Geert Van den Goor has been measuring in acres instead of miles for as long as he can remember. Growing up on a farm in the Netherlands, agriculture has always been in his blood, and when he graduated from school in 1983, he pursued that passion and began farming with his brother.
Eighteen years later, Geert and his wife Gertie were looking for more opportunities to expand their farming operation, and when country regulations got in the way, they decided to move to the United States. There, Goma Dairy Farms was born in Marlette, Michigan.
If you visit their property now, you will find a wide-scale dairy operation, but it hasn't always been this way.
“We started in 1999 with 250 cows and 350 acres,” Geert reflected. “By the second year, we built a new barn for 600 cows.”
And by 2006, Geert and Gertie had a brand-new parlor. As the years went on, the farm grew to 3,500 cows.
A New Direction
Knowing their three children were not taking over the farm upon their eventual retirement, in 2015 Geert and Gertie began to evaluate the future of Goma Dairy Farms.
Brent Robinson, a dairy farmer in neighboring town Caro, Michigan, worked as a nutritionist on Goma Dairy Farms in the past, and formed a friendship with Geert and Gertie. When he found that they were searching for the future operator of their farm, he threw out the idea for himself, along with his business partner, Brent Moyer, to eventually take it over.
“One weekend we were out around the campfire, and Brent asked if we had ever thought of them,” Geert recalled. “Two years later, we put a plan together on how we were going to do it.”
By 2019, Brent and Brent’s farm, Paramount Enterprises Dairy merged with Goma Dairy to be known publicly as Green Point Dairy.
Geert says the secret to the success is leaning on everyone’s individual expertise.
“Everybody respects the qualities of each other,” said Geert. “We use each other’s qualities very wisely.”
GreenStone VP of Agribusiness Lending Tara Parr, who has been instrumental in the financial side of the merger, couldn’t agree more.
“Geert and Gertie are very proactive and good decision makers, and Brent and Brent are a breath of fresh air,” said Tara. “The merging of the two companies was pretty seamless.”
Going Green
One of the largest decisions made by Green Point Dairy was the addition of an anaerobic digester on the farm’s Marlette, Michigan property. Energy companies SJI and REV LNG installed and run the digester that turns cow manure into methane gas.
“The company showed up, and it was the first time a salesperson talked a normal language and had something we actually wanted to learn more about,” Geert explained.
The addition of the digester comes after the farm already installed a machine that separates manure from the sand used for the cow’s bedding. It also cleans the sand to be continually reused for the cows. This machine paved the way for the digester – because manure cannot be turned into gas unless the sand is first removed.
The anaerobic digester sits on Green Point Dairy's Marlette, Michigan location
Geert and Gertie, along with Brent and Brent, believe that a step toward sustainable farm practices is beneficial for everyone.
“The future of agriculture is going to revolve and evolve around sustainability,” explained Brent Robinson. “Creating a new system that functions with business models and biological models working together to create an ecosystem that can work long-term for the planet and people are the first steps toward this.”
Recently, GreenStone President and CEO Travis Jones, joined other members of GreenStone’s staff on a visit to the farm to check out the sand separating machine and the digester to learn more about how they work.
“It says a lot about GreenStone that Travis visits these operations,” said Tara. “He wants to be involved at all levels.”
Brent Robinson (L) gives staff members of GreenStone a full rundown of Green Point Dairy
This visit was especially special for Geert and Gertie, who have worked with GreenStone since they came to the United States almost 25 years ago.
“It was exciting that the CEO was interested in visiting us,” said Geert.
Sitting around the table with hot coffee topped off with farm-fresh milk in hand, Geert explained that GreenStone has helped on a number of projects and expansions over the years, and he’s thankful for the rural-focus of the cooperative.
“In 2005, when we did a big expansion, we got the best package for what we needed with GreenStone,” said Geert. “We have a lot of qualified people around us at GreenStone.”
For GreenStone employees like Tara, it’s just another day doing what she loves – supporting agriculture.
“The best part of my job is the people. I get to build a lot of relationships,” Tara explained. “This is not a transactional business. Understanding the business and family dynamics is all part of building that relationship.”
Moving Forward
Brent and Brent’s plans for the future of Green Point Dairy are already underway with the construction of a state-of-the-art heifer facility. Once finished, it will be able to house heifers, securing a successful future for the farm – allowing Geert and Gertie to rest easier knowing as they inch closer to retirement, the future is bright for the operation they helped build.
Some heifers have already moved into the brand-new facility
As the years go on, GreenStone will be there to support what’s in store.
“I can’t really imagine doing anything else,” said Tara. “I’m grateful to be able to help farmers every single day.”
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