Frank and Monique Hollak, from Dalfsen, Netherlands, took over the family farm from Frank's parents in 2011. Initially, they milked 90 Holstein cows and had an extra 100 heads of youngstock in the barn, so they considered expanding. However, new phosphate regulations introduced in July 2015 changed their plans. Today, they milk 130 VikingJersey cows.
"Due to lagging liquidity, we had little room for replacement investments," Frank explains. “The milk price was not particularly high at that time and milking more Holsteins was difficult, so we decided to look for cows with better milk value,” he adds.
Driven and open to change, Frank came across Jerseys through K&L, VikingGenetics’ distributor in the Netherlands. After completing the calculation model, he was convinced they were the right choice.
To stay within the limits set by the new phosphate legislation, Frank was allowed to milk 130 Jerseys, which arrived on the farm in 2018. "We bought 131 pregnant heifers from Denmark. Today, besides the dairy cows, we have pregnant heifers and calves,” he says.
Before switching to Jerseys, the old Holstein’s average production was 25,350 lbs of milk, with 4.45% fat and 3.52% protein. Today, it’s 14,520 lbs of milk, with 6.19% fat and 4.29% protein.
See the Hollak’s full production figures – click + below.
| Holstein | Jersey | |
| # of cows | 90 Holstein cows | 130 Jersey cows |
| Avg. milk yield, lbs | 25,350 lbs | 14,520 lbs |
| Components % | 4.45% fat / 3.52% protein | 6.2% fat / 4.3% protein |
| Components lbs, total | 181,859 lbs | 195,550 lbs |
| Profit per litre | - | + €0.10 |
| Grass, Ha | 36 | 41 |
| Maise, Ha | 15 (bought) | 10 |
