'With Fontane you are always on the market'

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 Pieter Evenhuis, his company grows more than 400 hectares of potatoes and is located in Giethoorn.
 

The potatoes are growing, how is the crop doing?
"The potatoes are on top and the growth comes into the plot. It is a rental plot and last year there was grass. We planted and milled in one pass. We started the year quietly. It was of course cold and wet, but at a certain point you have to. On a few plots you saw that the growth was somewhat steady, but on the Gewastour plot it was not disappointing. The Gewastour plot is a long way from the main company, just like many others That is also a part of the risk spreading. We rent these plots, hence this building plan. We have 2 Miedema planters, but 1 of the planters mainly served as contract work. So we were able to drive on and run capacity."

Which varieties do you grow on the farm?
"The varieties we grow are Fontane, Innovator, King Russet, Ivory Russet and Leonata. Fontane is the largest with us at almost 200 hectares. The Fontane variety is fairly easy for us to grow. We do a decent portion of the land. sell and with Fontane you are always on the market. I can do other varieties, but when will you lose them? We are looking for new varieties, but we have to see how that turns out. this year for the first time.'

What is your sales strategy with the potatoes?
"We have everything under contract and in addition to selling ex-land, we also keep a part. The cells will be empty from about December. I would prefer to get rid of everything before planting, but that is not always possible these days. That is not really a problem, because storage in April and May is also interesting. With the new sprout inhibition that goes quite well. If we want to go one step further, we have to switch to mechanical cooling. I just wonder if I can get rid of the potato with the sand , can also maintain the quality well."

You are active in precision agriculture, how is that going?
"That's right, we have been working on precision agriculture on the farm for some years now and the last few years have become a lot more intensive. I see precision agriculture as the future and there are certainly many opportunities. You can let us know what you are doing and show it to the outside world "You keep an eye on everything at plant level, that should take us further. For example, last year we tried to map the soil. But a lot of development is still needed. As soon as more growers get started, the development is also faster and precision farming is increasingly coming into its own."

Why are you participating in the Crop Tour?
"I find it interesting how someone else does it. You are open to innovations. Normally you don't just step into another grower's yard or watch his potatoes grow. You pick what suits you and I see the strength of sharing knowledge."

Jesse Torringa

Jesse is an editor at Boerenbusiness and focuses in particular on the arable farming sector, including grain and onions. He also closely follows the fertilizer market. In addition, Jesse works on an arable farm in Groningen with seed potatoes as the main branch.

j.torringa@boerenbusiness. Nl

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