The goats on our farm are farmed in line with organic regulations. This means that we must adhere to the guidelines prescribed by SKAL. The regulations for organic products consist of European laws, Dutch legislation, and regulations of SKAL. These can be found on the SKAL website.

Regulations include:

• A maximum of 40% of the goat feed to consist of concentrates
• The goats must have a minimum of 1.5 m² available in the stable per animal (at our farm, this is 2 m² per goat)
• At least 60% of the feed must come from our own farm, or from the region.

SKAL verifies our adherence to the rules on an annual basis.

Food production
Because we are an organic farm, there are extra rules concerning the handling of our land and the cultivation of the grass. For example, we are not allowed to use pesticides or fertilizers. However, the grass needs adequate quantities of nitrogen. To overcome this problem, we grow a mixture of grass and clover. The clover has the capacity to ensure the grass does receive sufficient quantities of nitrogen.

The grass-clover mixture is mowed 5 to 6 times a year. Each time, the mixture is pressed into foil bales. Once these bales have been stored for at least 6 weeks, their contents are great food for the goats. In addition to this silage, the goats also graze in the fields in the summer.

Our grassland is spread over several small fields, which are surrounded by woodland. Whilst this is aesthetically appealing, the shadows cast by the trees cause result in lower grass production.

In 2013, 180 solar panels were installed on the roof of the stable. These solar panels generate around 40,000 kWh per year.

As a dairy producer we consume a lot of electricity, therefore we wanted to have solar panels installed from the very beginning.