Contractor Thijssen from Nieuwehorne, Friesland, The Netherlands, specializes in precision farming. He invests in the cultivation of grass, as this captures the most CO2 and has the most potential to combat climate change.
Thijssen offers specialized services such as biological nematode control in arable farming, rolling up plastic silage, laying test fields for Certis/Arkema, soil scans and digging maize land ready for sowing. In the field of precision agriculture, together with Droneworkers, he delivers pioneering work in the Netherlands and abroad.
What effects has climate change had on your business so far?
"I can't directly attribute the most important changes to climate change, but to government and environmental policy. In a few years, disinfecting the soil decreased from hundreds of hectares to less than 10 hectares. I then decided to invest in precision farming. I started with the purchase of Veris MPS3 soil scanning equipment, later followed the unmanned eBee_Ag drone, which allows us to make crop and soil scans from the air. This is unique worldwide and it also contributes to CO2 reduction, because thanks to GPS satellite control and other forms of precision farming use less fertilizer, fuel, water and crop protection agents."
You use CO2 neutral diesel. How does that work?
"In a direct sense, we try to reduce CO2 emissions by working with CO2 neutral diesel. This product is called Traxx. Through more efficient combustion, TRAXX Zero reduces the fuel consumption, and therefore also the CO2 emissions, of diesel engines. The remaining CO2 TRAXX compensates for emissions by investing in certified sustainable energy projects. This combination of CO2 reduction and CO2 compensation produces a climate-neutral diesel, with which diesel vehicles no longer produce any net CO2 emissions. Online monitoring of fuel consumption and precision farming also contributes to CO2 reduction, because in this way we use as little fuel as possible. All our tractors and implements are equipped with sensors that are linked to tablets, which register online and dose fuel depending on the site-specific power requirement during the work."
Which future developments are you taking into account?
"We take into account that permanent grassland will become even more important than is already the case. This is due to the derogation requirement, which obliges livestock farmers to cultivate at least 80% grassland if they want to be eligible for extra fertilizer placement space. to the soil, the more CO2 is captured Permanent grassland has the advantage, compared to forest, that it also captures CO2 in winter We invest in machines with more capacity, which work faster with less fuel consumption and preserve the soil and soil life.In arable farming, crops are given more attention, as are crop rotation and cooperation with livestock farming.Additional organic matter supply and maintenance of the organic matter level can be very targeted and efficient by using soil task maps, with which you can add site-specific organic matter to the soil. can add."
What do you expect from business and science?
"The collection of data is a very important subject. We have consciously chosen not to choose 1 brand or tool. This prevents us from becoming completely dependent on 1 party. We opt for cooperation through our membership of drone workers and the Grass4farming project. The aim of this partnership is to measure grass harvests and to use the fertilizer with a GPS spreader on a site-specific basis. The Dairy Campus of Wageningen Livestock Reserach in Leeuwarden is involved, as is Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in Leeuwarden. the business community, such as the Agrifirm cooperative and machine manufacturer Kverneland."
And what about politics/government?
"The government is lagging behind with legislation and subsidies. Look at farm aisle† On the basis of the mandatory parcel registration, everyone in the Netherlands can see what is happening with the land. The agricultural sector must remain in charge of its own data."
This article is part of the summer series on climate change. All articles can be found here.
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