'Proud of the transition from contract cultivation to the free market'

organized for the sixth year in a row Boerenbusiness the crop tour. Also this year we are following ten arable farmers throughout the Netherlands in the cultivation of French fries potatoes with the variety Innovator. In this series of business reports, we introduce the entrepreneurs. This time: René Mesken from Appelscha (Fr).

René Mesken's arable farm in Appelscha is located on the border between Friesland and Drenthe. Mesken has been participating in the Gewastour potatoes for several years now. The arable farm is geared to growing crops at great distances from the business location. This makes for a whole different approach to running the business. Mesken is also involved in trading its products on the open market.

That is why 18 business and personal questions to René Mesken, participant in the Boerenbusiness Crop Tour Potatoes.

Which potato varieties are grown on the arable farm? 
"I grow Innovator and Agria, because these varieties have the most sales opportunities in the free trade. If you go into Friesland, you have a lot of clean soil. I prefer that and we can also grow Innovators, also in view of the wart disease resistance. In Drenthe, we grow more the Agria variety, but it's also where the opportunities arise."

What do you think is the most beautiful crop to grow on your farm?
"That was always potatoes, but that has actually changed a bit to onions. That is mainly because of sales. The onion market is really still a free market. The potato market is much more closed off. Much more is possible in the onion market: participation, sales and in the long term, all kinds of options are negotiable. In chips potatoes it is more 'you can put a cross here' to deliver."

Chopping or baling straw?
"That is not the case, because we only grow potatoes, onions and sugar beets."

What kind of tillage/fertilization is done for potato cultivation?
"The main operation is spading or plowing. Spading is preferred. That is nicer work and you get a nicer soil to plant in. But old grassland in particular just needs to be plowed. The fertilizer for growing potatoes is always cattle slurry. grassland is also becoming a bigger problem, because there are fewer and fewer options to keep it in check."

French fries or boiled potatoes?
"Yes, fries"

What is your crop protection strategy in potato cultivation?
"This year I have deposited the onions and sugar beets with the supplier of the plant protection products. In other words, it is his responsibility to keep them clean. He tells me what to spray. As a result, we sometimes end up on the expensive side with the products, but we are totally approaching 300 hectares and everything must also be manageable. My crop advisor walks in my onions three times every two weeks and inspects the plots. We do that ourselves, but you never have enough attention to always be on top of everything. to pass by."

What are your hobbies?
"Horse Riding and Clay Pigeon Shooting."

What are you proud of when you look at the company or cultivation?
"The switch from contract cultivation to the free market. That has mainly been a switch in myself. Nowadays I like to be free and before then I was a plaything between the buyer and the bank. That took a lot of effort. I have already sold my own land and is currently only on rental land. There are also opportunities there, but that requires a different way of thinking."

What do you want to change / work towards in the coming years?
"I find it difficult to say anything about the future. The undercurrent is large-scale agriculture, we will only see how that unfolds. I think we are moving even more towards onion cultivation. From a sales point of view I see more opportunities there. Only since ten onions are really grown here every year. I'm growing onions for the third year now."

What is number 1 on your bucket list?
"That's a very good question. I've been thinking about that recently. I'm in life with 'if I want things, I'll do it'. I don't save such things for a bucket list. If you're very honest and look around you, you see that tomorrow was never given to you automatically."

What activities are you most looking forward to during the year?
"I always think spring is the best, when you get out of winter again. It's just wonderful to be outside again."

Potatoes from your own company or potatoes from the supermarket?
"Yes, own company potatoes, I think."

What is the sales strategy of the products?
"It varies from year to year whether the potatoes are sold from storage or from the country. I can't say that yet. I store the potatoes here from the sand until mid-March. You really shouldn't want any longer. Experience shows that if you say "mid-March" and it's that time, then it will be the beginning of April. If you say "the delivery will be early April", it will also be later and the beginning of May is really not possible. Sell freely and see where the possibilities are And I keep asking myself: are you satisfied with this result, of course."

What occupation would you have had if you had not been a farmer?
"I think something in agriculture. Recently, some things have come up or I have been asked to manage companies abroad. It seems wonderful to manage or direct large-scale companies abroad."

What do you see as the opportunities and threats for your company?
"Whether there are opportunities and threats depends on how you look at it. Take the example that production is declining due to changing regulations. You can see that as a threat. You can also see it as an opportunity: less product is produced the market, so the price is probably higher for your product. How do you want to see the world?"

Can there be watering? If so, what strategy do you use?
"We can irrigate many plots. I find it difficult to say our strategy with irrigation, because I still have too little experience with it. My partner with whom I do the onions together has 15 years of experience with irrigation. He has more We use the soil moisture sensor from AgroExact to determine when to irrigate. In the end, that went very well last year."

Sun holiday or winter sports?
"I have been to winter sports every winter for twenty years, but not since the corona. But winter sports are actually my favorite."

What is the reason you are participating in the Potato Crop Tour?
"Broadening knowledge, that's how short and powerful it can be summarized."

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