About us
The Potaerdehoeve
About us
Welcome to the Van den Houte - Laureys family!
We are Jos and Kathleen, at the Potaerdehoeve we live, work and enjoy together with our children - Louis, Hélène, Elise and Stéphanie.
Our dairy farm is a real family story, carried by several generations.
We cherish big dreams, put our heart and soul into every day, and believe strongly in what we can achieve together.
Our slogan : ‘Milk, it makes us grow up!’
Traditional dairy farm
4th generation
Familial character
140 dairy cows
Meet the Owners
Who is who?
Jos
Hi, my name is Jos! Born in 1969 and grew up on the farm. Married to Kathleen and proud father of 4 fantastic children. Our motto: milk, that's what makes us grow up...and indeed - how quickly time goes by - meanwhile the children have grown up.
I may spend a little too much time on my work, but honestly? I love it. I never get tired of our cows - they are my pride and my daily motivation.
Kathleen
I am Kathleen!!! Wife of Jos...Born in ‘the summer of ’69 and raised in a lively family of 10 children. My parents were self-employed and had a farm with Limousin cattle. At home I had a beautiful, educational childhood. There I discovered early on that hard work pays off and that ‘difficult’ is not the same as ‘impossible. I am someone who likes to be busy. I find my peace on the farm: there I can be myself. I love children - and especially letting them enjoy life on the farm., Where they can explore, play and be amazed.
Louis
I am Louis, the eldest son. From my father I inherited the llove for cows; even as a child I went along to inspections and Elite auctions. Breeding is in our genes. We are a real family business and my father and I are two hands in one. I am still studying for bachelor Agro-and Biotechnology now but when choices are made on the farm we do it together.
Hélène,
Elise and Stéphanie
We are the proud daughters on the farm. What a great childhood we have here! Together with our parents and brother, we enjoy working every day. Going into the barn together, cleaning the cows' beds, working on the robot, milking calves, shearing calves - we do it all with full enthusiasm.
Our history
The Potaerdehoeve is a characteristic Flemish Brabant square farmstead whose core dates back to the second half of the eighteenth century. The first traces of building appear on the 1745 Villaret map. Notches with the year 1773 can be found in the gate of the large barn.
FIGURES
The Potaerdehoeve is a modern, traditional dairy farm with about 140 dairy cows and accompanying young stock.
Milking is done on our farm with 2 Lely milking robots.
Number of dairy cows : 130
Number of young stock : 115
Rolling annual average : 12,250 L/cow
Fat content : 4.6 kg/cow
Protein content : 3.7 kg/cow
Average milk yield/cow/day : 39.5 L
Number of hundred tonners : 10
FACTORY
At the heart of our farm are our cows. Breeding and selection have always played an important role at the Potaerdehoeve. In recent years we have created a beautiful herd, of which we can be truly proud.
KOECOMFORT
Animal welfare is a top priority for us. Our cows enjoy optimal comfort by deciding for themselves when they want to eat, drink, rest or be milked.
We use modern technology to work more efficiently, keep track of more information and make daily tasks easier. Computers, GPS and robots are very common on our dairy farm. Our cows are milked by 2 Lely robots, and in the barn they can roam freely. Because the cows can be milked more often per day, milk production increases. The data collected during milking helps us to make better decisions for the management of the farm.
FEED
Feeding is one of the most important tasks on a dairy farm. We do that with a Storti Dobermann SW220 self-propelled feed mixer.
