He had been one of Alpuro Breeding’s clients for years, but now the roles are reversed. As a calf specialist and ColoQuick expert, Arjens Boom represents Alpuro Breeding to assist dairy farmers in rearing calves on their farms. “You only get one shot at giving a calf a good start.”
At Alpuro Breeding, they trust me to develop my own ideas and give me the space to do so.
ARJENS BOOM
His expertise mainly comes from his own experience. For 25 years, Arjens had a dairy farm of his own. “Due to a mistake made at the municipality, my licence for a new stable was revoked. So I had to choose: move or quit. I chose the latter. I took it pretty hard when the farm was demolished; it was a real family business. Fortunately, my parents supported my decision and I have great family and friends I was able to share that with.”
Arjens himself joined the calf-rearing specialist through an Alpuro Breeding representative. “He knew I was looking for work and thought this might be a good fit for me. The guidance I received there as a dairy farmer and the team mentality really appealed to me. So, I decided to go for it. At Alpuro Breeding, they trust me to develop my own ideas and give me the space to do so.”
But he still had that entrepreneurial spirit in him. “In addition to my region in West Brabant and Utrechtse Heuvelrug, I took the opportunity to specialise in the ColoQuick, a device that ensures a calf always quickly gets its first beestings. I offer advice, but I also like to roll up my sleeves. I often do maintenance to the machine myself. I really enjoy that variety in my job.”
Away from work, Arjens makes sure he sets aside enough free time for his wife Anja and their three (almost) grown-up children. “We look after each other and help each other whenever we can. Shared family moments are very important to us. So is our dog. He really is our buddy; we couldn’t be without him.”
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