Het Derde Erf

Het Derde Erf is a biodynamic dairy farm on the Birkstraat in Soest, farmed by the same family for five generations, with horned dual-purpose cows, around 200 hens, a care farm and a self-harvest vegetable garden.

The cows eat mainly grass, with a little concentrate in the milking robot, and are outside day and night for at least five months a year. Their raw milk is sold from a self-service tap. The eggs come from the farm's own hens, which walk over the yard and the manure heap every day. The beef comes from cows leaving the dairy herd, about three a year, sold frozen as loose cuts or in mixed boxes; boiling hens are sold as well. The farm is certified organic (SKAL) and Demeter-certified (NL-502); we found both in the registers.

The milk tap and egg machine are open every day until 21:00: bring your own bottles and coins, or pay by card at the machine beside them. The shop, which sells the meat, is open Friday from 14:00 to 17:00 and Saturday from 10:00 to 13:00. Members of De Birkenhof, the farm's CSA garden of about 40 households, pick and collect their vegetables from late May into November or December on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.

Because the cows keep their horns, the barn gives each cow more space than the organic standard requires.