The company that Gybert Doggen has with his father in Wouw (West-Brabant) has existed for about three hundred years, but not purely as an arable farm. "Until 1960 we had dairy cows, then we switched to beef cattle", says Gybert. This beef cattle was kept until 2002, when they decided to take a new direction again.
"We then started growing strawberries in the open field," says Gybert. Over time, the demand for strawberries in the open field decreased. "It was no longer profitable," he explains. In 2016, the decision was made to switch completely to arable farming, an activity that had always been carried out alongside other activities.
The company of Gybert Doggen and his father is located in Wouw (West-Brabant). They grow consumption potatoes, seed onions, chicory, sugar beets and winter wheat. Loamy sand is the soil type in Wouw. The size of Doggen's company is 90 hectares, of which 70 hectares are owned.
In potato cultivation, father and son consciously choose certain varieties. "We grow Fontane, Innovator and recently also Quintera, a new variety that I would like to try out." The choice is partly determined by the soil type, but also because of regulations. That is why they focus on varieties that require less nitrogen.
For the Crop Tour, a plot of 5 hectares is used for the Innovators, where sugar beets were grown last year. The soil type varies from sand to somewhat heavier loam soil. He remains flexible regarding the storage of products. "I store the products as much as possible, but it depends on the market." If the market price is good, he prefers to sell directly. "If the price from the field is good, why would you store them?" Most crops are grown under contract. "About two-thirds of the potatoes are under contract. The market is uncertain now, and it is nice if you can rely on that." With more and better storage capacity, he could possibly grow more freely, he indicates.
Gybert is moderately optimistic about the future of technology and sustainability. He likes robotization, but he does not see a technique like spot spraying as the solution, because many resources disappear anyway. He does see opportunities in laser technology and mechanical solutions. "Some things can be solved without crop protection products." He does not like organic cultivation so far. "You do not earn more from it than a conventional grower. And there are no solutions for some diseases and pests yet. If you look at last year, you see that it is not yet possible with potatoes. We will have to wait a while before they have found something for that."
Goal to take over company within ten years
As for irrigation, the company is only allowed to use groundwater, not surface water. This has to do with their location near the Brabantse Wal, an area that is becoming increasingly difficult in terms of regulations. Nevertheless, Gybert does see a future for the company. ''I would like to set up new balancing crops, the search for new crops is a common thread in our company.''
Gybert has been part of the company for three years. "I would like to expand in the future." For now, however, he will continue to work elsewhere. His goal is to take over the company within ten years. "It's hard to make big moves around here, there's quite a lot of competition," he notes. Still, he hopes to buy more of his own land so he has enough work to stay in the business full-time.
© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.
