Brought to you by Bayer Crop Science
'Field sprayer continues to play a central role in our company'
"Crop protection will become less chemical and more mechanical in the coming years. We will also have to think ahead more to prevent problems - and that requires a lot of extra knowledge and expertise. You can see all this as a problem, but we prefer to see it as a nice challenge." That is what Bern and Joost Derks of the eponymous contracting and arable farming company in Volkel (North Brabant) say.
Although the brothers are investing in new developments, such as the spot sprayer and the hoeing robot, the self-propelled field sprayers will continue to play a central role within the company for the time being. "Things like capacity, operational reliability and a wide range of applications are essential for our company. The field sprayer has all of that; other systems and techniques still have to prove that."
On the tractors, on the tippers, on the field sprayers and also on the company cars; everywhere the name 'Derks Gewasbescherming' is prominently displayed. "Crop protection is certainly an important branch of our company, but we do much more than that", says Bern Derks. Together with his brother Joost, he has set aside a few hours this morning to talk about the future of crop protection. How do they view this and how do they deal with it on their company? "Crop protection is very much in motion. In the coming years we will have fewer - and even more likely - much fewer chemical crop protection products available. You can see that as a problem, but we prefer to take it on as a challenge", says Joost - who is mainly responsible for matters relating to potato cultivation.
He expects that keeping crops healthy and vital will become more difficult, but he also sees plenty of opportunities for improvements within cultivation. "In the area of soil and fertilization, for example, we can still make some gains. With ourselves and with arable farmers for whom we perform work, but certainly also with livestock farmers who lease their land. By informing each other better, working together more and coordinating rotations more intelligently, we can determine much more precisely what the crops need to be maximally successful. We also need to put more energy into preventive - preferably multi-year - measures to prevent diseases and pests. Furthermore, we need to get started with new techniques that require fewer or no crop protection products at all. So it is a matter of both-and-and that we need to do," says Joost.
Field sprayer and spot sprayer
Although the brothers like to look beyond the conventional field sprayer, this machine will continue to play a central role in crop protection for the time being. "Things like capacity, operational reliability and a wide range of applications are essential for our company. The field sprayer has all of that; other systems and techniques still have to prove that", says Bern about this. The brothers currently drive three self-propelled Delvanos that are widely used in all arable and vegetable crops.
In addition, they have a self-propelled Bargam sprayer especially for asparagus cultivation. All three Delvanos have air support with nozzles at 25 centimetres (lowered spray boom), which means they fall into the DTR class 97,5%. "This means we can currently use almost all agents in all crops," says Bern. He expects that the field sprayer will remain indispensable for the application of soil herbicides and fungicides for the time being. "With these agents, complete coverage of the soil or crops is essential. A field sprayer - with a lot of water in combination with air support - is ideal for this."
For the application of contact herbicides, Bern does see opportunities for spot sprayers. "They have proven themselves reasonably well in practice and you also save a lot on crop protection products." Last year, the company itself purchased a six-metre wide Ecorobotix. This has been used, among other things, in seed and plant onions and seed leeks. Although the results are satisfactory, the capacity remains a bottleneck, Bern believes. "For large companies like ours, a six-metre working width is actually too little. The question then is: will there also be spot sprayers of, for example, 30 metres wide in the future? Is that technically feasible and also affordable? These are important questions for the future for us."
Hoeing robot in beets
In addition to a spot sprayer, the company has also had a Farmdroid sowing and hoeing robot for two years. So far, this machine has only been used in its own sugar beets and chicory. "This machine also does a good job, but its capacity is not very large. That makes large-scale use difficult," says Bern.
He also does not see any further investment in the usual weeding harrows and hoeing tools - with or without camera control - for the time being. "The specialized vegetable and horticultural companies in our area usually have an advanced weeding harrow themselves. We cannot add much to that. Moreover, they are expensive machines, with which you also have to work many hours. We cannot simply add that with our current workforce. For the time being, we therefore see more of a future in the spot sprayer. But as I said: that too must become much bigger and wider."
Biostimulants and starter fertilizers
In addition to smarter and more sustainable techniques, the brothers also invest in making crops more vital and resilient with biostimulants and starter fertilizers, among other things. This is often done in consultation with supplier AgroBuren. Although Bern certainly sees positive effects of some biostimulants, he is still somewhat reserved about them. "Firstly: biostimulants are not free, they are simply added to the bill. For our customers, that can sometimes be a hurdle. Secondly: it is a tool and nothing more than that. By being razor-sharp about the ideal sowing, spraying and harvesting moments and good crop control, you can achieve much more. Biostimulants - and certainly starter fertilizers - should therefore not become a replacement for farmer's wisdom and craftsmanship."
Neighborhood dialogue
When asked how the brothers view the (accelerated) disappearance of chemical agents, Joost says: "I can name a handful of bottlenecks in onions, leeks and lilies, for example. And I also see that soil health in this region is increasingly under pressure. We can complain about that, but I prefer to think in solutions."
The brothers also want to convey this 'positive mindset' to colleagues, customers and - not to forget - the citizens in their area. Bern says that they are increasingly confronted with negative sentiments regarding crop protection, especially with regard to lily cultivation. For this reason, the company recently organised a neighbourhood dialogue that attracted around fifty people. "The atmosphere was quite intense for the first fifteen minutes and we mainly listened. Then our permanent advisor explained how the admission policy works in the Netherlands and the major role that safety for people and the environment plays in this. Finally, we explained how we work at our company and how we deal with crop protection products. That story cleared the air considerably and also removed a lot of concern and fear from people. Investing in communication is therefore also important when it comes to the future of crop protection. Everyone is welcome to hear and see how we work", Bern concludes.
