to tour the pig barn and watch the active piglets run around their mothers. I was amazed at how large the barn seems on the inside when there are so many separate rooms. I must admit; the smell was much stronger than I was expecting! At least I didn’t have to worry about people sitting close to me on the train ride home.

These three people and their families have helped make my time in the Netherlands better than I had ever expected. While the Netherlands may be a small country, its productivity and efficiency make it a leader in the agriculture industry. As I pack my bags to leave tomorrow, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to live and learn in this wonderful country.

Dairy Farms in Norway

Sea, mountains and more dairy barns than one can count! Where am I? If you guessed Norway- you are right. I recently spent 5 days admiring the quaint Ajford region of Norway. Here, a family friend, Magnar Normann, was kind enough to host me for a visit.

Magnar is a milk truck driver which meant I had the best guide for learning anything dairy related! I noticed right away that just about every country home has a large red barn in the yard. However, many of the dairy barns scattered across the green terrain are abandoned and now used for storage. Dairy farms in Norway are growing and those who cannot keep up are pushed out of the business. I was surprised to learn that even though farms are growing, a large dairy operation in this part of Norway has roughly 50 dairy cows milking at once. Therefore, on average, Norwegian dairy farms have 20-25 cows which is substantially smaller than the 97 cow average found in the Netherlands.

We visited one dairy farm that milks the entire herd using a robot. This amazing machine is made by a Dutch company called Lely. The robot knows which cows have been milked recently and only milks cows that have waited long enough between being milked. Once the cow has entered the stall, the robot cleans the udder using a brush. The four arms attach to the teats and begin milking. When one quarter is out of milk the arm will unattached from that specific quarter while finishing the rest! The machine knows exactly how much milk each cow produces and allows farmers to keep a detailed record of every cow. While the cow is being milked- she eats a ration that is specific to her weight and needs. After milking, the robot cleans itself and then is ready for the next cow.

Technology, like a milking robot, is becoming increasingly popular in the agriculture industry. This particular technology allows farmers to be off their farm when they usually would be milking. This means farmers have more of their valuable time to spend with family or even working an additional job.

I am so grateful for this trip and the kind hospitality of Magnar and his family. I was blown away by the beauty of Norway and I hope I will be able to visit again some day!

Magnar and I on a hike.
Robot in action

The Diversity of Morocco

I spent the past week on a study trip with my classmates in Morocco. As we drove through the diverse landscape we visited many agribusinesses including a Vineyard, Driscolls berry farm and an Argan oil production facility.

The landscape of this beautiful country took my breath away. Our bus drove from the city of Meknes in the north of Morocco down to the dry coastal cities of Rabat and Agadir and back inland to the oasis of Marrakesh. We made a day trip to the Atlas Mountains and ate a traditional Tagine along the fresh mountain water stream.

Our first visit was one that I will not easily forget. We visited a winery located just outside of the city of Meknes. Here, the fields are filled with cereal crops and sheep graze along the roadside.

This winery visit was a unique experience that showed the contradiction between economic growth and religious beliefs. Wine, along with all alcohol, is illegal in Morocco because of the beliefs of the Islamic religion. However, according to our guide- who is involved in production on the vineyard- wine is enjoyed by many of the locals. Even though it is illegal, the government allows vineyards as they are good for economic growth and can be taxed. However, local people often do not agree with the production of wine. The vineyard struggles to hire interns due to the poor reputation that wine production holds among the Moroccan people.

This particular business consists of 80 hectares and provides employment for 36 people. The young grape seedlings are imported from France. Drip irrigation is used throughout the vineyard to reduce water loss. After harvest the wine is fermented, bottled and labelled in facilities on the farm. 80% of the wine produced is kept for the local market and 20% is exported. The highest quality wine (pictured below) is produced from a single variety of grapes. This type of wine is typically more expensive because of its purity. Other wines consist of numerous grape varieties blended together and are fermented in stainless steel tanks for 10-15 days.

I was happy to learn that the skin of the grape is kept and used as both compost and fertilizer. I throughly enjoyed visiting this farm and learning about the cultural contradictions that come with wine production in Morocco.

My week long trip was jam packed with farm visits and I will be posting again soon with more pictures. Stay tuned!

Tagine Lunch
Water reservoir overlooking the vineyard
Epicuria wine is of high quality and fermented in French oak .

Worm Farming

Worm farming a.k.a Vermicomposting is a concept that I stumbled across while working on a business plan this semester. I had no idea that worms could be used as more than just fishing bait! In fact- they can provide many benefits to us as consumers. As humans, we create so much waste that we do not properly manage. This post is all about how to turn your organic waste into useful fertilizer.

Vermicomposting involves using worms to convert organic waste into fertilizer. Essentially, worms digest our organic waste (banana peels, egg shells etc.) and produce their own waste called “castings”. Worm castings can be mixed in with soil to provide abundant nutrients to plants. Eisenia fetida or “red wigglers” are the species of worms that are often used in vermicomposting. They love to live in a dark and damp environment and can eat up to half of their weight per day.

In Den Bosch, Netherlands there is a “Worm Hotel” located outside of my apartment building. This hotel is designed as an ideal atmosphere for worms to live in year round. Approximately twenty families are part of this project where they contribute their organic waste to the worm hotel. In May, they will open the bottom of the hotel and harvest the worm castings to use as fertilizer in their gardens.

Vermicomposting is not only an outdoor activity as it can be easily done in your home all year round. I have been told by experienced vermicomposters that these systems do not smell and are simple to manage. However, I am not fully convinced so I plan to test this theory myself once I get back to Canada (sorry roommates). There are many helpful websites that discuss how to begin vermicomposting such as The Urban Worm Company. It doesn’t take much to start your very own vermicompost system. With spring well on the way, now is a perfect time to try it for yourself!

Worms at work inside the hotel

The Worm Hotel in Den Bosch

A Taste of Scotland

Sheep, sheep and more sheep! My smile stretched from ear to ear as I traveled across the Scottish countryside this past week. Sheep and Highland cattle roam the hilly terrain in Scotland and it is rare to pass a field without spotting one or the other.

My friend, Simone, and I traded in our school books for hiking boots last week to embark on a quick adventure to Scotland. We had plans to visit a few relatives of mine along the way. Our trip began in the beautiful city of Inverness. This smaller city has many popular attractions nearby, including Loch Ness and the Culloden battlefield. I made the “Canadian” mistake of calling Loch Ness a “lake” but thankfully our tour guide sternly corrected me instead of throwing me overboard into the 230 meter deep Loch. A distant relative of mine, Ann Sim, took Simone and I under her wing for a wonderful day of traveling through the Highlands which finished with a traditional whiskey tasting.

Our next stop was to visit another relative of mine, Frances Fleming at her home in Alyth. Frances was so kind to Simone and I and took us to her family farm shop called Peel Farm where we enjoyed a delicious home cooked lunch. Frances even sacrificed her clean car to drive us through puddles of fresh mud so we could get up close to a herd of highland cows. This unique breed of cattle is popular throughout Scotland due to their hardy characteristics.

We rounded out our trip with a stop in Glasgow to stay with my lovely cousin, Sadie Scott. Sadie, Simone and I took the train to Edinburgh where we hiked up Arthur’s Seat which provided us a gorgeous view of the city. We finished our day in a small restaurant where we all ordered the traditional haggis, neeps and tatties. I have to confess- I did not fully understand what haggis was until I googled it while writing this post… I am confident that I would not have been so enthusiastic to eat it, had I read the google definition prior. I guess I am learning as I go, for better and for worse!

Our 8 day trip was a whirl wind of beautiful landscapes, lots of learning and kind people. The Scottish countryside is breathtaking and the ever changing weather is sure to have you on your feet at all times. I am proud to have family who come from this beautiful country and I hope to return again one day.

Haggis, Neeps & Tatties
Highland cattle
A fertile valley in the Highlands
Midway up Arthur’s Seat overlooking Edinburgh

A Twist on the Traditional Dairy Farm…

I have recently moved from Saskatchewan, Canada to ‘s-Hertogenbosch (also known as Den Bosch), the Netherlands to participate in a semester at HAS University of Applied Sciences. On my third day of classes, I, along with 50 of my classmates, had the privilege to visit Smits Camel Dairy. Yes, you read that right, I said Camel Dairy. This unique operation is the only camel dairy in Europe and it is located in the small village of Berlicum, just a 10 minute drive from my new home in Den Bosch.

My trip to this exciting farm included a tour of the dairy barn, a visit to see the young camels and a sample of fresh camel milk! Our guide shared a lot of interesting information with us about the productivity of these magnificent animals. I learned that it takes four years before a female camel can begin to reproduce. Additionally, a camel will only let down her milk when her calf is beside her. Therefore, each time the camels are milked (twice per day) the farmer must round up the calves and let them stand beside their own mother. Another fact that surprised me was that camels only produce 6 L of milk per day in comparison to the average 25 L of milk that dairy cows produce. Sounds like a rather costly operation, right?

As I was lost in my thoughts pondering the profitability of this farm, we came to the end of our tour and were guided through the gift shop. This small shop contained a wide variety of gifts such as soaps, liqueurs, and chocolates, all made from camel milk. We were informed that the dairy also generates revenue from events such as birthday parties as well as tours. One other small detail was revealed; Smits Camel Dairy sells their fresh milk for eight Euros per Liter (approximately $12 Canadian Dollars)! This price point slightly exceeds the $1.20 that we pay for cows milk in Canada. That sturdy premium should help the balance sheet quite a bit.

SO what does this magical milk taste like and why do people pay such a generous premium for it? I can tell you first hand it tasted like a slightly saltier version of the Dairyland cow milk that frequented my fridge back in Canada. Overall, I found it quite tasty but unfortunately my student budget does not have the flexibility to allow me to purchase this refreshing beverage. This premium milk contains many health benefits which make it a go-to product for those who have diabetes and other health conditions. Our tour guide also informed us that some people who are normally allergic to cows milk can drink camel milk with no problems. Finally, camel milk has always been a part of certain cultural traditions and continues to be cherished by families today.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Smits Camel Dairy. I thought this was a very special agricultural operation and am happy I can share my experience with you!

These calves are all under 1 year of age.
The milking system
Camel milk soaps
Young camels enjoying the mild winter.

Another blog about Agriculture…? Not this time.

My name is Amy and I am a consumer, just like you! I love to eat food, try new beverages, and explore unique agricultural products. My goal is to start an open conversation about the food, drinks, and the products we consume. See how I bolded the words open conversation? Those two words are very important to me and will be the priority of this blog.

I am not here to push an agenda or product. I hope, that by talking about some of my own experiences, I can start a conversation with people in agriculture and with those who do not have a close tie to the industry. This blog will contain my own opinion, it is not right or wrong it is simply mine. So if you have something to say about my posts, then please tell me. I would love to hear your opinion too!

So is this blog only about agriculture? No. However, I am incredibly passionate about the agriculture industry. Therefore, many of my posts will discuss agricultural operations but each post will focus on the foods, drinks and products that these unique businesses produce.