Soil-friendly crop plan with rapeseed

Freddie and Harmen Postma from Zeewolde have high expectations of their winter rapeseed. With its earliness and deep rooting, the crop fits perfectly into the soil-friendly crop plan they are pursuing. "Moreover, it is good for the bees and you hardly have to spray. And it is simply a beautiful crop."

"We are still searching a bit. But one thing is certain about the implementation of our future construction plan: we want to take good care of the soil." Freddie Postma and his son Harmen are arable farmers in the making. About 12 years ago, Freddie had to say goodbye to his dairy cows due to health problems. He temporarily opted for an alternative implementation of the business operations with rearing young cattle and renting land to third parties. In the meantime, his son and intended successor Harmen has started an arable farming education. Since last year, father and son have been gradually tackling their new arable farming crops.

The decision has been made
The VOF's construction plan (see box) is not a standard Flevoland construction plan; it contains a relatively high percentage of rest crops that are cleared early. "We don't like to mess around", laughs Harmen. "That's why we like crops that are not harvested too late. What also plays a role is that we don't have our own storage for potatoes and onions yet. And our machinery is still under development, which also influences your choices."

Perhaps the most striking crop in the list is the winter rapeseed, which was in full bloom at the time of the interview (mid-April). "We got excited about it during a Limagrain field day in South Drenthe last year," says Freddie. "We had ploughed a wheat stubble early on the advice of a soil expert and we didn't want to leave that plot bare for too long. We then focused on winter rapeseed. It is a perfect crop for the soil structure because of its taproot. And the crop adds a lot of organic matter. We immediately made a decision on that field day and discussed the possibilities with someone from Limagrain on the spot. They advised us the Ambassador variety, especially because of the harvest certainty. And we were also able to immediately contact a potential buyer of the seed."

Easy cultivation
The rapeseed was sown by a contractor on 29 August; after some stagnation due to drought, the crop developed well. "It even went into the winter a little too vigorously for the sake of it", Harmen remembers. "Next time I will sow it a little less than two weeks later. That is also fine with this variety." It will not be due to the cultivation whether they continue with the winter rapeseed. "It is an easy crop", the arable farmers assure. "For example, it hardly requires any crop protection. We had it sprayed twice against weeds and once against aphids. That's all. Disease spraying was not necessary." The mineral requirement was met with 40 cubic metres of cattle manure before sowing. "And for the spring fertilisation we followed the official advice of 200 kilos Nmin", Freddie reports.

Positive expectation
This is the first time for VOF Postma-van de Brake to have winter rapeseed, so they don't have their own yield data yet. But father and son are positive about the approaching harvest. "4 to 4,5 tonnes should definitely be feasible on our land," Harmen looks ahead. "Then the balance is roughly competitive with wheat. But so far everything has gone well, so I have high hopes that it will be more kilos." The arable farmers have not yet filled in what they are going to do with the plot after the harvest. "After winter rapeseed, you always have to combat the growth first," Freddie knows. "But we know that Ambassador has strong pods, which leads to less seed loss. After combating the growth, a nice green manure can follow. Or perhaps grass seed."

All things considered, father and son Postma are very pleased with their first encounter with winter rapeseed. "It is a simple and early crop with nice positive effects on the soil structure. And it is also a sustainable crop. It requires little crop protection and is good for the bees. The seed is sold and processed in our own country and the rapeseed oil is a healthy product. And it is also just a nice crop."

VOF Postma - van de Brake in business 
50 ha of arable farming on clay soil of 45-50% siltability with the following crops:

• grass clover
• Winter rapeseed
• Green beans (rental)
• Green peas (dry harvest)
• Sugar beets
• Parsley (for VNK)
• winter wheat
• winter barley
• Sunflowers (also via Limagrain)

The benefits of LG winter rapeseed

• High yield potential, even on sand
• Clears early and can be sown relatively late (until mid-September)
• Can be included in a crop plan with sugar beets*
• Resistant to yellowing disease and phoma
• Applies as a catch crop for the Nitrates Directive action programme and as a rest crop for the CAP
• Large build-up of organic matter
• Fits into strategy against wireworms (not a host plant)
• More N-space (high N-norm in NV areas)

_{* in combination withand the use of BCA-resistant sugar beet varieties and green manures}

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