Jaap Dane is now 30 years old and has been working for the family business 'Firma Dane en Zn' since he was eighteen. He has been co-owner since 2011. Trading in cattle and beef is embedded in Dane's genes. He knows all the ins and outs of trading in the Netherlands and he has a keen eye for the market. He has worked along with VAEX for almost twelve and a half years to supply third countries with in-calf heifers. "If Ilona from VAEX calls me and asks for 300 Holstein-Friesian in-calf heifers that are between two and five months pregnant for the Russian market, I will find them, "says Dane. "I know where to look for these animals in the Netherlands."
About 80% of Dane's trade in heifers is designated for VAEX. Ilona and the foreign buyer are present when the animals are being selected. "But this physical meeting is no longer possible due to the corona infections in Europe," he says. "Therefore, Ilona and I do the job with a camera and a direct online connection with the customer."
Running and standing still
Heifer exports can continue thanks to this adapted selection method. According to Dane, this digital, cost-saving solution is temporary. "Buyers like to see with their own eyes what they will be getting in their cowsheds. The relationship is reinforced through personal contact and some touring around the Netherlands.
This year, Dane has done considerably less trade in heifers. Following the successful years of 2016, 2017 and 2018, Dane had a less successful year in 2019 because there were very few heifers for sale. The supply of heifers recovered in 2020, but there was no demand. "It was a year of running and standing still. In 2020, we were unable to export even a single heifer to Russia for several months," he stresses. "COVID 19 slowed down building projects so that orders were postponed until the autumn. Luckily, our trading company has enough strings to its bow so that I could direct my energy and time elsewhere. And I am used to being adaptable”.
Making the most of opportunities
Another thing that Dane appreciates about his long-running relationship with VAEX is its creativity and its response to new challenges. "If I see that the market is becoming saturated with a certain sort of cattle, I call Dirk to discuss our approach to this development”, he says. "We complement each other well and we don't need a lot of words to put things in order. This way we deliver each animal to the best destination for the right price”.
Dane expects that 2021 will be a better year for heifers than the last two years. But he is concerned that both transport of livestock and long-distance transport of slaughter cattle are under intense scrutiny. "Regulations make it more difficult to work properly and efficiently to benefit the cattle sector. And Russia needs our heifers to produce enough milk for the Russian people”, says Dane decisively.
Firma Dane en Zn
Together with their sons, Jaap and Teun, Kors and Elise Dane run the family business 'Firma Dane en Zn' in Oudemolen (North Brabant). The company has two locations and it consists of an arable farming branch, farms for beef cattle and poultry and it trades in cattle and beef. It has a total of eight permanent employees.