Dutch Crop tour Jacob Branderhorst
'More return without a plow with variable legs'
De Boerenbusiness Crop Tour 2021 will follow this year 10 plots of potatoes of the Innovator variety spread across the Netherlands. Every week we ask 1 potato grower about the plot, his choices and his vision. This week it is Jacob Branderhorst, he applies non-inversion tillage (NKG) at his arable farm in Eethen (North Brabant).
| The Kleijberg farm |
| Location: eat Size company: 200 hectares Soil type: marine clay, 35% to 45% siltability Crop tour plot: 10 hectares, in Hank Cultivation in hectares: 60 hectares of wheat 30 hectares of potatoes 30 hectares of onions 30 hectares of sugar beets 30 hectares of grass seed 6 green beans 6 hectares of field edges |
The potatoes have been planted, how is the plot?
"The Crop Tour plot was planted on April 28. This is the first year that all potatoes are on plots where NKG has been applied. As a result, it stayed moist longer than usual when we were still plowing. Now I noticed that everyone was a bit later on average, than in previous years. When it was dry enough, we tilled the land and milled full fields. After half a day of drying, we started potato planting. We plant variably via task cards and the ridging also takes place during potato planting. So we have 2 working passes at the We have tried to plant potatoes in one pass in the past, but then the crop residues or green manures accumulate in the ridging hoods, so this is the best option."
How does variable planting work via task cards?
"We started it about 5 years ago and this year we planted all plots on a task card for the first time. It is difficult to say to what extent variable planting yields more, but I can see on average in the trial plantings that we do. a positive effect. In addition, the task card gives you advice about how much to plant. On average, we plant a little more closely and the standard recommendations for seed potato quantities are sometimes very general and too low for us for an optimal yield."
Why did you start using NKG on your business?
"We took the first step towards NKG in 2006. We started with NKG because part of our farm is heavy river clay that we worked endlessly with. We plowed very early, weathered it, another tillage for a good seedbed and then you are not always satisfied. Then we started to wonder why we put so much energy into it. After all, we have a beautiful, weathered ground on top. Then we started only tossing and harrowing. By stopping Plowing improved the bearing capacity and the capillary action of the soil. For some time now, we have been using green manure mixtures to keep the soil covered for as long as possible during the year. As a result, you can see the structure and infiltration capacity of the soil improve enormously. we have had quite a few learning moments. Step by step we have progressed and we are trying to improve working with NKG. Since last autumn we have for the first time nothing left plowed."
What is your strategy with watering the crops?
"I started using soil moisture sensors a few years ago and as a result, the moment of watering has shifted. It is not that I necessarily water less, but you start watering earlier and you also stop earlier. With soil moisture sensors you can see well when a crop starts to demand moisture and when it is needed, so that you can get ahead of the moisture shortage. That way you are much more effective."
What strategy do you use when storing the potatoes?
"We are average/medium/long keeper. Besides Innovator we grow Markies and we keep them as long as the quality allows. We have now stored our crops with air cooling. I have thought about mechanical cooling, but that depends on the future of the potato cultivation.”
What is the reason that you participate in the Crop Tour?
"I started the Crop Tour in the first year purely out of interest, to follow it more intensively with other growers. It is also fun to follow other fields throughout the Netherlands. That way I remained a participant."
Jesse Torringa
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