If it's up to Wouter Slob, the future of dairy farming is heading in a new direction. In an interview with Nieuwe Oogst, he argues for a bold shift: growing grass in vertical farms, freeing up pastureland for trees, increased biodiversity, and more space for grazing animals.
"Far too expensive" is the response he most often received when he submitted his idea 'Spreed' for vertical farming to the Dutch Dairy Challenge 2025. Other common comments: too futuristic, too industrial, and not realistic. Still, Slob, who runs the family farm with his father Anne and uncles Fokke and Cees, believes in it wholeheartedly. His Ukrainian fiancée Iryna Hryhorieva encouraged him to enter the Challenge. They're getting married this autumn. Soon, cousin Gerrit will join the business too, preparing the next generation to carry it forward.
The 100-day challenge process prompted Slob to dive deep into the numbers to assess whether vertical farming grass could work on a Dutch dairy farm. Turns out, it could. His thorough calculations won over the jury. Marije Klever, chair of BoerenNatuur and a jury member, called it a unique example of "land sharing and land sparing."
"You can expect twenty times higher yield per square meter," says Slob. He admits, "Of course, vertical farming is expensive for grass. And we're on peat soil, nothing grows better than grass here. It's a real mental shift for a dairy farmer, a different way of thinking." Wouter breaks down the math: traditional grass costs 20–25 cents per kg of dry matter, maybe 30 cents now. Labor and mechanization drive those costs. Competing with that is tough. "Vertical farm setup costs are about €500 per square meter. For grassland, it's €10."
"Vertical farming has priceable advantages too," says Slob. "You gain biodiversity space on the grassland. The milk gets healthier because you can control grass quality in the vertical farm, spring grass year-round."
Source: Nieuwe Oogst