Resolute, brave and creative: buffalo farming with Arjan Swinkels
Arjan Swinkels comes from a farmer’s family. His parents had a dairy farm in the South of The Netherlands but Arjan didn’t want to take over the farm. He wanted to study and chose for an office job in the first place. Only some years later, he realised that farming was the way he wanted to live and therefore followed a training on the Warmonderhof, the school in the Netherlands where one can learn the practical and theoretical aspects of starting and running an organic farm.
Arjan bought his first 9 buffalos in 2010, and slowly extends the herd by keeping the female calves. Since 2012 Arjan milks the buffalos and sells fresh raw buffalo milk, buffalo ice cream and buffalo meat. Arjan’s buffalos can also be adopted: as an adoptive buffalo parent one can give a name and of course come to visit and cuddle as often as one likes.
Last year Arjan initiated a crowdfunding campaign to raise finances in order to be able to keep the male buffalo calves in a nearby nature area. Consumers who invested 100 euros got back buffalo meat for 125 euros. The campaign was a great success and by making use of the (social) media Arjan was able to collect the needed amount of 10,000 euros within a few months.
Arjan Swinkels and his farm ‘De Stoerderij’ are a source of inspiration and innovation.
De Stoerderij: http://www.destoerderij.nl/
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