Paul, originally from Dordrecht, is a true "city boy." He developed his farmer’s blood during family holidays in the countryside. Luckily for me, as this was how I also got to know him. I was born and raised in the countryside and always wanted my husband to be a farmer. In 1996, we were able to buy a veal farm. In 2002, we converted the first barn according to the Peter's Farm concept, and the second followed in 2005.

What holidays bring about...

Calves, by nature, are herd animals and that is the basic principle of Peter's Farm. It is deeply satisfying to see them frolicking around in a large barn. You have a Peter’s Farm because you love animals and this gives you the conviction to make the best of it. But that doesn’t mean you have to spend every minute of the day with the calves. That is the nice thing about Peter's Farm. If you’re doing it well, the calves can feed and amuse themselves without too much attention. It gives us the opportunity to combine work with family, hobbies and volunteer work.

We still have plenty of ideas for our Peter's Farm. In terms of life and welfare, we want to create a new barn, where we can explore alternative means of ventilation. Renovating the main barn is on our wish list, as is a new feed kitchen. And sometime soon, we’ll be looking at installing solar collectors. Three of Paul’s teachers visited us not so long ago and they were very impressed with our business. They were amazed that a man with an urban background could, together with his wife, get a place like this up and running! We hope that with God's help, we’ll be busy for a long time to come with this positive manner of rearing calves!

• Paul and Gerrie Hakkenberg
• Located in Vaassen, Gelderland
• Five children
• A Peter's Farm since 2002
• Interesting facts: Gerrie's brother down the street also has a Peter's Farm.
• Hobbies: Paul: DIY jobs, playing the organ, and his army truck;
  Gerrie: photography, singing, poetry and being creative.