Research & Innovation at Dairy Campus

At Dairy Campus we collaborate on integral solutions that help to improve biodiversity on dairy farms. 

Dairy Campus focuses on the following subjects:

• Experimenting with botanic grassland management
• Optimising the use and management of herb-rich grassland
• Making use of high-tech and biodiversity, such as drones, wide working widths and permanent traffic lanes
• Creating added value for products in which biodiversity aspects play a role
• Partially extensivising farmland to create space for biodiversity and making optimum, effective and sustainable use of the remaining hectares for production using GPS, drones and high-tech

At Dairy Campus, we work with researchers on new developments in the cowshed and the field every day, using existing technologies or developing new techniques. 

We actively contribute to finding solutions to practical and research questions that lead to innovations in the dairy farming sector. Among other things, we use:

• Sensor technology at individual cow or herd level
• Equipment to monitor feed uptake and emissions
• A high level of automation in the milking process
• Location detection of animals in the cowsheds
• Animal behaviour observation cameras
• GPS technology for field work
• Drones for field-related activities

Working with research institutes, government agencies, project developers, businesses and the sector, we want to investigate the options for combining agriculture and solar energy production on and around Dairy Campus. We also see potential in installing solar panels on top of our forage trench silos. Another option could be to use mobile solar panel units, which would enable the fields to be used for grazing. We are also working on some ideas for wind energy. 

In the future, Dairy Campus plans to produce green energy by: 

• Using lightweight, 100% recyclable solar panels
• Developing hybrid concepts that optimise solar energy generation and grass production in tandem  
• Generating wind power with wind turbines, particularly small-scale ones
• We also focus strongly on energy conservation, capturing released heat and using existing cooling systems as a heat pump  

Dairy Campus works on concrete solutions that help to optimise feed efficiency throughout the supply chain. 
We can draw on a huge pool of data and knowledge in this area and have a range of facilities at our disposal such as a feeding shed, green feeds and a milking parlour. 

We carry out research into:

• The relationship between animal feed and methane, ammonia, nitrogen and phosphate emissions
• The effects of rations on animal health, welfare and behaviour
• The relationship between animal feed and biodiversity
• Feed value analysis and the incorporation of by-products that support circular agriculture
• Effects and safety of animal feed additives and new feed ingredients

We use the information and data we obtain from the field as input for developing relevant indicators and tools for the dairy farming sector. At Dairy Campus we carry out research into:

• A sustainable, robust and resilient herd
• Practical tools for identifying resistance in animals
• Improving resilience and resistance in a changing climate
• An integrated approach to resistance and resilience of animals at the farm level

Our research is primarily focused on making solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions ready for practical use. We collect precise data on emissions, but also on uptake. Low emission floors, manure/urine separation and the cow toilet are practical examples being trialled at Dairy Campus. 

At Dairy Campus we have a range of housing units and facilities where we can measure emissions in practice. These include:

• An environment house and a feeding house
• Green feed measuring stations, where we measure methane emissions in cows’ breath
• Measuring houses for researching different emission-saving floor concepts 

Dairy Campus has a total of 300 hectares of clay soil at its disposal, most of which is heavy clay on peat. We have collected large amounts of data, along with manure and soil samples from all our fields. We use this information to help to find answers to new practical and research questions. We can also see opportunities to make more use of our land as trial fields. On the operations side, we are starting to work with permanent traffic lanes and herb-rich grassland fields and improve our use of fertilisers using new technologies. 

We focus on: 

• Improving the soil
• Increasing soil biodiversity and biodiversity in general
• Optimising fertilisation   
• Working grassland following arable cropping principles