Log In to Members-Only

Past Newsletters

Home Page
Used Equipment For Sale
Youth Scholarship
Meet Our Sponsors
Join/Renew
TAP Program

Featured Trimmer: Martin VanBeek

It goes without saying that every hooftrimmer has an interesting story to tell about who they are and how they came to be a professional to this trade, and Martin VanBeek's is certainly no exception. Martin was born and raised in the Netherlands and moved to the United States in 1989. He is the second oldest son of three children and was born and raised on a dairy farm. After his father passed away unexpectedly when Martin was 19, he was faced with a tough decision since the family farm was not big enough for two boys to manage and raise a family. Martin's interest in the States was sparked from a trip he had taken here when he was only seven years old to visit his uncle's dairy in Oregon. As a kid growing up in Holland where land was limited, he had dreams of one day immigrating here, where land and opportunity were abundant, to pursue his lifelong dream of having his own dairy. So twenty years ago, with as many personal belongings as he could pack in one suitcase, he left his mother, brother, sister, and life as he knew it behind, to pursue the "American Dream" in a small town called Dublin, TX.

At that time, the Dublin area was quickly growing with dairies, many of which were being populated by Dutch families or fellow Dutch men like himself, which is one of the reasons Martin chose to move there. He found a small dairy to lease and started with only 50 cows. Martin's herd grew in size over the years, as he leased two different dairies before he built his own in 1994, milking 600 cows. He had many thriving years and wonderful experiences throughout his dairying career; but ultimately, the struggles and hardships of owning a dairy were strong enough for he and his wife to make the decision to sell the cows and farm, and move to a new place and make a fresh start in 2001. Martin took a job in Lovington, New Mexico, managing a 3,000 cow dairy. The experience was a good but humbling one for him, because anyone that knows Martin, knows that he pours every ounce of his energy and heart into his job. The blood, sweat and tears were just not the same when they weren't for his own family and cows.

After managing the dairy for a year, he knew that it was time for him to make a change- one that would allow him to be his own boss again. With his wife's support, Martin made the decision to make hooftrimming his full-time profession. Trimming hooves had always been something that Martin enjoyed doing on the family farm growing up and on his own dairy, so it wasn't something entirely new for him. Still he believed that he needed some formal training to begin his new career, so he attended DairyLand Hoof Care in Dec. 2002. He spent the next year steadily building up a solid clientele, almost all of which were located in the Clovis area, which was more than 100 miles away. He made that long commute everyday for about a year before he his family moved to Clovis in Feb. of 2004.

Today Martin continues to enjoy the hard, dirty job of being "the hooftrimmer". Like all members among this organization, he takes his job very seriously and is always trying to grow as a professional and learn from his hooftrimming colleagues and dairy farmers abroad. Martin's customers have come to appreciate his dedication to them and their cows, as well as the extra knowledge that he brings to his job from all his years of personal experience in the dairy industry. He feels confident in his decision of choosing to trim hooves and takes great pride in his contribution to the well-being of the cows that he trims. Though they are not "his" cows anymore, he has come to appreciate the fulfillment that hooftrimming gives him, without the added stress of having his own dairy. With the continuing evolution of the dairy industry, he believes now more than ever, that dairymen and women are, and will continue to value the importance of quality hoof health care and management, and the necessity of a good hooftrimmer.

When Martin is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, especially his two young sons. They love working with him on anything in the shop, the yard, the house, or talking mostly about tractors, farms, machines, the chute or cows. He is very thankful for the opportunities he’s had and the family he’s made since his journey began 20 years ago. He's still very close to his family in Holland and enjoys going back to see them- but just to visit. His home his here and he’s anxious and optimistic of how life continues to grow and evolve for him personally and professionally.

Past Featured Members:

Chad and Harold Boyce, Georgia
Michael Wallen, Calif.
Martin Van Beek, NM.
Jeff Heeg, Wisc.
Phil Hemphill, BC, Canada