Van de Plashoeve is a breeding company of Belgian White Blue cows. This breed is widely bred in Belgium and the Netherlands, but due to breeding for extremely thick buttocks, the calves are mostly born via caesarean section.

Van de Plashoeve has been breeding BWB cows for more than 20 years, with the aim of the natural birth of the calves. We breed on large cows that are less muscular and with a spacious pelvis. These cows also put on a good weight when they are slaughtered and fetch a good price per kg.

On average, 25 to 30 calves are born at Van de Plashoeve each year. A cesarean section may be used for first-calf cows, after which it is expected that the calf can be born naturally. By breeding for natural births, a cow can produce more calves than a cow whose births are via caesarean section.

At Van de Plashoeve, the calves stay with the mother after birth, she raises her calf herself in a natural way. Therefore, young cows are only inseminated for the first time at the age of 20 months and older. This gives the young animals time to grow properly so that they are well able to raise their own calf later on. 

The new growth is selected from the born heifer calves. Natural selection already takes place after birth, because the cows have to raise their own calf. The calves that cannot drink well are selected out.
In addition, the selection is made on gestation length; the shorter the gestation, the easier the birth. 
Van de Plashoeve also selects the exterior of the calf and user characteristics.

The bull calves are raised at Van de Plashoeve and used at KI stations for cross-breeding in dairy farming. These bulls are very suitable for this because they are selected for easy births.