'Innovator chosen by harvest risk on heavy clay'

organized for the sixth year in a row Boerenbusiness the crop tour. This year, too, we are following ten arable farmers throughout the Netherlands in the cultivation of chips potatoes of the Innovator variety. In this series of business reports, we introduce the entrepreneurs. This time it is Daan Tap, arable farmer in Elst (Gld).

Daan Tap will make his debut this year in the Boerenbusiness Crop tour. He is looking forward to seeing how other growers deal with Innovator cultivation. The grower himself made the switch to Innovator last year. This choice has to do with the soil type on the arable farm: river clay. By cultivating Innovator, Tap can bring forward the potato harvest compared to Agria, the variety he first grew.

That's why 21 business and personal questions to Daan Tap, participant in the Boerenbusiness Crop Tour Potatoes.

Do you grow even more potato varieties than Innovator?
"No. We want to grow potatoes for fries on the farm. We have grown Agria on the arable farm for years, but due to the harvest risk of the heavy river clay, the switch was made to Innovator in 2022. You can harvest it earlier than Agria. That is We had a great time last year, so we will continue"

What is the pre-crop for potato cultivation?
"Winter barley is grown before the potatoes. Because the winter barley can be harvested early, a green manure crop follows it. For the green manure crop, slurry is spread over the barley stubble to restore the mineral balance. The green manure crop is plowed after eight to ten weeks. That works best with the river clay."

What do you think is the most beautiful crop to grow on your farm?
"I think onions are the most beautiful crop to grow, because you can really influence the result there. In onion cultivation you can really see what you are doing. If you are too late with something or do something wrong during cultivation, it can be apply equally. If you really do everything right, you can get good yields from the onions"

Chopping or baling straw?
"The straw on the farm is pressed. We have traditionally had a few customers for our straw. Ten years ago, the entire crop plan still consisted of grains. This made straw baling an additional source of income. Maybe I will stop with straw in the future pressing and chopping it up. With a rotation of five out of seven years of grains, we can keep the soil in good condition."

What kind of soil preparation/fertilization is done beforehand with potato cultivation?
"In the autumn, the soil is plowed. River clay has to weather in the winter. If spring allows it, we try to use drag hoses for potato planting. Phosphate is added to the row during planting, for which we use APP."

French fries or boiled potatoes?
"Fries. To be honest, I don't like boiled potatoes at all."

What is your strategy with crop protection in potato cultivation?
"The strategy is to keep the interval closed. In crop protection we also use a decision support system (BOS). Spray as little as possible, but as often as possible. Foliar fertilizers are added during the phytophthora spraying."

What are your hobbies?
"Skiing. And to watch I am a fan of Formula 1. That was even before Max Verstappen participated."

What are you proud of when you look at the company or cultivation?
"I am proud of the company itself. I think we have the company buildings well organized and that is partly due to the company relocation ten years ago. In addition, we generally get good field yields here."

What do you want to change or work towards in the coming years?
"In the past I always had the ambition to grow, but there is little land available in the area due to the pressure of housing and industry. Maintaining the company is therefore paramount. When opportunities arise, of course I try to seize them ".

What has been the best choice/change in recent years on the farm?
"I joined the company ten years ago. Since then, we have started growing potatoes and onions, instead of a full crop of grains. When I look back on it now, it was a very good choice."

What is number 1 on your bucket list?
"I think it would be fun to drive a piste bully one more time."

What activities are you most looking forward to during the season?
"In any case, I'm looking forward to the start of the season, when we can plant and sow again. The grain harvest is special. Threshing is the best thing there is in the growing season."

Are the potatoes sold off the field or from storage?
"We always store the potatoes for a long time. Because we are on heavy soil, we have to blow the potatoes dry first to get the clay off. The quality of the potatoes is generally good for storage."

What is the sales strategy of the products?
"So we grow all potatoes for long storage on contract or all free. It depends on the contracts. If prices rise, I will grow on contract and if contract prices fall, I will grow freely. At the moment we grow everything up contract and keep for a long time."

What occupation would you have had if you were not a farmer?
"No idea. When I was young, I didn't want to be a farmer at first. I didn't know what I wanted either. I did an economics course and then worked abroad on arable farms. Finally - when I was 23 - I nevertheless decided to enter the business at home.

What do you see as the opportunities and threats for your company?
"The main threat is to maintain the acreage due to the pressure of housing and industry. We may lose some acreage in the coming years. It is an opportunity and a threat in one."

Can there be watering? If so, what strategy do you use?
"The company can be irrigated well, because we are here between the rivers. There are ditches everywhere, so water is immediately available. We ensure that the plots remain in good condition and that the plot remains permeable to moisture. For the third year, we are working with the AgroExact moisture meter, which we use to determine whether we are going to irrigate."

Sun holiday or winter sports?
"Winter sports, preferably several times a year."

What is the reason you are participating in the potato crop tour?
"I think it would be fun to follow the crop with other growers. Sharing knowledge and contact with other growers. You also go somewhere else once in a while."

Potatoes from your own company or potatoes from the supermarket?
"First I got my potatoes ready-made from the store. Since I've been living together, we've been eating potatoes from our own company."

© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.