'I grow my onions for the free market and pool for myself'

organized for the sixth year in a row Boerenbusiness the crop tour. Also this year we follow ten arable farmers throughout the Netherlands in their decisions regarding the cultivation of yellow seed onions. In this series of business reports, we introduce the entrepreneurs. This time: Dirk Binnema from Eenrum (GR).

The Binnema arable farm is located on 't Hogeland in Groningen. The company is mainly focused on the cultivation of seed potatoes. "We are seed potato people in this area, from way back," says Dirk Binnema. The grower also thinks onions are a nice crop to grow.

That is why 19 business and personal questions to Dirk Binnema, participant in the Boerenbusiness Crop tour Onions.

Which onion variety is grown on the arable farm? 
"I grow primed seed of the yellow onion variety Hypark and red onion variety Red Baron. The reason I choose these varieties is on the advice of the commissioner. I think a lot of the yellow onions grown around here are from Hypark , it is a solid variety with good yields."

What do you think is the most beautiful crop to grow on your farm?
"We are seed potato people in this area, already in the past. With the cultivation of seed potatoes you have work all year round. I think seed potatoes are a very nice crop to grow. I also think onions are a nice crop."   

Chopping or baling straw?
"In principle, we chop everything, but we also bale sometimes. We bale some straw every year for the hobby. We chop the straw for the organic matter. After threshing the wheat, you can immediately sow green manure. After the green manure, we drive slurry out."

What kind of tillage/fertilization is done for onion cultivation?
"If potato land is the pre-crop: till or plow. Then prepare the soil with a quick harrow. Before sowing, we spray NTS together with Roundup if necessary. You can combine this spraying. We also fertilize the onions during the season."

French fries or boiled potatoes?
"Fries once in a while is nice, but you don't have to have it every day. So boiled potatoes."

What is the onion crop protection strategy?
"Keeping the onions free of weeds is quite a challenge for me. I hope that I can now do this better with the new sprayer. We will now spray with caps at 25 cm in combination with air support. This allows me to use a finer drop spraying and I hope to get a better effect."

What are your hobbies?
"I think ice skating is a nice thing to do in the winter. I usually go to the ice rink twice a week. In the summer there is plenty of work on the farm. In the evening a little spraying or another job, so there is not much time remains."

What are you proud of when you look at the company or cultivation?
"I am proud of the whole company. The whole development of the company, the buildings and the country. How the company has developed in 50 years."

What is number 1 on your bucket list?
"Vacation to Scandinavia."

How do you see the future of the company?
"We are in the partnership with two sons, who are enthusiastic. I do think that they will eventually take over the company. Dirk Jan, my youngest son, works entirely at home. My other son Hans Pieter works partly at home and partly as a truck driver. "

What activities are you most looking forward to during the year?
"I look forward to all the work, but I'm always happy when it's done. There are always activities that I don't like as much. The variety during the season always makes it nice."

Onions from your own company or onions from the supermarket?
"Yellow and red onions from our own company, of course."

What is the sales strategy of the products?
"Actually, the onions are never sold off the land and are always stored. I'm not a long-term onion keeper. The onions should be gone before Christmas. January or February also happens sometimes, but the onions have never been with me longer I grow my onions freely and I pool a little for myself."

What profession would you have had if you had not been a farmer?
"Maybe something in the agricultural sector. I was once offered a job as a manager at a mushroom farm in Egypt. That was 30 years ago, but something like that would have seemed nice to me. When I was younger I would have liked to be a driver on an ambulance. I have been a firefighter for 25 years and emergency assistance suited me."

What do you see as the opportunities and threats for your company?
"The biggest threat is the uncertainty in regulations. You have no idea which way that will go. There are certainly opportunities. We have a beautiful agricultural area and a delta that we have to use. We can play a major role in the food supply. You have to take advantage of those opportunities and I hope that the government will also recognize this. If you then see that other crops yield decently. Seed potatoes also do reasonably well in terms of yields. the seed potato price has to go up, otherwise it cannot compete financially with other crops at the moment."

Can the onions be irrigated? If so, what is the strategy you use?
"I'd rather not. We can usually irrigate the onions with surface water, although we have to monitor the salinity carefully. We irrigate with a reel with an irrigation boom. We are of course in a corner with a lot of seed potatoes, which is why an irrigation boom is better (in connection with the brown rot bacteria), but a tree can also become misty with a strong wind. If you rent out a reel, you at least know for sure that you earn something. Irrigation is always a question of whether it pays off. If you don't do a corner on a headland or geer, then the difference is often disappointing."

Sun holiday or winter sports?
"Sun Vacation"

What is your reason for participating in the Onion Crop Tour?
"It's the third year that I'm participating in the Crop Tour. The discussions with other growers in the app group make the tour so interesting. It also makes you think and that's instructive."

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