Text: Susan van Weperen | Photo: Guy Ackermans They are indispensable on the campus: the cleaners, concierges, caterers, gardeners, receptionists – the list is long. Resource looks up these key people. This time, meet Martijn Harkink (35), an animal caretaker at WUR’s dairy farm De Marke.
‘This dairy farm was established by Wageningen University 30 years ago with a view to gaining experience in circular agriculture. A farm with real cows was needed in order to do experiments and research, and that is how De Marke in Hengelo (Gelderland) came into being.
I have been working here for three years now and I work in the barn on a daily basis. All my work involves taking care of the 85 cows we have here. I give them their hay and assist with inseminations. I make sure that everything runs smoothly.
I get a lot of satisfaction from working with cows. I grew up on a mixed farm; my parents kept pigs and dairy cows. So I got the hang of farming from an early age. I do my best to keep the cows healthy every day, and it pays off. Last year, for instance, we had a 100,000 litre cow and that was a real achievementon our farm. This cow – Betje 316 – has given 100,000 litres of milk in her life and we think that is important in terms of sustainability. When a cow reaches such a milestone, everyone’s happy of course.
This cow – Betje 316 – has given 100,000 litres of milk in her lifetime
The job has its less enjoyable sides too, such as being on call at night or weekend shifts, but that is just part of the deal. When I’m on call, I sometimes get woken up at night and I have to go to the farm to fix a broken milking robot. Fortunately, this does not happen very often.
We are hoping to build a new barn at the Marke in the near future, to make our work easier and so the animals can be healthier and live even longer.’
