'The cleaner the floor, the fewer the hoof problems'

Imagine trying to keep a cattle shed clean when it has a solid floor at a slight slope… Dairy farmer Stef van den Hurk enlisted the help of JOZ to deal with this challenge. ‘JOZ was the only supplier willing to help,’ says Stef. 

Trial cattle shed for reduced ammonia emissions

The family farm in Heesch built a new cattle shed as a trial in 2010. The cattle shed contains new technology to reduce ammonia emissions. ‘There’s no slatted floor, but a solid cattle shed floor at a slight slope, for instance. Collection pits were built to collect the manure at the end of the aisles. This means that we have fresh manure at our disposal, but it does entail a challenge in terms of manure scraper systems.’

Solutions for a clean floor

Stef therefore turned to JOZ for advice. ‘At the time, JOZ already believed that solid floors could be the future and were willing to share their ideas about the most appropriate solution for our situation. However, developing a device that can both follow the floor and handle the right capacity proved to be quite complicated. Despite this, we did eventually manage to come up with a solution with which we can keep the floors clean. We use a manure robot on one side of the shed and a manure scraper on the other.’

Keep on testing until the right solution is found

Stef says that he’s happy that JOZ shares its ideason how to design the most effective systems for his cattle shed. ‘JOZ also regularly carries out tests in our shed. For example, we might try out a new cable to see how that works. We’ve been working together for 10 years, so we understand each other well. We continue to search for the best solution by staying in contact with each other and not being afraid to try things out.’

A must for healthy hooves

It’s vital that a solid floor is cleaned continuously to prevent too much manure or urine accumulating. ‘Hoof health is one of our major concerns. The better the systems push and the more efficiently they clean, the fewer hoof problems we have to deal with. If the manure scraper system didn’t work properly, I’m sure we’d have to trim the cows’ hooves more often or install more foot baths. To keep the floor of the cattle shed clean, the products we use really have to work well.’