A farmer in Belgium has installed a series of innovative machines that are increasing productivity, and assisting with the workload on his farm.

Founded in 1931, Bart Vanderstraeten and Marijke d’Hertefelt are the fourth generation to continue the family business of their farm in Belgium, Koeweidehof.

Koeweidehof has approximately 200 cows, and produces 2 million litres of milk per year.

It is a mixed farm with arable farming and cattle, but Bart and Marijke chose to focus on dairy instead of beef cattle.

Over the years they invested in milking, feeding and manure robots and a pocket digester. In that way they were able to produce green energy with their own cow manure.

Koeweidehof produce is sold via the cooperative Milcobel, but also through their own dairy processing under the name “Oh!Lait”, which was founded in 2024.

This brand is distributed through retail, coffee bars, and the farm's own vending machine. The product range includes: semi-skimmed milk, whole milk, barista milk, whole yoghurt, low-fat yoghurt, iced latte macchiato, and iced latte caramel.

The farm's feed runs off 85% of its own production, with the remainder supplied through animal feed companies.

Cows get a fresh meal several times a day thanks to the Lely Vector robot system, which is sold through the cooperative.

The Belgian farmers also host teambuilding "fun farm" visits. Every year, the farm is visited by over 5,000 guests, schools, and groups.

The farm runs 100% on green electricity, and opts for smart manure processing. 

Its 0.76 carbon dioxide emissions equivalent per litre of milk is among the lowest in the world. They also make minimal use of concentrated feed and maximum use of their own feed.

Koeweidehof also receives funding from the Flemish Agricultural Investment Fund (VLIF), which is partially funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).