Arable farmer Sjakkie de Hulster will increase his acreage of chicory by a quarter next year. The cultivation stimulates his craftsmanship and provides him with an excellent return. "You don't just add chicory. But I get a good balance with it."
Without exaggeration you can call Sjakkie de Hulster an experienced chicory grower. The arable farmer from Biervliet (Zeeland) has been growing the inulin-containing roots since 2003. He got to know chicory crops when he was still working for a fellow arable farmer. "The farmer told me that he earned more with it than with sugar beet. And I knew what to expect from the cultivation. So when I became a farmer myself, I included chicory in my growing plan." According to De Hulster, there are few financial barriers to start cultivation. "You don't need special machines for it and you don't need a storage place. But the cultivation itself is challenging. I still come across points for improvement almost every year. But I like that. I like a bit of a challenge."
Time and priority
Chicory requires the necessary time and attention, especially in spring. De Hulster: "The period of sowing and emergence and then weed control is crucial. If you get through this well, the race is already half done. But that only works if you give the crop enough time and priority." Chicory does not have a strong seedling and is therefore sown at a depth of 0,5 to 1 centimeter and on the basis of a maximum of 30% silt.
Practical growing tips for chicory
Making such a shallow, yet well-closed seedbed at De Hulster starts in the autumn. "I have mounted a cutting mixer on my plow," says the farmer. "Then you start with flatter plow work. And in the spring I make a false seed bed with the quick harrow. Two weeks later I prepare the seed bed in a second working pass. My experience is that making a shallow seed bed goes best with the fast harrow. " A soil temperature of at least 10 degrees is required for a smooth germination. And like many other seed crops, chicory can suffer from crusting. To tackle this problem, De Hulster built a crust breaker himself in which the toothed probe wheels of an old beet harvester play the leading role.
Do not brake plant
The Zeeuws-Flemish arable farmer sets his own course in weed control. While many fellow growers rely mainly on chemicals, De Hulster has almost completely switched over the years to mechanical weed control. "I only use a soil herbicide immediately after sowing", confirms the entrepreneur. "I want to inhibit the chicory plant as little as possible after emergence. But you do need that soil herbicide until you can get started mechanically."
As soon as the chicory is in the 2-leaf stage, De Hulster starts weeding. "In 2021 I tried that for the first time with a borrowed machine and I liked it so much that I have now bought one myself." De Hulster has been working in chicory for some time now, usually twice a season. "And about ten hours per hectare goes into weed control," adds Bart van den Dries. On behalf of the CZAV cooperative, he supervises the chicory cultivation at De Hulster and joined the interview. CZAV also fills in the chicory agency in the region.
Competitive with sugar beets
In addition to fun and challenge in cultivation, the yield is of course also essential. "For me, chicory is competitive with sugar beet cultivation and considerably better than winter wheat," says the arable farmer. Van den Dries calculates: "With the price of 2023, chicory gives a gross yield of 50 tons at €100 at De Hulster; for beets we calculate with 100 tons at €50 and the cultivation costs are almost the same at approximately €2.500 per hectares."
Calculate your balance together with your cultivation supervisor
The arable farmer adds that after the challenging first weeks, chicory is a fairly easy crop. "The crop has deep roots and drought is not easily a problem. And chicory has absolutely no problems with insects or fungi. I certainly do not spray against it. I do spray calcium to make the plant more resilient." In its balance calculation, CZAV does calculate with €50 per hectare for fungal control.
Keep learning and innovating
De Hulster does not experience chicory cultivation as a predictable activity, but that is what makes it attractive to him. "I'm still learning new things every season and there have been all kinds of interesting innovations. I now know, for example, that sugar beet is not a good pre-fruit but winter wheat is. New varieties have come up, even with resistance to herbicides. There are experiments with primed seed and I I have gained good experience with covering the heap with non-woven cloth. I earn €170 per hectare with that. These are all things that benefit the cultivation and the balance." Van den Dries is also positive about chicory cultivation. "You don't just do it on the side. You have to be alert and precise. But then, especially with the increased payout price, you do get a wage for your work."
Subsidy for mechanical weed control
Sensus (as part of Cosun Groeikracht) stimulates the purchase of machines for mechanical weed control with, among other things, a financial contribution. The machines concerned usually also fall under the VAMIL scheme. Sensus has now also facilitated the rental of weed pickers in all regions.