The Jonckheere Family of Wijtschate(Heuvelland - West Flanders) decided to stage a photo shoot with 3 of their dairy cows, each of which has produced 100,000 kilograms of milk. Over 20 years ago, the family did exactly the same with their first cow that reached that milestone. It is quite unique for cows to produce so much milk. The Jonckheere Family claim it is because of the good care they give their animals.
"We really pamper our animals," says Farmer Bart. "We put a lot of time into our cows’ claw care. If they remain healthy and can get around, they will continue to eat well and produce quality milk. We try to get our cows to have one calf a year so they can continue to produce milk. Because, remember, a cow cannot give milk until it has calved."
"Since we took over the farm from Bart's parents in 1994, we have already had 5 cows that produced record amounts of milk," Regine says. "It is still quite exceptional, considering we're a small farm with only 65 cows in total. We are quite proud of that."
Not the first time
22 years ago, the family held their first photo shoot together with a top-producing cow. Now they thought it was time for a second shoot. The cows got a thorough wash especially for the family snaps. "It was the children’s idea," says Regine. "We like seeing that the next generation too is interested in what we are doing here. The intention is to hang a large photo of the cows on our wall."