Herenboeren De Groote Modderkolk

Herenboeren De Groote Modderkolk is a cooperative farm of 18 leased hectares on Natuurmonumenten land at Loenen, on the eastern flank of the Veluwe, started in 2019, where over 300 member households own the farm and two employed farmers grow vegetables and keep cattle, pigs and hens for them.

The weekly share is vegetables and eggs from a flock of over 200 hens, plus potatoes, fruit, herbs and greenhouse vegetables in season. Meat-subscription members receive meat from the farm's own animals each quarter, frozen. The cattle are Brandrode, an old Dutch breed kept here for beef only; the calves run with the herd and drink their mothers' milk. The pigs eat mostly what the farm itself provides and the hens are outside by day. According to their website no synthetic fertiliser or pesticides are used; the farm holds no SKAL certificate and we found none in the register, and what qualifies it here is that practice and the outdoor animals.

Joining means a one-off investment per person, which makes you a co-owner, and then a monthly contribution for the share in one of three forms: without animal products, with eggs, or with eggs and meat. The share is collected at the farm on Saturday mornings in your own bag. Helping on the land is optional, and there is a public tour every fortnight.

The cattle graze the land in summer and their winter manure feeds the vegetable fields.