In Bommelerwaard, in the Dutch province of Gelderland, and a short distance from the river Maas, Peter Vogel has a goat farm with 750 dairy goats and about 350 lambs. It is a business with a special history, as Vogel had never kept a goat until 2012. As the owner of a construction company, he took over the goat farm that year almost by accident. "I often visited goat farms, but wasn’t a farmer myself. However, I had a passion for goats, breeding and animal health, as well as a clear vision of where I wanted to go with the business," according to the energetic and motivated entrepreneur. "I wanted to have a strong focus on sustainability, something I had experience with in the construction industry for a long time.”

The shed at the farmyard is a beautiful showpiece. Inside, there is a great view of the so-called 'free-range shed’ from a sky box with a veranda. The fences between the group pens with straw are partially open, as a result of which the goats can move freely. The result is lots of peace and quiet. "I initially saw free-range sheds on smaller farms in Italy and Austria and the concept appealed to me immediately. That had to be possible here too," says Vogel, who also wants to distinguish himself in another way. "I want this farm to be the most sustainable goat farm in the Netherlands and that begins with the goats themselves. When I bought the goat farm in 2012, I immediately invested in a new herd with the highest possible health status. In addition, we have a certificate showing we are free of zoonosis, with the goats having now been tested for the third year for scrapie."

Sustainable goat farming

Vogel also hired a top-quality farm manager in Stefan van Eck. Together, they place a strong focus on breeding. “Udders are very important to us, but that also applies to legs," says Vogel. "Stefan and I opt for sustainability, and we want goats to be able to stay on the farm here for at least 10 to 12 years. For this reason, for example, we give little concentrate: 54 kg per 100 litres of milk. We don’t ask too much of the animal. We also get almost all our roughage from the river area." Vogel's sustainable approach is also reflected in his company's ‘vehicle fleet’. No fossil fuels are used. "Loading, feeding, spreading with an automatic straw spreader. Everything is done electrically here."

In the shed itself, Vogel has taken another notable step: he has reduced the number of goats from 1,100 to 750. Again, a sustainability choice, but at the same time one that has borne fruit elsewhere. Indeed, milk production has increased by 20% per goat since the change. "Growth and numbers are not sacrosanct," explains Vogel. "We always go for sustainability and quality."

The breeding section is located right behind the straw pens. This is the section where Roy Maar of Alpuro Breeding has been able to apply his expertise for three years now. And with success. According to Vogel, the loss rate among lambs has dropped from 15% to 5% since the two first started working together. "Roy, Stefan and I really click. Roy is knowledgeable and can give us the broader picture. We set the course together and we are not afraid to tell each other the truth. That's how you get ahead. We simply have to, because rearing is everything to us. You can see the result of that in the shed. We hardly need the vet anymore.”

We always go for sustainability and quality. - Peter Vogel

Close focus on rearing

Although Roy Maar has been assisting Peter Vogel for three years now, he has been aware for much longer of how Alpuro Breeding has been making great strides in terms of rearing goat kids. "Our familiar specialism within calf husbandry has been specifically applied to goat farming", says Maar. "And we also specifically focus on rearing goats, which makes our focus even sharper.”

Roy has built up a great relationship with Peter over the past three years. During lambing time, for example, Roy visits him every fortnight and there is also contact outside the season in order to keep each other focused. Maar gives an example of where he was able to help Peter out recently. "Peter wanted his lambs to wean better. So I started optimising the pen layout, the space available and the only automatic drinker in the shed. I then came to the conclusion that we needed to give less milk for three to four weeks. In other words, make the move from an automatic drinker with unlimited milk yield to buckets with a precise quantity of milk of even higher quality that fitted within the feeding schedule. This greatly improved the feed intake. Peter gladly accepted the extra labour due to the better results.” 

Successful sales by being transparent

With Roy's customised solutions and Alpuro Breeding's total package of excellent breeding products, Peter is succeeding in taking his business to the next level: sustainable with high quality. This particular aspect is of crucial importance for Vogel’s third line of business: Geiten Melk Maasdriel. That’s because the goat farmer sells delicious goat's cheese and yoghurt under his own brand: Félize. This is a corruption of the Italian word Felice, which means ‘bringing happiness’. "We have a quarter of our goat's milk processed by a fellow cattle farmer," says Vogel. "This partnership revolves around the use of his dairy, which allows us to make the finest products even more sustainably. We then sell these products through our webshop and in delicatessens and specialist shops." However, this particular entrepreneur is ambitious. "Our goal is to have our own dairy – where we process up to half of our goat's milk into cheese and yoghurt – and catering facilities. We see the potential."

This potential is also there because Vogel doesn’t exactly hide away from his customers. Consumers are welcome to visit Velddriel. After all, the entrepreneur wants to be transparent and is only too happy to welcome visitors to his business. Each year, Peter does this during the three lambing peaks in the season. On the one hand, because the goat sector is under pressure and consumers are discerning, but also because it suits his outgoing personality. “Especially on my farm, I can make visitors a part of our story and explain any issues they might have. Often, a whole new world opens up for people. Goat farming is a wonderful sector."