Source: Melkveebedrijf, oktober 2025
Text and photos: Gerben Hofman
At the Duursma family dairy farm in Bellingwolde, the cow mattresses were due for replacement. Cows were reluctant to lie down and had difficulty getting back up. This was affecting both their health and production, as farm managers Lisa Boerstoel and Bram Poelman clearly noticed. Last summer, the old mattresses were ripped out and replaced with new Spinder Meadow® Mesa cow mattresses. According to Boerstoel and Poelman, the positive effects are already visible.
Three times a day, the milking cows at Duursma Dairy Farm in Bellingwolde pass through the 40-station carousel parlor. The farm has around 300 dairy cows (including dry cows) and about 130 head of youngstock. Owner Duursma, who holds board positions at CRV and FrieslandCampina, has entrusted day-to-day management to farm managers Lisa Boerstoel and Bram Poelman. Together with other part-time staff – about ten people in total – the enthusiastic managers keep everything running smoothly.
Improving results
Current average milk production on this Groningen farm is 36 to 37 kg per cow per day with 3.69% protein. “We haven’t seen that in a long time,” says Poelman. Bluetongue caused a lot of losses, poorer fertility, and production drops. For a while things weren’t going well, but we’ve managed to turn the tide. That’s partly thanks to better roughage, but we’ve also been able to hire more staff. That makes it much easier to prioritize maximum rest for the cows. The cows now go to the holding area in three groups, so they never have to stand longer than half an hour per milking. We had the feed bunks coated, which keeps the feed fresher. With a special blade on the skid-steer bucket we can now mechanically remove leftovers even from narrow feed alleys. We clear residual feed more often, so it stays fresher there too and intake is better. We’ve also vaccinated against bluetongue. We hope to push annual production, which was around 10,500 kg per cow, up to 11,500 kg.”
Cow mattresses prove decisive
Another key factor in the recent success, according to Poelman and Boerstoel, is the new cubicle bedding installed this summer. All the 15-year-old cow mattresses were replaced with new Spinder Meadow® Mesa mattresses. “It was really necessary,” says Boerstoel. The old mats were completely worn out. The cows didn’t want to lie down; they stood for long periods, and when they did lie down, some had trouble getting up again. Result: bald and swollen hocks, even on the heifers. Since installing the new mattresses we haven’t had to treat a single cow for swollen hocks. Now even the heifers can start their lactation with good legs.”
Because the cows were standing longer than was good for them, we saw more claw problems. Poelman already notices claw health improving. “It feels like we’re doing far less trimming. We trim all cows around drying-off and again around 100 days in milk, plus any cows that need immediate attention. The latter group is now much smaller.”
With the old, worn-out mattresses it was harder to keep the cubicles properly clean. “Result: dirty udders, more work during milking, and rising cell counts. Now the cubicles are much easier to clean – we’ve also adjusted the settings on the bedding spreader for better distribution. Cell counts are dropping again. We’re now consistently between 100 and 125, whereas before we were around 175,” Poelman explains.
Comfortable lying and easy rising
The cows now love lying in their cubicles because of the combination of optimal lying comfort and easy rising, say Poelman and Boerstoel. The mattresses are more than 8 cm thick, soft yet resilient. They consist of a latex foam core covered with a rubber top mat reinforced with nylon. “Because they’re so thick, the cows lie really comfortably. The gentle profile gives them grip when getting up,” Boerstoel explains.
Dairy farmer Duursma and his managers chose Spinder because Bram Poelman knew another farmer who was also looking for new mattresses. They decided to look together, which also gave them a purchasing advantage. The main requirements were comfort, hygiene, and durability. Several brands met those criteria, but the Spinder Meadow® Mesa ultimately won out. Work started in July and took about 2.5 months in total. “We removed everything ourselves, and staff from dealer Agro Stalinrichting installed the new mats. It caused quite a bit of noise in the barn, but the cows stayed calm and production didn’t suffer,” says Boerstoel.
Peace in the barn
The new mattresses have brought peace to the barn. “When you walk in after morning milking, they’re all lying down. That’s exactly how we like to see it. The cows are happy and content, results are improving, we enjoy coming to work, and that’s what keeps everyone going the longest,” Poelman concludes.