'In the coming years I want to focus on quality'

In Bayer's Young & Enterprising section, young entrepreneurs in agriculture and horticulture have their say. How do they run their business? What opportunities and threats do they see within their field? And above all: how do they see the future? This time: Harm Hendriks (24) from Oploo (North Brabant).

When did you know you wanted to join the company?
"I think that was around the age of sixteen. Initially, I wanted to study mechanical engineering because I am fascinated by technology. But after getting my tractor driving license, I increasingly moved into arable farming and ultimately chose the HAS in Den Bosch."

What has changed since you joined the company?
"When it became clear that I wanted to join the company, quite a lot happened in a few years. Because my passion lies mainly in arable farming and our pig stalls were outdated, the stalls were demolished and cleared in 2020 through a restructuring scheme. In their place, a storage facility of 1400 tonnes - partly loose, partly crates - for potatoes and onions was built a year later. In that year, the company's area also grew from 90 to around 140 hectares. We mainly started growing more potatoes and onions, but we also bought beet quota for around 13 hectares. We have also been growing green beans for a few years now."

"There are also quite a few things planned for the coming season. For example, we are building another potato storage facility with two cells, together good for 2400 tons. Furthermore, we are starting to grow chicory, we are going to work with an Ecorobotix spot sprayer and we are laying drip tape on a plot of potatoes or onions to gain some experience with it. All in all, we have quite a few challenges ahead of us!"

How have the past few years gone? Were there any surprises or setbacks?
"My very first job when I left school was to drain water from a few flooded potato fields. That was a kind of 'step into reality' for me. You know that this is part of the job, but it was also a wake-up call that you can't control everything. You think of and plan all kinds of things, but in extreme weather those plans can go straight into the bin. But this did make me think even further ahead and be prepared for more extreme weather. We had been milling preventive ditches in the crops for some time, but we also started looking more at the quality and permeability of the soil. Where can improvements be made? I think that is one of the major challenges for the coming years anyway: ensuring that the company remains productive and future-proof in both dry and wet conditions."

Where do you want to go with the company in the coming years?
"With all the investments of the past few years, we now have things pretty well under control. In the coming years, I want to fine-tune in particular. With our crops, with our machines and also with the sales of our products. The previously built storage facility has already brought us a lot in that respect. As a result, we can deliver our free potatoes at a time when we think it is right in terms of time and price. Last year, the price difference between field and spring delivery was so great that we were able to purchase the Ecorobotix from it."

What do you see as the biggest challenges or bottlenecks for the coming years?
"I am very concerned about the ever-increasing restrictions on crop protection products - and fungicides in particular. Combating downy mildew in onions in particular could be a major challenge in the coming years. What we can do in return is to keep our crops healthy and resilient from start to finish, which will help them grow even better. We are doing everything we can to achieve this. With a broad cultivation plan and balanced fertilisation and, where possible, with a choice of varieties; such as in beets, where we are opting for varieties with very high leaf health."

How do you see the future?
"Positive in any case! Arable farming will continue to play an important role in the Netherlands, I am convinced of that. My expectation is that as conventional agriculture we will increasingly move towards organic and that we can still learn a lot in that area. We can certainly still gain a lot in the area of ​​weed control. Furthermore, we will have to move along with the changing society, with even more attention to sustainability.

For example, we ourselves are going to grow onions under PlanetProof next season. Not with the idea that this will yield more directly, but to keep up with social demands and also to be able to keep potentially important crop protection products on board. If you can take that step as a company, I think you should just do it."

What do you like most about your job?
"A few years ago I would have said the technology. Now I say: being outside among the plants. That is really something I have discovered in recent years. I also notice that things like consultation, planning and management are becoming increasingly better for me. In that respect I feel as much like an entrepreneur as an arable farmer."

Finally, what advice would you give to new colleagues?
"If you take over the company, you have to go for it 100%. That only works if you really enjoy the work and see it as a challenge to further develop the company. If the work feels like a burden, you simply won't be able to keep it up. So: daily work enjoyment really has to be number one."

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