Brought to you by Bayer Crop Science
Hands full with maintenance of ten self-propelled vehicles
What does the future of crop protection look like? And how do you invest in that future? If there is one company that should have the answers to this, it is Timmermans Agri-Service in America, Limburg. With no fewer than ten self-propelled sprayers, the company is one of the largest 'crop caretakers' in the Netherlands.
Nevertheless, Harm Timmermans finds it particularly difficult to look ahead. "There are so many uncertain factors at the moment. Especially in the area of policy and regulations; I can hardly discern a common thread there. On top of that, profitability for farmers and horticulturalists is increasingly under pressure. That hinders investments and innovations, including for us. At the moment, we are barely looking further than a year ahead. We are trying to remain operational with our machinery. There is simply no room for further sustainability or new technologies right now."
"I am an optimist by nature and always see opportunities. But right now, you encounter someone who is feeling a bit less positive." Timmermans says this right at the start of the conversation. And he immediately raises a few pressing questions: "What do we want for agriculture and horticulture in the Netherlands? Can we continue growing here? Do we really want farmers and market gardeners to survive? If so, policy will have to change drastically. How? That doesn't even matter that much to me. As long as there is clarity and perspective. Particularly in the area of crop protection. A clear course, a common thread. Right now, there is mainly discouragement and stagnation. That is the worst thing there is."
As an example, he cites lettuce cultivation, a significant portion of the propagation of which will shift to Belgium. "There, they are still allowed to use substances during the propagation phase that are not permitted in the Netherlands. The lettuce seedlings then remain in Belgium for a few weeks and return to the Netherlands. Similar actions are also coming for other vegetable crops. Is that what we want? We are driving growers away from the Netherlands, and that is anything but sustainable. That is how I see it."
Two new self-propelled vehicles added
Although Timmermans is somewhat hesitant about making large investments, these are continuing nonetheless. The preference now lies with proven technology that, so to speak, 'almost certainly pays for itself'. For instance, two self-propelled Agrifacs were added last season, bringing the total to ten. "It is simple: we are a crop care service provider and must be ready for our customers. With our self-propelled machines, we are highly efficient and can serve virtually all growers and crops in this area. Moreover, the machines are versatile, applicable to both crop protection and various forms of fertilization. As such, they will remain the backbone of our company for the foreseeable future."
Timmermans emphasizes that the new self-propelled vehicles are fairly basic are equipped; that is to say: without advanced precision techniques. "Two years ago, we invested €125.000 in camera technology (with pulsating nozzles) on one of the sprayers. But those cameras will probably end up in the trash in two or three years, because they will already be outdated by then. Moreover, we notice that our customers are currently unwilling to pay anything extra for precision techniques. If we cannot pass this cost on in our rates, then it will eventually come to an end for us too."
Legislation lags behind technology
Timmermans emphasizes that he certainly sees a future for precision techniques – including the spot sprayer – but that the mindset for it is not right at the moment. "Growers are willing to move forward in the field of precision spraying and fertilization, but with current prices for potatoes, lettuce, and leeks, among others, they are holding back on spending. Furthermore, I see that legislation in this area is still lagging behind. Which products are and are not allowed to be sprayed using new techniques? And what are the conditions for this? That is not really clear yet."
Resistant varieties
According to him, progress in crop protection remains a difficult and complicated process even outside of spraying techniques. "Take the choice of varieties with better resistance to diseases and pests. In practice, there are quite a few snags involved. For example, varieties with better resistance to the green lettuce aphid (Nasonovia) are coming onto the market, but they often fail on another level, for example against downy mildew. So that doesn't really get us anywhere. Something similar applies to Cercospora in sugar beets: we might be able to keep that disease in check through improved resistance, but we certainly won't defeat it that way. However, I do not mean to discourage the development of resistant varieties. It is an essential part of future crop protection, but certainly not a replacement for the synthetic agents that we will be phasing out in the coming years."
As far as he is concerned, the same snags apply to the use of biostimulants and green (biological) products. "They are absolutely important building blocks for future crop protection and we already work with them extensively, but they offer far less certainty than chemicals. And it is precisely that certainty that growers want to see now; especially from service providers who often also play an advisory role, as is the case with us. We must be able to justify our work and our rates. This must be balanced by results for the grower. This is precisely what is becoming increasingly complicated with products and techniques that in practice are often supplementary to chemicals, but do not offer the same power and certainty."
Classic field sprayer remains leading
Returning to the technology: the 'classic' field sprayer will remain dominant there for the time being, Timmermans expects. With the current ten self-propelled machines – all 39 meters wide, eight of which have aerial booms (DRT class 97,5%) – virtually all approved products can be sprayed, in both vegetable and arable crops. In terms of sustainability, too, these machines are technically 'the best currently available', he states.
While he finds it concerning that citizens do not always share this conclusion, he also sees it as something one should not let throw off. "As a company, we operate openly and transparently towards our surroundings. For instance, we try to avoid spraying on weekends, evenings, and Wednesday afternoons (after children's school) as much as possible. Furthermore, our planning is shared in three WhatsApp groups for local residents, where we let them know when we will be arriving at an adjacent field with our sprayer. I have also given presentations to municipal and GGD employees, and I am always available for questions or comments regarding our work. I notice that this helps to dispel concerns, ambiguities, and especially misconceptions among people. As a result, we have had fewer problems in recent years with citizens who are not entirely happy with our work."
Raised middle finger
As far as he is concerned, the fact that a middle finger is raised every now and then is something you should let slide off you. "Let's be honest: most people are hardly interested in how our food is produced and where it comes from. The is It is simply normal for them. The effort it takes for farmers and market gardeners to achieve a good harvest is a distant concern for many. And the fact that those crops also need to be protected against diseases and pests? Well… that is not interesting at all. So, I can't do much with a random middle finger. Come with questions then, or engage in a conversation with me. Then I can also explain that we will be out with the sprayer even more often in the coming years. Because we are using more and more biostimulants and biological agents, such as garlic extracts or fulvic acids, and these need to be applied much more frequently than chemical agents for – hopefully – the same result. Working more sustainably therefore means spraying more rather than less. Hopefully, we will get that message across a bit more in the coming years; among the citizens and, even more importantly, among politicians.
Working neatly with own purification system
To prevent leaching, runoff, and yard emissions as much as possible, Timmermans built its own purification plant in 2020. The basis for this is a covered rinsing area with a liquid-tight floor where all machines can be cleaned inside and out. All rinse water (containing residues) is first collected in a large collection pit.
Immediately behind that is an oil separator that captures oil residues. All organic material is subsequently collected in a sieve bend, after which small solid contaminants, such as sand particles, are removed by a cloth filter.
The remaining rinse water enters a silo and is diluted with clean water, resulting in a homogeneous product. In the silo, the pH is regulated to maximize the breakdown of residues. The (residues of) crop protection products are broken down at a molecular level using ozone. The progress of this process is continuously monitored and continues until all contaminants have been broken down.
The final step is purification using a carbon filter. This is done to remove any remaining residues of chemicals from the rinse water. The treated rinse water is checked and analyzed. Depending on the results, the rinse water is discharged into the sewer or reused for spraying operations.
