dr. A (Aart) van der Linden

In 2007, I started a BSc in Plant Sciences at Wageningen University & Research, and continued with an MSc in Plant Sciences in 2010. During my studies I specialized in crop modelling and crop management. I learnt how to quantify and analyze yield gaps via crop growth models during both the BSc and MSc.

After graduation in 2012, I started a PhD project in the Animal Production Systems group and the Plant Production Systems group of Wageningen University & Research. A first step in this project was to translate the concepts and frameworks behind the crop growth models from crops to livestock. Then a dynamic, mechanistic model for beef cattle, named LiGAPS-Beef, was developed using these concepts to assess yield gaps. This model was calibrated and evaluated for beef cattle in Australia, Uruguay and the Netherlands. In a case study for Charolais cattle in France, LiGAPS-Beef was combined with a grass growth model to assess yield gaps at farm level. The model was used to assess effects of climate change on beef production as well.

In 2016, I became a postdoctoral researcher in the Animal Production Systems group. The model LiGAPS-Beef was extended to dairy cattle, resulting in a version named LiGAPS-Dairy. Also, I participated in the project Animal Future, where I reviewed the sustainability themes addressed by livestock model in Europe. Halfway 2020 I conducted a one-year project at CRV, a Dutch cooperative for cattle breeding, where I used LiGAPS-Dairy to estimate values for cattle traits contributing to feed efficiency.

After my return in the Animal Production Systems group in 2021, I was appointed as a researcher to develop and apply various models used in the group. The Dairy-LP model was updated and new features were added, such as grass-clover pastures and integration between dairy and arable farms. My activities gradually broadened with more education and acquisition tasks, resulting in a shift from researcher to assistant professor in early 2024.