Boerderij Achtervennen

Boerderij Achtervennen is an organic dairy farm of 55 hectares on the Monnickendammerrijweg in Ilpendam, where 55 Holstein cows crossed with Brown Swiss give raw milk, cheese, beef and ice cream, sold with eggs from its own hens from vending machines on the yard.

The milk is sold raw from a tap, so its bacteria are left intact. Waterlander cheese, ripened on the farm from young to old, is sold from a cheese machine; their website does not say whether it is made on the farm. Since March 2024, 249 organic hens have lived in a mobile henhouse that moves to fresh meadow every week, and since August 2025 the farm sells frozen beef from its own cows crossed with Belgian Blue, including shin (schenkel) for broth. The cows are outside from April to November and eat only grass from the farm's own land, plus organic concentrate; on the land no artificial fertiliser is used, manure only sparingly and no pesticides. The farm is certified organic (SKAL), which we found in the register.

Everything is self-service from three chilled vending machines at the front of the yard, open daily from 7:00 to 21:00, with cash only at the milk tap. The eggs are also stocked by five shops in the region.

With three other dairy farmers the farm takes part in a scheme for the peat meadows around Natura 2000 areas, working on soil subsidence, water and biodiversity.