'My machinery is my insurance premium'

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: Kees Trouw from Hellevoetsluis (ZH).

Trouw, a participant in the Gewastour for several years, grows his crops in Hellevoetsluis on sea clay. He is a real plant grower, someone who likes nothing better than growing crops. "How a beet seed of one kilo can grow from a beet seed is amazing. Or about two to three kilos of new potatoes from one potato."

That's why 20 business and personal questions to Kees Trouw, participant in the Boerenbusiness Crop Tour Potatoes.

Which potato varieties are grown on the arable farm?
"I grow Innovator and Agria. I made this choice to sell part early, then some money comes in. I can harvest Innovator earlier than Agria, so we can spread both the harvest and the sales nicely. The same applies to planting, Agria needs more early planting and you can also put an Innovator into the ground a little later. I can plant one plot earlier than the other due to the type of soil. All my choices are aimed at this."

What is the pre-crop for potato cultivation?
"Cereal crops are nine times out of ten the pre-crop for the cultivation of potatoes."

What do you think is the most beautiful crop to grow on your farm?
"I am a plant grower and I think all crops are equally beautiful. I like the fact that a small seed can grow into a beet of one kilo in a single season. Or that one potato can grow two to three kilos. I think growing plants beautiful and not specific to one crop."

Are there any secondary activities on your farm besides arable farming?
"I also have a number of management positions in addition to the arable farm."

Chopping or baling straw?
"Most of the straw is pressed. After baling, I spread compost over the wheat stubble. I'm in the area with a number of riding stables and boarding houses that need straw. I can then make a good price and I compensate for that with compost. Sometimes I also use solid goat manure."

What kind of tillage/fertilization is done at the front of the potato crop?
"I plow all my plots in the autumn. I usually have cattle slurry spread before the cultivation of the potatoes. I also sprinkle potash before planting the potatoes. After planting and before cultivating the ridges, I also sprinkle nitrogen and phosphate. I fertilize during the season according to the needs of the crop."

French fries or boiled potatoes?
"Boiled potatoes."

What is your strategy regarding crop protection in potato cultivation?
"I use the BOS system (decision support system). I also carry out a visual check of my crop myself. In addition, I receive advice from my crop protection advisor."

What are your hobbies?
"My company is my hobby and my hobby is my work. In addition to my work, I have some administrative functions and those are actually my hobbies."

What are you proud of when you look at the company or cultivation?
"What I am most proud of is that I was able to take over my father's company, continue it and expand it. That I was given that opportunity and I succeeded."

What do you want to change or work towards in the coming years?
"How do I see the future of the company? I have two sons who are in the company, but they work outside. They are not plant growers like me. They will continue with the company, but in what form do I know not."

What has been the best choice or change for the company in recent years?
"That we went along with the mechanization. We once started with a single-row harvester, then a two-row harvester, then a four-row trailed harvester and now we have been driving a four-row self-propelled potato harvester for seven to eight years. We have always invested in reliable capacity machines. I see how I am mechanized as an insurance premium to be able to harvest my crops."

What is number 1 on your bucket list?
"I have already been able to see different places in the world. I want to go to Australia, Brazil or Argentina again."

What activities are you most looking forward to during the year?
"I love spring. That you can walk outside and hear all the birds like the school magpie, lapwing and black-tailed godwit again. And later when the harvest period starts again and see the result of all your efforts in the growing season. Then I am happy again ."

Potatoes from your own company or potatoes from the supermarket?
"My own potatoes, of course. They are the best there is."

Are the potatoes sold off the field or from storage?
"All potatoes are sold from storage, I don't sell anything from land. I have a free appointment with the factory. We have agreed on a delivery term on paper, but that is very flexible. I usually try to be empty before August 1 That depends on whether I grow my potatoes freely or under contract."

What occupation would you have had if you had not been a farmer?
"Then it remained silent. You've probably experienced that before. I was convinced from an early age that I wanted to become an arable farmer. The variety you have in this profession makes it so beautiful."

What do you see as the opportunities and threats for your company?
"An opportunity is a food shortage due to current laws and regulations and politics. But people will and must continue to eat. I see the loss of sufficient options in crop protection as a threat."

Can there be irrigation? If so, what strategy do you use?
"I can irrigate my plots. I use an AgroExact moisture sensor and Fieldscout offers various alerting options. Together with a fellow arable farmer, I have two reels, so we have sufficient capacity if irrigation is required."

Sun holiday or winter sports?
"We're going to the sun, not the snow."

What is the reason you are participating in the Potato Crop Tour?
"This is the third year I'm taking part in the Gewastour. What makes the tour so special is the contact with the other participants about the cultivation of potatoes. This is discussed in the app, which makes it fun. does well, but sees that other colleagues with a different cultivation method also achieve good results. Sharing these experiences makes it interesting."

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