Company report Bernard Jansema
'I have a drive to always try something new'
With 200 hectares of arable land under management, Berend Jansema from Sellingen in Groningen literally does not sit still. That fits the character of the entrepreneur. "I have a drive to try new things all the time and I like a challenge," he says.
The Jansema family's company is located a stone's throw from the German border. In the background, the many windmills – on German territory – are turning quietly in their circles. At night it is a sea of red lights. Berend Jansema has gotten used to it and hopes to have a windmill on his land in a few years' time. There are always new projects that Jansema focuses on. It typifies his entrepreneurship.
Distances
Jansema's great-grandfather bought the large white farm in 1921, where his father later went farming. His grandfather's arable farm in Steendam, on the Schildmeer, was involved in the company from the early 90s. This company – 50 kilometers away – was farmed for a number of years. He is therefore used to considerable transport distances. The grounds are now spread out in a number of clusters around Sellingen, up to a distance of 45 kilometers. In total, this concerns 200 hectares of property, lease, lease and exchange land. "With today's tractors, a longer transport distance is no longer an obstacle," he says.
| Company Details |
| Berend Jansema runs an arable farm in Sellingen (Gr.) with his wife Gwendolyn. They have 2 daughters. The company also runs a bed & breakfast. His wife also works outside the home. The 200 hectares of loamy sandy soil is partly owned and partly leased/rented and exchanged land with a dairy farm. The construction plan consists of 100 hectares of starch potatoes supplemented with sugar beet, fiber hemp and seed onions. In addition to 4 tractors, we also have our own combine, beet harvester and trailed bunker harvester for potatoes and onions. |
Exchange ground
The availability of land is another project that Jansema focuses on. Since 2019, he has been working with a dairy farmer with whom land is exchanged. "Emelts and grubs caused problems in permanent grassland," he explains. "By rotating my crop plan, the dairy farm now always has new grassland. The big advantage for me is that I can extend the rotation, in order to prevent possible AM contamination. At the moment, starch potatoes are grown in a 1 in 2 -rotation grown. Everyone knows that this is not ideal. For cultivation, 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 is desirable. By swapping, the surface of potatoes is preserved."
In addition to 100 hectares of starch potatoes for Avebe, sugar beet and fiber hemp are also grown. The onion crop was added to this in 2019. Jansema started with 12 hectares and that leaves us wanting more. "The first year went satisfactorily. This year there will certainly be a sequel. In the past I have always grown grain. This crop has been replaced by fiber hemp for Dun Agro, but grain cultivation cannot be ruled out in the future. The combine will remain in the shed for the time being."
Set up for storage
The situation for onion cultivation on the farm is ideal. In the large shed, which also serves as a machine storage and workshop, there is a mechanically cooled box storage for 300 tons of product. In the past, TBM seed potatoes were stored here. Nowadays Jansema buys the starting material. The storage is rented out. He also stores some of the onions in crates. The latter left in November with excellent quality. The adjacent shed, with underground ventilation ducts, contains 2.000 tons of starch potatoes for delivery in April. The barn also houses a grain store for 400 tons. "I try to make a positive balance by storing the crops."
Bernard Jansema
The focus on storage stems from Jansema's history. In the past he worked in partnership with his brother-in-law and father-in-law. It consisted of a dairy, arable and contracting business. In 2008 he decided to continue on his own. "Because the contracting branch had all the mechanization at its disposal, all earnings were always invested in land and buildings," he says. "At the end of the collaboration, we worked 700 hectares. All spring I was only busy with planting and managing staff. I am not a manager, but a farmer. That is where my heart lies. Then I decided to fully focus on the arable farm. My brother-in-law continued the contracting business."
Modern machinery
The love for machines is evident, as witnessed by the modern and well-equipped machine park. Almost all work is carried out in-house. Jansema only outsources the manure driving to his brother-in-law. In addition to its own beet harvester, combine and potato harvester, there are 4 modern John Deere's. "I can probably earn more money at the office, but my heart is still in the workshop", Jansema laughs. "Last week I still had a cabin open. Someone else may outsource that. I'll put that money in my pocket." The well-equipped workshop currently houses a trailed 6 meter wide Horsch sowing combination. He does not turn his hand around to adjust the drawbar. Precision farming is also growing within the company. Especially in the winter months, attention is paid to processing data and making task cards.
Despite the high degree of mechanization, Jansema does not employ any personnel. He can fall back on 2 freelancers and worked with a neighbor during the potato harvest last autumn. "The neighbor couldn't get started because his fields were too wet," he explains. "I was able to get straight to work. We assisted each other. I am open to more cooperation. For example, another colleague carried out crop protection in the onions. An alternative is to work more closely with a dairy farm. As an arable farmer you can carry out the agricultural work , and go for maximum feed production with 1 cropping plan. The dairy farmer can focus on his herd. Unfortunately, there is only 1 dairy farm in the immediate vicinity and many more arable farmers."
green manures
Jansema sees a cycle of feed and manure as the future. "At the moment, a lot of pig slurry is still being supplied. Partly because of the revenue model, because you receive €4 per kilo of phosphate. Solid manure is preferred, but it is not widely available. You quickly get into trouble with the placement space. In the context of soil health, organic fertilizers are preferred and artificial fertilizer is used as little as possible because of the salts.Another part of the soil approach is to keep fields green all year round. A green manure is sown after every cultivation. In this respect, grain has an advantage over fiber hemp, because you have more options in terms of green manures." To reduce green manure crops, he invested in a 6-metre disc harrow. Working fully mechanically is challenging. Jansema: "I kill the rye with 1 liter of glyphosate. That causes the least environmental impact. However, because of the discussion about 'orange fields', I still work mechanically and spray a grass product afterwards."
To assess what works, Jansema conducts practical tests herself. "This spring, I sow sugar beets directly on 3 hectares of rye green fertilizer, without pre-processing. The plot is looking great and the manure is injected with a sod fertilizer. I see more and more problems with fungi in sugar beets. That got me thinking. Soil health plays a role. This certainly plays a role in this, which is why I conduct practical tests myself with various soil stimulants. They are compared over several years. There is also collaboration and consultation with like-minded colleagues." In the barn are a leveling and dozer bucket and a deep plough. During the quiet periods, plot and ground improvement is carried out. Striking for this region with its sloping plots and peaty subsoil. That too is a learning process for the arable farmer, but one that is bearing fruit. In normal tillage, the philosophy is that the soil is disturbed as little as possible. A plow, spader and cultivator are on hand to always have the right approach.
Future
There is no plan for the future. The 2 daughters currently have no ambition to take over the company. The Horsch seed drill was purchased together with a neighbor to spread the costs. I like that method. After the death of his father, Jansema tries to work as efficiently as possible. Planting potatoes and sowing sugar beets is done in 1 working pass with the spading machine. The starch potato cultivation fits in well with this, because the logistics part is completely taken off your hands. "This is relatively carefree and the company is set up for it." Nevertheless, Jansema does not want to characterize himself as a contract grower. "Some of the onions are free and I also enjoy speculating when selling my grain. However, it is not in my nature to deal with the trade on a daily basis. Here too, cooperation can be beneficial if a colleague is ambition. Until then, there are plenty of challenges to keep me busy."
Niels van der Boom
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