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Herman and Suskia van luloff Umbgrove
When Herman talks about his move to Tasmania you can't but help hear the excitement in his voice. He describes the whole process as "a piece of cake." Like so many others that have moved from Holland to Tasmania they did so because of their desire to farm in a far less regulated, more animal friendly environment.
Herman says "I was always a cow person, but since coming to Tasmania to farm I have seen a different side to cows. Cows do not like concrete, and I love watching them enjoy themselves in their natural pasture environment" he says.
Herman and his family bought a farm that needed a significant amount of investment in fertiliser, but since then they have increased the production of the cows from 4,500 litres per cow to over 7,500 litres and, at the same time increased the herd size from 140 cows to 200. "While we have no irrigation and the farm is in a drier area, we overcome this by calving in the autumn and feeding each cow about six kilograms of pellets per day. We are able to have very good profitability doing this" says Herman.
Since purchasing the farm, it has doubled in value and they have since purchased a second farm nearby where they run their young stock. "We feed them very well and have very well grown heifers to maintain our low replacement rate."
The farm is situated close to the coast and near the towns of Stanley and Smithton in the far north west. It is about an hour from the major centre of Burnie. The local people have been very good to them, and their four children love the environment and local activities.
Herman and his family have made many new friends in the area. They have never suffered from homesickness and claim that the help from locals was invaluable, particularly their dairy company adviser.
"One piece of advice I would give people is to get good local advice. The environment is very different to Holland and so are the farming practices, so talk to as many locals as you can and listen to what they say."
Herman and Suskia van luloff Umbgrove
