Offered: NVM Agricultural & Rural
'The planning process continues very fast'
Rob van den Beucken grows asparagus and hedge plants, such as boxwood and yew, in Helden, Limburg. He started in his twenties in 2004 with four hectares of land. He now runs a sizeable company with fifty hectares of tree cultivation and 35 hectares of asparagus, a combination that is rare. He consults his permanent advisor Piet Vullinghs van Pijnenburg Agricultural Advice & Real Estate on all decisions in the field of real estate, spatial planning and legislation. "His common sense is valuable."
Agricultural advisor and broker Piet Vullinghs van Pijnenburg Agricultural Advice & Real Estate from Horst has been advising Van den Beucken since 2005. "Rob is more about the practical side than the paper trade. He outsourced the manure accounting to us first. That was quite special at the time. for such a young entrepreneur," says Vullinghs. Since then, the tree grower has made use of all disciplines that the Pijnenburg Advies office offers: advice, spatial planning and brokerage. "If you go from zero to almost ninety hectares in fifteen years, there is always something for a broker/advisor to do," laughs Vullinghs. "In buying additional land and buildings, a lot of what I have built up as a consultant in the region comes together. I am often one of the first to know where land can be sold and/or bought, so that contacts are quickly established."
Combination of tree cultivation and asparagus cultivation
A few years ago, Van den Beucken decided not to expand the asparagus area, but to grow more trees. Not only in the open ground, but also in container cultivation in particular. With the guidance of NVM Agrarisch & Rural broker Piet Vullinghs, land was purchased from the neighbors and the necessary permits were arranged to be able to build the greenhouse and container fields. "When the adjacent mushroom company came up for sale, he advised to buy the associated company house, which was close to the shed, so that you never have problems with future neighbors. Good common sense!", says Van den Beucken.
greener
Next year Van den Beucken Boomteelt will only work with recyclable gray pots instead of black ones. "The recycling center can better filter gray pots from residual waste." Sustainability is a matter of course for owner Rob van den Beucken. "In fact, we are constantly working on making processes greener, producing less waste and using as little crop protection as possible." For example, there is a machine that uses five times less product and ensures that zero percent of the crop protection is blown away. Heat collectors and a heat pump heat the company buildings and Van den Beucken regularly has soil scans performed, in order to fertilize as little and yet as effectively as possible.
Booming
Van den Beucken sells its hedge plants to garden centres, landscaping companies and web shops throughout Europe. Turnover: almost 2 million euros per year. Van den Beucken: "Internet trade in particular is booming this year, due to corona. In addition, people will always continue to eat asparagus and there are fewer and fewer growers. So I keep the asparagus." A subsidy was recently awarded for an asparagus robot that can automatically harvest asparagus. Pijnenburg Advies was also involved in that investment in mechanization. Meanwhile, Van den Beucken and Vullinghs are already sitting around the kitchen table. Expand sheds, add docks, move house. Vullinghs: "The planning process continues at full speed."
About NVM Agricultural & Rural
The Dutch Cooperative Association of Real Estate Agents and Valuers NVM UA, with more than 4500 affiliated members, is the largest organization for brokers and valuers. Within the NVM there is the Agricultural & Rural department. Nearly 150 NVM Agrarisch & Landelijk brokers and appraisers work together in this specialist group in the field of agricultural and rural real estate. They offer services such as purchase and sale mediation, land and lease matters, valuation and advice on expropriation and repurposing in rural areas.
With agricultural and rural real estate you have to deal with legislation and regulations in the field of the environment, nature and animal welfare. There are numerous production rights, payment rights and permits. These rules play a role in real estate issues and the further sustainability challenge. NVM therefore keeps its members informed of these laws and regulations. In this way they can provide tailor-made solutions for every specific situation. More information can be found at our website.
