Bejo - Carrot magazine 2017

Bejo carrot magazine 2017 Edition

page 5 A carrot a day...

page 10 Steady growth with coloured carrots

page 24 Nematodes: How to recognize them and beat them

Contents Bejo carrot magazine

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Bejo carrot magazine

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Bejo’s carrot symposium

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Italy: Carrots for Europe, all year round

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Martin Topper: Steady growth with coloured carrots

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ERF: Large-scale and organic go well together

This Bejo carrot magazine is published by Bejo Zaden B.V. PO Box 50 1749 ZH Warmenhuizen T: 0226 396 162 F: 0226 393 504 E: bejonl@bejo.nl W: www.bejo.nl Final editing Karina Hens

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Fun facts

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French carrot production continues to fall

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Heemskerk vegetable processors

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More fun facts

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Colourful Japan: processed carrots gain in importance

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Nematodes: How to recognize them – and beat them

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Bejo’s autumn harvest: a new website

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German market focuses on fresh carrots

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D’Arta predicts continuing growth for frozen vegetables

Photography Design in beeld Petra Tesselaar Karina Hens Heemskerk Grimmway WUR Bejo Italy, France, Japan, Germany, Poland

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Organic carrots thrive in US market

Design Natalie Espana

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B-Mox shows great results in field

Layout JEEN

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The Schieman family: Idealistic entrepreneurship

Printed by PrintX.nl

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Sensors lead the way for precision farming 2.0

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Polish carrot market turns professional

Editors Robert Schilder Joris Ursem Joost Litjens Corina Huiberts Karina Hens Writers Robert Schilder Daniëlle Bruin Karina Hens Mirjam Both Jeroen Vissers Theo Brakeboer JEEN AGF

No rights can be derived from the information given in this Bejo carrot magazine.

Articles or parts there of may be used only with the express permission of Bejo Zaden B.V. and with proper acknowledgement.

GENERAL

2017

Looking ahead to changing markets and new challenges Dear reader, You’re holding the new edition of Bejo’s carrot magazine, packed with articles on cultivation, business, and the qualities of this outstanding crop. Carrots have been called “orange gold”. Unfortunately, their value isn’t always reflected in financial returns. Trade difficulties, growing conditions and key market countries’ increasing self-sufficiency are all to blame.

The question is, what can growers do to combat this negative trend? Anticipation is the key. You’re an entrepreneur; looking ahead is in your blood. Here as elsewhere, it can help you to find the best solution. For example, Dutch carrot farmers have to compensate for the partial loss of the German market by seeking replacement channels. Dutch exporters are leaders in the global potato and onion trade, but they’ve missed the boat somewhat on washed carrots. And exporting unwashed carrots to countries that add value to the product is an outdated practice. Fortunately, Dutch washers and exporters are working to turn the tide by diligently seeking out new markets. And they’re finding them, in Africa and the United States as well as in new European destinations.

A number of recently launched concepts can offer added value to you as a partner in the chain. They include snack carrots, mini Chantenays, rainbow mixes and tray carrots.

Colour, flavour, shape, size and packaging have been key factors in their success.

Anticipation also means predicting customers’ needs in light of bans on use of certain chemicals and supermarkets’ demand for lower residue levels. Some growers are switching to organic cultivation because they see more future there.

Combining organic and conventional growing is perfectly feasible if your production meets the required quality levels and your climatic conditions allow it.

You can also respond in an anticipatory way to public opinion that labels you as a polluter – even if you work in a country whose cultivation practices are among the world’s cleanest.

Many Dutch farmers are already doing this in communications to business contacts and consumers via Facebook, Twitter and other new channels – and they could do it even more.

Many growers are also holding open days where they invite consumers to come and see their farms in person.

Dutch growers, washers and exporters have reaped the benefits of the Netherlands’ position as Europe’s storehouse.

When a gap appears somewhere in Europe’s carrot supply, high-quality Dutch produce is there to fill it. It’s all about being ready to respond to the needs of ever-changing markets.

Of course, not everything is under your control. You simply have to keep adapting to whatever new circumstances appear on the horizon. It’s a given that markets change. It’s a given that the players in the chain have to be ready for the changes.

As for what the future holds and whether carrots will turn to gold again, all of us across the sector will do our best to make it happen by using our skills of anticipation. With you and all the partners in the chain working together to grow top-quality produce that meets the most stringent requirements, we’re confident that we’ll succeed.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Bejo’s carrot magazine and wish you a profitable growing season as you make your way through the world of carrots, guided by your entrepreneurial sense.

Robert Schilder Sales manager Benelux & Scandinavia

Bejo carrot magazine

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The carrot symposium drew capacity crowds on both days.

Carrot talks pack the house Carrots proved more popular than ever at Bejo’s Open Days in September. The carrot symposium had to be extended to two days to accommodate all the interested visitors from around the world.

They heard a wide range of talks on flavour, health, markets, marketing, new techniques, and of course breeding.

Anyone seeking evidence of carrots’ global importance as a vegetable crop would have found plenty at Bejo’s dedicated symposium.

This year’s Open Days were the third to have featured carrots as a seminar topic. The twoday carrot symposium drew more than 550 people. Each day saw presentations on topics as varied as global production and demand, seed and breeding technologies, agronomic issues and diseases, and the health benefits of eating carrots. And participants got plenty of opportunities to network.

Bejo’s top crop

Carrots are the number one crop at Bejo.

Globally, they’re one of the top 10 food crops.

In the trendsetting United States, they rank

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Bejo carrot magazine

A carrot a day...

Not only are carrots one of the few vegetables that can be part of every stage of a meal, they’re great for you, too. As the Dutch doctor and nutritionist Richard de Leth, author of several books on health, explained at the Open Days, carrots contain important substances called carotenoids. These chemicals stimulate the immune system and protect the body from the effects of sunlight and cardiovascular disease.

Eaten as part of a high-fibre diet, carrots can also help reduce the risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and stroke.

Health and its relationship to diet are hot topics these days.

Of course, it’s common knowledge in the industry that vegetables are good for you and people should eat more of them. But lately, doctors too have increasingly begun promoting a vegetable-rich diet. In studying nutrition’s relationship to diseases of affluence and people’s feelings of well-being, Richard discovered a clear relationship between lifestyle and happiness on the one hand and vegetable consumption on the other. You could almost say a carrot a day keeps the doctor away.

only affect our own well-being but also that of the people around us. He cited a scientific study that found obesity to be akin to a contagious disease. The researchers found that people who had obese friends were more likely to be overweight – so much more so, in fact, that the rise in obesity resembled the spread of a cold more than a change in social norms.

Richard said he sees it as his mission to fight this “contagious disease” of affluence by explaining the principles behind it to as many people as possible and encouraging them to eat carrots and other vegetables. The bad news is that society constantly tempts us with convenient, quickly digested foods.

But the good news is that once people realize their colons need vegetable fibre and start eating enough of it, positive effects can be seen after just 24 hours. To keep the body and its hormonal processes in balance, Richard recommends eating at least 500 grams of vegetables a day.

As Richard explained, that’s because carrots, like many vegetables, contain a magic ingredient: fibre. It plays a crucial role in the digestive process. Vegetable fibre – as opposed to the wholegrain fibre present in bread – is an important fuel for the intestinal flora. The human body is an ecosystem made up of cooperating cells, and bacterial cells in the gut are an essential part of it. They use vegetable fibre to make substances that stimulate and curb various hormonal processes. Richard actually described the intestinal flora as a sort of second brain. People, he said, are like marionettes, with hormones pulling our strings, determining whether we feel full, happy or tired. So the fuel we give our gut flora directly affects our unconscious minds.

Richard took things a step further: our intestinal flora not

fifth, behind potatoes, onions, tomatoes and lettuce. Carrots are versatile and can be used in all sorts of dishes, from starters to desserts and beverages. In the United States, in line with the healthy eating trend, Bejo is witnessing a continuing rise in the consumption of carrots, along with kale and spinach. New uses are constantly appearing. Carrots have even started competing with frankfurters! Besides the “carrot dog”, other new products we’ve spotted include orange-and-carrot ice cream and carrot pasta.

The numerous types of carrots are sold through a range of channels, including farmers’ markets, supermarkets and the food service industry.

Feelers out

As a seed company, Bejo invests at the beginning

Richard de Leth

of the chain, in research, breeding, and improvements to seed production, and keeps its feelers out in the market. At the symposium, Marketing & Communication Advisor Daniëlle Bruin talked about the global carrot market and recent consumer trends. Whereas people used to simply buy a bag of carrots, nowadays they can choose from all sorts of packaging, she pointed out, including a wide range of options in the snack and convenience segments.

Bejo stays ahead of the curve on flavour by working closely with Wageningen University, Daniëlle said. Snack varieties like Mokum are tasty and gaining in popularity. Amid the broad diversity of carrot types, Nantes is most popular worldwide, representing 40% of total production.

Since consumers shop with their eyes, Daniëlle >>

Bejo carrot magazine

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said, Bejo is working on the further development of colourful varieties. White (White Satin), yellow (Mello Yello and Yellowstone), and purple (Purple Sun, Purple Haze and Deep Purple) carrots are already on sale, as is the mixed-colour variety Rainbow. Bejo presented the new red variety Redsun at the symposium, further extending the palette.

Reliable crops

To produce reliable crops, growers need reliable seeds – in other words, high-quality ones of the right varieties. Rob Maxwell, a US breeder working to improve Bejo’s Imperator lines, discussed the subject at the seminar. “I’ve been with Bejo for seven years now, and it takes that long to establish a breeding program,” he said.

“We’ve got the shape and good eating quality, but I want to further improve disease resistance in our varieties, especially given the growth in organic production.” Bejo’s Imperator program has resulted in a number of new varieties, including new jumbo and cello ones for the packaging market expected to go on sale in the next two years and promising new hybrids due on the market in 2019.

Global trials

Networking and examining carrots in the breaks.

Guests listen attentively to the talks.

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Bejo carrot magazine

Regions around the world are increasingly interested in Imperator types, though Canada and the United States remain the primary markets for them. Since Bejo sells numerous varieties and types of carrot all over the world, it needs a broad global trials program, as Wim Zwaan, Bejo’s carrot breeding manager, explained at the Open Days. “Hybrid seed production always begins with your parent lines,” he said. Bejo has a 7-hectare trial field for parent lines in the Netherlands and 14 additional hectares abroad, including Italy, Brazil and China, for studying different genetic types. “We have a lot of trials on different soil types and across different seasons,” Wim says.

“It means a lot of travelling for the team of four breeders and three assistant breeders. We sell seed all over the world, so we need different types of carrot for all over the world.”

In total, Bejo has nine carrot test fields in the Netherlands, 41 in other European countries, and 52 elsewhere in the world. There, we grow everything from long Imperator types to shorter, thicker varieties like Chantenay and Kuroda.

ANALYSE YOUR CROP

Bejo’s Cropalyser App is a practical search tool for growers to help identify pests and diseases.

The App provides information about the health and growth of your crop!

CROPALYSER.COM

Carrots grow the length of Italy, from north to south. Organic cultivation is steadily expanding for traditional and coloured types alike. The industry is interested in new uses for carrots, such as superfood juices and carrot flour. Italian fresh market carrots have made their way across Europe.

The Nantes type sells in the Italian fresh market primarily as bunch and washed carrots.

Carrots for Europe, all year round 8

Bejo carrot magazine

Carrots are cultivated all over the world. The main player is currently Asia, with 60% of global production. Then there’s Europe, which accounts for 23% of production. Within Europe, Poland leads with 16.5% of total production, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and France. In Italy, carrot growing has remained stable in recent years, covering a cultivated area of 7,000 hectares.

Cultivation takes place in a number of regions.

The main growing areas in the north are Veneto and Emilia-Romagna. In the middle of the country, they are central Abruzzo and Lazio; in the south, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia. Together, these areas produce 80% of Italian carrots, being highly suited to the task thanks to their sandy soil.

Sowing period

The primary carrot-sowing period varies by region. In Veneto (around Chioggia) and Emilia-Romagna (around Ferrara), planting time is from November to January and May to July, with harvesting periods from May to June and October to December (March in Veneto).

In Lazio, sowing around Fiumicino takes place mainly from July to August, for harvesting from November to January and April to June. And around Latina, also in Lazio, approximately 300 hectares of bunch carrots are grown in greenhouses and open fields and harvested from October to March. Production in this area is intended primarily for export to northern

ITALY

Italian carrot-growing regions.

Veneto Europe. In Abruzzo, the most important growing area is the Fucino plain. There, sowing takes place in March and April for harvesting from June to November and February to March. Carrot farming has a long tradition in the region, and cultivation here benefits from its own IGP (indication géographique protégée) mark, Carota dell’Altopiano del Fucino. The designation assures a locally grown, highquality product. In Puglia, around Campobasso and Foggia, carrots are sown in December and January for harvesting between May and July, and sown in July and August for harvesting between November and January. In Sicily, the province of Ragusa is the most popular area for cultivating carrots. There, planting takes place from September to early November, and harvesting from February to May. On Sardinia, sowing takes place year-round, though many carrots are sown in autumn and winter for harvesting between October and July.

Emilia-Romagna

Abbruzo Lazio

Molise Puglia

Sardinia

Year-round supply

Carrots are shipped all over Italy. Distribution from north to south, across distances of more than 1,000 kilometres, permits year-round availability and eliminates the need for longterm storage of fresh produce. Italy grows carrots for particular uses. Nantes types (orange and rainbow) are most common, and present in almost every region. They are sold primarily on the fresh market as bunch or washed carrots. The Berlicum and Flakkee varieties (orange and purple) are grown mainly in central Italy (Abruzzo and Lazio), primarily for industrial use in juices, carrot flour and frozen carrots. The Imperator type is grown mainly in the sandy soil of central and northern Italy and used chiefly in ready-to-eat snacks.

Organic expansion

Interest in coloured carrots (purple, yellow and white) is on the rise lately. These types are especially popular on the organic market.

Most organic carrots are sold on the fresh market in bunch form, and demand for them is growing year on year. Organic carrots are currently grown on 650 hectares of Italian farmland. Total production stands at 2,600 tonnes, with delivery taking place year-round.

The main export countries for organic carrots are Germany, Britain, the Benelux countries

Sicily and the rest of northern Europe. The main players in this market are based in Sicily.

Early carrots from the region are highly prized on the European market.

New uses

Orange and rainbow-mix carrots sold as readyto-eat snacks represent another major market trend and are taking over an increasing share of supermarket shelf space. Fresh orange and purple carrot juices, sold as superfoods because of their vitamin and antioxidant content, are also gaining in popularity. A group of Italian processing companies based in the major growing areas, all active for more than 50 years, recently proposed compiling a carrot catalogue listing every possible use, from juice, powders and carrot flour to frozen cut carrots. One of the oldest processors is Colle d’Oro, based in Ragusa, Sicily. It supplies the fresh market with conventionally and organically grown carrots that carry the Carota novella di Ispica IGP mark.

The company is located in an area with a long carrot-growing tradition. The carrots are highly valued on the market for their early production and excellent colour, taste and sweetness.

Bejo carrot magazine

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Martin Topper shows off his Zonneheerdt brand.

Martin Topper: steady growth with coloured carrots

Martin Topper started out in the education field, teaching at a vocational secondary school. But his father ran a farm in the town of Dronten, and as his dad approached pension age, Martin began to feel an itch. He enjoyed working in the classroom, but wouldn’t it be nice to put his knowledge into practice? In 2005, he became a partner in the farm. “We wanted to specialise in something,” Martin says. “So we started growing 2 hectares of coloured carrots, purely to see whether the cultivation suited us and what we were getting into. We’ve grown the business every year since then, one step at a time. And now we’re growing 55 hectares of coloured carrots, coloured beetroot, parsnip and parsley root.” The company’s growth has been deliberately planned – Martin Topper is no risk-taker. His motto: “Find a market first, then plant.” His caution also has to do with the product itself. “You can always find a market for regular carrots,” he says. “It’s a bit different with coloured carrots. They’re still a niche product.”

Martin Topper switched production at his farm, Zonneheerdt, from brassicas to coloured carrots in 2005. The move was a successful one. If you see a coloured carrot in the Netherlands today, Own brand there’s a good chance it’s from Zonneheerdt.

Today, Martin’s client base is as diverse as the

hues of his carrots. Zonneheerdt produce is available at Belgium’s Delhaize supermarkets

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Bejo carrot magazine

INTERVIEW

Martin Topper grows these varieties: Carrots: Mello Yello, Yellowstone, White Satin, Deep Purple, Purple Haze and Rainbow

and at Dutch retailers, in the food service industry, in France and the UK, via distributors in Scandinavia and the Far East, but also at greengrocers and regional markets. Martin’s decision to launch the Zonneheerdt brand proved a good move. “We want to distinguish ourselves not only with our products but also through their presentation,” he says. “In 2013 we started washing and packing our own produce. We pack it in rustic-looking wooden crates. That makes Zonneheerdt more than a product. The brand stands for authenticity and quality.”

Sustainability certification

Beetroot: Boldor, Avalanche, Pablo Parsnip: Panorama Parsley root: Arat

Purple Haze

Diving deeper into the process, we learn that Martin sows his vegetables on ridges. “Ridges get warm faster than level fields, and they retain heat longer too,” he says. “And as a rule, ridges are dryer than level fields. Beetroot grows better if it stays a bit dryer at the beginning. We know we won’t get the maximum yields that way. But for me, the loss is more than compensated for by the gain in quality.”Holding a sustainability certification from the Skylark Foundation, Martin deploys varied crop plans and farms with utmost respect for the soil. “My product actually requires that I do that anyway. In the Far East, the rules on permitted residues are completely different than here. And parsnips are much more sensitive to soil herbicides and weed control.

So I weed as much as I can. You can’t avoid it with coloured carrots anyway. When you weed, you’re simultaneously ridging them and preventing green top. And as a bonus, you have less trouble with mice and carrot fly.” Martin harvests all his produce, including beetroot, with a top-lifter. It’s a deliberate choice made for the sake of quality. Martin stores some produce himself, but the majority is placed in coolers. “The ideal conditions are different for every product, and even for every variety. For instance, yellow carrots turn green if you pack them straight from the field. So they always need to go into storage first. Parsnips can be kept colder than carrots. At the moment I’ve set the cold room at –1 as a test. I’m noticing a bit too much reduction; I’ll have to take that into account next time. And how cold do you keep beetroot?

There’s a lot of debate about that. You’re dealing with the sugar content, the Brix. I usually leave it for four or five days before I process it. Then it comes apart easily. But that’s the trouble with beetroot: it can be different every year. You have to stay on top of it.”

Changes to come

Martin Topper is pleased with the choices he’s made so far. He’s moved from teaching to farming, with fields in the Dutch provinces of Flevoland, Limburg and Zeeland. He’s switched from cabbage to coloured carrots. And now the next big change is on the way: new construction.

The seven employees on the farm work in barns that have become outdated in looks and functionality as the business has developed.

Plans to replace them have been under way for a few years, and now the work is scheduled for 2018. Any other changes? “Yes, plenty,” Martin says. “We’ve started concentrating on smaller packaging. A lot of produce goes out in 5-kilo packs. And we now also do 1-kilo trays. Another nice thing is that we’re seeing more new projects starting up on the fringes, like Kromkommer, which works against the wasting of produce that doesn’t meet ideal shape criteria. Last year we brought out a parsnip soup with them. And in 2017 we test-grew our first red carrot, Redsun [Bejo 3061]. It’s a popular product in India, but they can’t grow year-round in India. I expect there will be some opportunities there for me.

And that’s how the business is growing. Slowly but surely. One or two new customers a year.

Very carefully. In a way that suits our products and me.”

Rainbow Bejo carrot magazine

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‘ Large-scale and organic go very well together’ Jaco Burgers of ERF

Jaco Burgers on a carrot plot in the Flevopolder.

“In theory it may happen that we won’t be growing anything any more tomorrow; we might not even exist tomorrow,” says Jaco Burgers, managing director of ERF. ERF is leasing 1,750 hectares of land from the government in the Flevoland province. He sees it as a challenge to use this acreage to prove that large-scale organic cultivation is perfectly possible.

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Bejo carrot magazine

ORGANIC

Cities like Almere, Lelystad, Zeewolde and Dronten were going to expand, was the assumption 20 years ago: no lack of space in Flevoland. If anything, space was one of the main draws of the province. It did, however, bear considering that if the land surrounding these cities were to fall into the hands of project developers and leaseholders, it could possibly raise the price of the building plots and frustrate the process of urbanization. How could the province make sure that the land would still be available at the moment that cities decided to expand? Solution: set up a foundation that manages and exploits agricultural land temporarily. And so, in 1996, the foundations ERF and ERF BV, responsible for exploitation, were established. Upon its inception the foundation leased 3,800 hectares from the various authorities. That acreage has dwindled over the last 20 years to approximately 1,750 hectares.

“It may very well be that we one day cease to exist,” Burgers says. “When? In theory it could be tomorrow. But in practice it will most likely prove to take a bit longer.”

‘Started all over again’

That the area has diminished to enable urban expansion and, to a lesser degree, nature development proves the predictive success of the province. And yet ERF hasn’t always had it easy. Towards the end of the 1990s, the foundation made a complete switch to organic cultivation. The market, however, was not yet ready for the volumes of organic produce that resulted from this effort, and ERF suffered some heavy weather. In 2006 Jaco Burgers joined as managing director, bringing his experience in large-scale agriculture. “We started all over again,” he says. “We made some rigorous decisions about which crops to grow,

and where we could form partnerships we did.

We embarked on intensive collaborations with specialized organic growers, and we now no longer manage our own storage or processing facilities, for example.” That’s because, contrary to what is often thought about ERF, it has to pay its own way. “We are not a subsidized government business, as many people think. Yes, all of the land is government-owned. But we pay the going market value for our land management lease. It is true that profit is not our main goal.

We aren’t required to make a profit; however, we do need to make a profit to be able to continue developing and investing.”

Motor for development

Currently still in charge of managing 1,750 hectares, ERF is an important initiator and motor for development. When no one could see any merit in producing organic Brussels sprouts for industry, ERF joined forces with sprouts farm Gebr. Herbert. “A couple of hectares are no good to the industry,” Burgers says. “We have the acreage and can go large.

Today organic Brussels sprouts are doing well in the industry.” Another new development is strip tilling. Government increasingly wants agriculture and nature conservancy to work together. “In 2017 we cultivated 45 hectares of strip tilling, on strips of 6, 12, 24 and 48 metres wide,” Burgers says. “This is being monitored by people from Wageningen University & Research, with respect to cultivation and also in economic terms. In this way we are contributing to the continued development and the future of organic cultivation. Again: we are able to do this thanks to the large area we have available.”

This vast acreage also makes ERF interesting to commercial parties as a partner. ERF can experiment with camera-guided weeders,

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“ We aren’t required to make a profit; however, we do need to make a profit to be able to continue developing and investing.”

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for example, which can make a distinction between weeds and plant material. “I see a lot of potential there,” Burgers says. “We have also been investing in GPS from the very beginning.

It’s yielded huge results for us: a great big savings on labour. Robots are going to create great savings too. When I started in 2006 it was actually going to be for one year, but I am still intrigued by this challenge we work with, to prove that large-scale and organic farming can go very well together.”

Carrot acreage reduced

ERF works with a wide range of crop rotation for carrot cultivation. “On lighter soils we grow early carrots for [the Dutch grocer] Albert Heijn,” Burgers says. “We sow the first carrots of the early variety Nairobi halfway through March and then move on to the Norway and Nerac varieties. That way we can supply our customers

with fresh carrots from mid-July to September.

On heavier soil we grow carrots for industrial use: Kamaran and Finley for Yellow Chips. It’s hard to cultivate carrots on heavy soil, but our growers have figured it out and are growing beautiful storable carrots in this difficult, heavy ground.” The cultivation of parsnips is on the rise. Four years ago ERF started with a couple of hectares, and today 50 hectares are being cultivated. “That cultivation is taking space from carrots,” Burgers says. “There’s also considerable industrial demand for organic celeriac. We’re growing a few hectares of it for the first time this year. These are beautiful products that pose an extra challenge: shortening the chain and seeking connection with the buyers. We do this via Bio Brass, for example, which we also have shares in. In other words: there are plenty of challenges to engage in here at ERF, even if tomorrow it could be all over.”

2017 crop plan (source: ERF)

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CM

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CMY

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Bouwplan 2017

BV ERF

Beans

Convention

BV ERF

39 ha Bouwplan 2017

Potatoes

190 ha BV ERF

Red beets

Convention 41 ha

BV ERF Silage maize

Aardappelen Peas for tinning Bonen

190 ha 39 ha Rode bieten 178 ha Aardappelen 41 ha Snijmaïs Bonen Conservenerwten 178 ha Spinazie Chicory 18 ha Conservenerwten chichorei 18 ha Spruiten chichorei Gerst 26Gerst ha suikerbiet Barley 26 ha en akkerranden) Gras (kopakkers Gras (kopakkers en akkerranden) 64 ha Suikermaïs Gras-klaver Gras-klaver 120 ha 24 ha Tarwe Grass (headlands and field edges) 64 ha Knolselderij Kool en Sla Knolselderij 12 ha Uien Kruiden: Peterselie Kool en Sla 219 ha Wortelen Grass-clover 120 ha Luzerne 24 ha Kruiden: Peterselie 43 ha Pastinaak Luzerne 149 ha 43 ha Celeriac 12 ha Pastinaak 54 ha totaal

Cabbage and lettuce

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43 ha

Alfalfa

149 ha

Parsley

54 ha

Bejo carrot magazine

Convention

Convention

143 ha Spinach 190 ha 39 9 ha ha 41 ha 38 ha 178 ha Brussels sprouts 111 ha 18 ha 26 ha Sugar beets 64 ha 40 ha 120 ha 24 ha 94 ha 12 ha Sweetcorn 219 ha 139 ha 43 ha ha Wheat 90 149 ha 43 ha 54 ha

Onions 1.752 ha Carrots

219 ha

Herbs: parsley

BV ERF

Convention

143 ha 9 ha BV ERF Rode bieten Snijmaïs Spinazie 42Spruiten ha 79suikerbiet ha Suikermaïs Tarwe 15Uien ha 12Wortelen ha

40 ha 94 ha 139 40haha 90 ha

94 ha totaal

280 ha

Convention

38 ha

143 ha 9 ha 38 haha 111 111 ha

1.752 ha

139 ha

42 ha 42 ha 79 ha

79 ha 15 ha 12 ha

15 ha 280 ha

12 ha

SKAL: 7056

90 ha

43 ha total

1752 ha

BV Exploitatie Reservegronden Flevoland

BV Exploitatie Reservegronden Flevoland Bronsweg 22c Tel: 0320 – 231017 Bronsweg 22c Tel: 0320 – 231017 Fax: 0320 - 232072 www.erfbv.nl Fax: 0320 - 232072 SKAL: 7056 www.erfbv.nl

280 ha

Fun facts

Did you know...

Carrots can reduce the effects of the gene that causes Carrots contain carotene and beneficial vitamins that promote the fertility of mares and other animals?

Carrots help to purify

the blood, promote intestinal functioning and provide energy for the body?

type 2 diabetes? Recent research suggests that beta-carotene can mitigate the symptoms of diabetes caused by particular genetic mutations. A higher level of the substance seems to protect against the disease, presumably by improving the gene’s ability to produce insulin. Additional research will be needed to determine whether higher beta-carotene levels are truly sufficient to offset the effects of genetic variants that cause diabetes.

Carrots belong to the

umbellifer family, as do dill, chervil, Acanthus, parsley root, celeriac and parsnips?

Carrots are available in a range of

colours, including white, red and purple?

The different hues effectively taste the same.

Carrots get their orange tint

from the substance beta-carotene?

It’s what allegedly helps you to see in the dark.

Carrots are the most

frequently eaten vegetable in Belgium?

Carrots are high in beta-carotene, Carrots can be

stored in a cool place for up to about four weeks? Winter carrots are the exception: they’re best kept in the refrigerator, where they can last up to eight weeks or so.

phosphorus, calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium?

The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is important not only for eyesight but also for disease resistance.

The minerals phosphorus, calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium are essential for the body’s normal growth and development. They play an important part in overall good health.

Bejo carrot magazine

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French carrot production continues to fall Harvesting in France.

Carrot production in France has been declining for some time. Last year, they were cultivated on just under 13,000 hectares, down from 17,000 hectares in 2000. “Many winter vegetables have been in trouble for a long time,” says Yannick Chevray of Bejo France.

“For a while, carrots were the exception to that trend, but not any more.” He expects production to keep shrinking, or at best to stabilize.

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Bejo carrot magazine

“Carrots are a traditional winter vegetable in France,” Yannick says. “They’re steamed and boiled and also used in soups. They’re often served together with green peas.” While carrots still enjoy a positive image in France, people are eating fewer fresh vegetables and fruits these days, Yannick says. Hence, Bejo is promoting carrots to the food industry in a bid to get them back on the menu. “Last year, for example, we organized an exhibition for the food industry,” Yannick says. “It’s an unusual activity for a seed company, but I think it will definitely help Bejo to gain a greater market share.” While the total cultivated area for carrots is falling steadily, organic carrots are experiencing marked growth.

The organic market currently accounts for 4% of carrot production in France. Bejo is a market leader in this growing segment. Approximately 20% of Bejo’s French sales come from the organic market. That’s a high percentage; the only other country that comes close is Germany.

Carrots are a key crop for promoting the cultivation of organic vegetables in general.

FRANCE

French carrot-growing regions.

Hautsde-France

14%

19%

Normandy Brittany

9%

Larger types

Carrot prices have dropped in recent years along with the drop in fresh consumption.

Though industrial demand is rising, it hasn’t boosted prices. Yannick estimates that the market share ratio between fresh consumption and industrial use is 50/50. This is reflected in the types of carrots grown. “Growers are opting more for higher-volume varieties,” Yannick says.

“I recently opened a jar of green peas and carrots and found pieces of cut carrot inside.

In France they always used to use the small Amsterdamse Bak carrots. Now they’re using the larger Naval type and cutting them.”

The product still tastes just as good, he adds, because the carrots used are young. While some French politicians blame foreign imports for low prices, the Bejo manager disagrees.

He analyzed market figures and determined that the import/export balance had not in fact worsened. In 2016 and 2015, it actually turned to France’s advantage. According to Yannick, the main cause for the drop in prices is decreased consumption.

Storage in the ground

“The French method of producing and harvesting carrots is similar to that in other countries,” Yannick says. But when it comes to storage, there’s a difference. “The farmers leave the carrots in the ground in winter. That’s different than in other northern countries.” This form of storage is very common in Landes, in southwestern France, where it almost never freezes. The area with the second highest concentration of carrot production is Northern France. (Normandy is in third place.) “Northern France is an interesting area,” Yannick says.

“In the past few years, some farmers there have illegally leased land to Belgian growers.

You’re allowed to lease land to foreign growers in France, but there are rules. For instance, the lease always runs for a minimum of nine years,

Grand Est

8%

Nouvelle-Aquitaine

31%

and you have to get official permission. We’ve noticed that some foreign farms have bypassed these rules. This made it hard to get a really accurate overview of French carrot production.

But the French are organizing production themselves again, and they’re investing in processing. For instance, they’re building a new processing plant with a capacity of between 10,000 and 15,000 tonnes a year.”

Storage in the ground.

Big enough

The country has plenty of space to grow more carrots, Yannick says. ”France is big enough.

There’s been a shift from the west to the south, but the processing industry infrastructure limits the options for growing carrots in less traditional areas.” Nonetheless, there’s a clear need for more good land. “The quality of carrots in the southwest is getting worse because there’s no crop rotation,” Yannick says. “A common rotation in this area is sweetcorn-carrots-sweetcorncarrots and so on. That makes it harder to grow good-quality carrots. And with legislation increasingly limiting the use of chemical crop protection products, the need for new land is growing.”

The need for new land is increasing.

Cut carrots in jars.

Bejo carrot magazine

17

Heemskerk vegetable processors

‘You notice carrots most in a dish when they’ve been left out’ 18

Bejo carrot magazine

COMPANY PROFILE < Fresh washed carrots.

Jantine Star of Heemskerk apologizes for the mess on the table in her office. Among the objects strewn over it is one of the company’s clocks – a neatly designed cardboard one indicating seven healthy snack moments in a day, to inspire consumers to eat healthily. People’s consumption routines have changed from the traditional three meals per day: they are now eating smaller snacks more often in a day. Vegetables and fruit are featuring ever more frequently.

At the head of the table are new package designs for the recently launched “fitness salads”.

We know physical exercise is healthy. We’re running, bootcamping, working out more and more – often simply at home, at random times of day. What a great idea to replenish your energy with a healthy salad! The “mess” on the table is the sign of a dynamic company, perpetually in motion. “We like to respond to current trends with our product range,” says Star. “We used to be a production business. In short, we produced what we were told to. Now we’ve become a market-oriented business: we track the market and proactively take the initiative to develop new products for our clients.”

Explosive growth

To go back in time for a moment, the company was founded in 1960, when prepared foods were still frowned upon as “lazy”. The market for pre-cut vegetables was a small one, but Wim Heemskerk created a niche for his company.

Explosive growth didn’t come until the 1980s, with the advent of more double-earners, who were shopping in supermarkets instead of at specialist stores. In 1995 the company built its first large factory. “That should last until my retirement,” Cor Heemskerk said at the time.

But a mere five years later, in 2000, another 10,000 square metres was added on.

And today, after even more expansions, the building is 26,500 square metres. Just to be clear: Cor Heemskerk hasn’t retired yet.

Nine out of 10 innovations don’t last

Things are bubbling at Heemskerk. Its growth and new ideas for products are bursting forth from an amazing amount of creativity, enthusiasm and gung-ho attitude. The company aims to make easy and healthy eating simply delicious. It genuinely wants to add value on the supermarket shelves and in the consumer’s pantry. This is its continual challenge to itself.

The company currently provides more than 220 products for retail and food service. The range includes traditional Dutch favourites like soup vegetables and kale as well as a large variety of full-size salads, which in 10 years have attained 18% of the total turnover. There are also oven dishes, salad wraps, and party snacks like strawberries with chocolate dip and carrots with hummus. “Mind you, nine out of 10 innovations don’t last,” says Star. “On average, one will become a fixed feature. But that number means nothing to me. Innovation is in our DNA; it’s just something we have to do. Plus, consumers have become more critical. They want to be surprised and challenged by what they find on the shelves. >> We like that. We know so much about the

Bejo carrot magazine

19

From left: Joris van Ursem of Bejo and Jogchem van Daalen of Heemskerk.

>>

ingredients, it’s great to put that knowledge to use. On the other hand, we’re not supplying to a market that only serves trendsetters. We don’t need to be cutting-edge; we just pick out the trends that we like the sound of and that are interesting to our target group.”

‘Carrots are tremendously important to us’

Heemskerk’s fresh packaged vegetable mix.

Seeing as we’re at the Rijnsburg processing plant as representatives of Bejo’s Carrot magazine, the conversation turns to that vegetable. They’re within the remit of the company’s procurement manager, Jogchem van Daalen. “Carrots are tremendously important to us,” he says.

“Definitely for hutspot [potatoes mashed with onions and carrots, a classic Dutch dish], which is still a hot favourite. And for plenty of other products too. Carrots are a healthy product and have a great colour, so, for example, you can add a fresh, colourful touch to green salads. In some dishes the carrot is a sweetener; in others it provides the bite. In addition, it has a good mouth feel, it’s available year-round, and it’s a relatively cheap vegetable. So yes, we’re very happy about carrots. They’ve become a fixed

feature. You notice carrots most in a dish when they’ve been left out.” The choice of variety is invariably Imperator. Most of these come from the Netherlands, the rest largely from Germany, Scotland, Spain, Portugal and France. “Flavour is very important, of course,” Van Daalen says.

“But flavour is also a very personal thing. By choosing Imperator we’re making a safe choice.

It’s a variety that tastes good, has a bright orange colour and, last but not least, is readily available.”

‘A fun question, not a burden’

Heemskerk is looking forward to the future, with healthy living set to take a more prominent position in people’s lives. Because when you talk about healthy eating, you’re talking about fruit and vegetables. “Look, we don’t need to go overboard,” says Star, “I don’t go crazy with it myself. But it does need to be easy to live healthily. The dishes and snacks need to be handed to you, so to speak. ‘What’s for dinner?’ should be a fun question, not a burden.”

Heemskerk’s goal, she says, is “to offer you something for every meal or snack time. And yes, there may also be dishes that don’t just use carrots as add-ons but give them the starring role. We’ve made a carrot spaghetti, for example, and a casserole with carrots, sesame and vinaigrette. And how delicious is it to just grill carrots in the oven with a little olive oil drizzled over them? Or serve carrots with a chocolate dip, or hummus? Carrots are, and always will be, irreplaceable.”

“ Consumers want to be surprised and challenged by what they find on the shelves.”

20

Bejo carrot magazine

More fun facts Carrotcino, anyone?

Healthy skin

Coffee fans are creative, especially in Australia. First there was the avolatte – caffè latte served in an avocado shell – and now the café Locals Corner has given the world the carrotcino: cappuccino served in a hollowed-out carrot. It makes a change from sipping coffee out of a mug, but it remains to be seen whether the new drink will catch on.

Vitamin A, made from beta-carotene, an antioxidant found in carrots, keeps the skin healthy by eliminating damaged cells and replacing them with new ones. Vitamin A also helps to protect the skin from UV radiation, lessening the signs of ageing. It fights acne and dry skin, too.

And its name is...

Daucus carota The Latin and botanical name for the carrot is Daucus carota.

It’s echoed in the French word carotte and the German Karotte.

Beta-carotene, a key substance found in carrots, also takes its name from the Latin term.

Slim down with carrots Carrots are low in calories but rich in various vitamins and minerals. Since they provide the body with essential nutrients without being fattening, they’re great when you’re dieting!

Vodka from carrot waste Not every carrot makes it onto the supermarket shelf. Some are too small, broken, or crooked. What happens to them? In Australia, the Kalfresh vegetable company hit on the idea of turning wonky ones into vodka as a way of fighting food waste. They start by making carrot soup, then distil it and mix it with an extract of the Shiraz grape. The result is a vodka that’s at least 20% carrots.

Royal orange Carrots weren’t always orange. Before the 17th century, they came in a range of shades, including white, red and purple. Then red and white types were crossed, and the orange carrot was born. The Dutch were probably behind it all. The choice of colour was no accident: it was around that time that the Netherlands revolted against Spanish rule and the House of Orange-Nassau came to power. Orange carrots eventually spread across the whole of Europe.

Ken Windley and Alice Gorman of Kalfresh show off their vodka.

Bejo carrot magazine

21

Vegetables have always been very popular in Japanese cuisine. Besides kohlrabi and onions, the Japanese are fond of carrots. Their vivid colours are a popular way of brightening up the dinner table. Not only orange but also purple and red varieties are available.

22

Bejo carrot magazine

JAPAN

Japan show its true colours Monitoring young carrot growth on a demo field in Japan Takahiro Kumano, Bejo’s representative director in Japan, says: “Both end consumers and restaurants like to use carrots a lot. Not only because of their colours, but the flavour is also really special. At this moment in Japan, processed carrots are especially popular. Just as in the rest of the world, people don’t have a lot of time for food preparation. The food industry has met customer demand by offering precooked, chopped and washed carrots in the supermarkets. And on top of that, carrot juice is doing very well as a superfood at the moment.”

Acreage

In Japan carrot cultivation chiefly takes place outdoors, in the open field. Polytunnel greenhouses are also starting to be used. The cultivation area is 18,400 hectares. The most important farming area lies north of the island Hokkaido. Many polytunnel greenhouses are in use here, where the climate is cold and wet. Planting takes place from April to June, commonly using pelleted seeds, and the carrots are harvested in the autumn. There are also many carrot farmers in the south of Japan and around Tokyo. In these areas there are two cultivation cycles: an autumn/winter crop is planted from July to September and harvested from November to March, and a spring crop is planted from November to March and harvested from April to July. The autumn crop has the largest acreage. Japanese farmers generally plant coated seed. Organic seed is not yet

available in Japan. “There is barely any demand for this seed at the moment,” Kumano says.

“But there is great interest in organically grown vegetables in general, and I expect that one day organic will become a big product in Japan too.

Japan is also seeing the trend of people wanting safe, healthy food. Because of the climatological circumstances here, however, it’s not easy to grow produce without crop protection.”

Carrot cultivation areas in Japan.

Assortment

Hokkaido

Carrots in Japan can be divided into five segments: the Kuroda type, carrots for industrial use, kintoki red carrots, coloured carrots, and the miscellaneous group (including mini and round carrots).

Kuroda’s market share is by far the largest, at 90%. These carrots have rounded tips and are 15 to 20 centimetres long. Kintoki red carrots are a traditional Japanese product. They are fleshy and taste sweet.

Their share is a mere 1%. Carrots for processing in the food industry make up 6% of the assortment. This proportion is expected to grow.

Aomori

Ibaraki Chiba Saitama

Kumamoto

Miyazaki < Monitoring young carrot growth on a demo field in Japan.

Kagoshima Bejo carrot magazine

23

Nematodes. How to recognize them and beat them Every square metre of agricultural land in the Netherlands harbours between 2 and 20 million nematodes. Of the approximately 1,000 species that can live in your soil, about 20 can cause economic damage to carrot crops. Sebastiaan ten Napel of the Nemacontrol firm in Dronten explains how to recognize them and what to do about them.

Sebastiaan ten Napel takes a first look at some young carrots.

Meloidogyne fallax false Columbia root-knot nematode

Meloidogyne hapla northern root-knot nematode

Meloidogyne minor

Meloidogyne naasi barley root-knot nematode

Pratylenchus crenatus root-lesion nematode

Pratylenchus fallax root-lesion nematode

Pratylenchus neglectus root-lesion nematode

Pratylenchus penetrans northern root-lesion nematode

Pratylenchus thornei Thorne’s meadow nematode

Pratylenchus vulnus walnut root-lesion nematode

Pratylenchus convallaria convallaria root-lesion nematode

root-lesion nematodes

Meloidogyne chitwoodi Columbia root-knot nematode

In carrots

root-knot nematodes

Heterodera carotae carrot cyst nematode

cyste nematode

S SL SC C

S SL

S

S SL

S

S SL SC

S SL SC

S SC C

S SL SC C

S SL SC

S SL SC C

S

S

•••

••

•••

••

?

-

•

?

?

••

?

?

?

Wageningen University & Research’s scheme helps farmers determine which rotation to use to reduce the chance of nematodes in their fields.

Source: Applied Plant Research (PPO), Wageningen University & Research

24

Bejo carrot magazine

SUSTAINABILITY

“Prevention” and “cure: these two words come up a lot during our conversation with Sebastiaan ten Napel. Nematodes are around. In fact, they’re everywhere. All year round. And we have to accept that. Fortunately, a whopping 98% of species don’t harm crops and can even enhance soil life and mineralization. It’s the other 2% that can frustrate carrot growers.

They include the trichodorids, Meloidogyne hapla, and – rearing its head a lot lately – Meloidogyne chitwoodi. “Of course, prevention is still better than cure,” ten Napel says.

“But to 100% prevent your crops from getting harmful nematodes is wishful thinking. That’s impossible. A farmer will always be a plant doctor. But a good doctor recognizes the symptoms quickly and knows how to keep things from getting worse.”

Galls and forking

But let’s take a step back. Do an Internet search on nematodes and you’ll come across some ominous reports. The creatures torment Dutch farmers. They cripple carrot harvests, causing galls or forking, depending on the type of nematode. While yields remain the same, profits drop substantially. So why have nematodes become such a threat in the industry? “There are two or actually three main reasons,” ten Napel says. “The first is that we’ve started to grow more and more different crops in more and more parts of the Netherlands. The second is that crop rotation schemes have become highly intensive. We

stem nematodes

keep wanting more, demanding more. The land hardly gets a chance to rest. The balance has been disturbed.” And the third reason? “In the past, nematodes were controlled either with chemicals or by applying granulate to the soil,” ten Napel says. “But these pest management techniques are becoming harder to use, partly because regulations have become stricter. So we’re going to have to control nematodes in more natural ways, using as few chemicals as possible.

And that’s a challenge. Because the management method may be different for every field. A low nematode population is easier to control than a high one. And that’s why prevention is as important as cure.”

The prescription: a soil test

Since nematodes are a constant threat, most farmers are aware of the symptoms. “If you see nematode damage to a crop, then the infestation in that field is very likely already high,” ten Napel says. “Still, I’d advise getting a soil test done, and as soon as possible. That’s the only way to know how extensive the infestation is and how much of the field will require treatment. Plus, testing is the only way to find out what kind of nematodes you have. Or – and I can’t emphasize this enough – what kinds of nematodes. Because there may be more than one. And if your crop has more than one infestation, you’ll need to take different steps than you would for one type of nematode.” But – and you know what’s coming – prevention is better than cure. “I know,” he says, “it sounds like preaching to the converted. But if

>>

Ditylenchus convallaria destructor nematode

Ditylenchus dipsaci stem nematode

Helicotylenchus spp.

Hemicycliophora spp.

Longidorus elongatus

Paratrichodorus pachydermus Paratrichodorus pachydermus

Paratrichodorus teres Paratrichodorus teres

Paratylenchus bukowinensis pin nematode

Rotylenchus uniformis

Trichodorus primitivus Trichodorus primitivus

Trichodorus similis Trichodorus similis

Trichodorus spp. stubby-root nematodes

Tylenchorhynchus dubius

Xiphinema diversicaudatum

free-living nematodes

S SL SC C

S SL SC C

S SL SC C

S SL SC C

S

S SL SC

S SL SC

S SL SC C

S

S SL SC

S SL SC

S SL SC

S

S

-

••

?

•••

?

••

••

•••

•••

••

•

?

?

?

unknown

?

unknown

•••

sharply increasing

S

Sand

none

--

actively being reduced

V

Variety-dependent

SL

Sandy loam

low 0-15%

-

naturally declining

S

Serotype-dependent

SC

Sandy clay

moderate 16-35 %

•

slightly increasing

i

no further information

heavy 36-100%

••

moderately increasing

C

Clay

L

Loess

In carrots

Bejo carrot magazine

25

>>

you get the soil tested quickly, you’ll understand the extent of the problem quickly. And you know, you do these tests for your entire crop plan. Meloidogyne hapla, for example, doesn’t only appear in carrots but also in other crops.

With a single test, you’ll know how many of each nematode species you have all through your field.”

Sample crop plan: 5–10% elutriability, 1.5–1.7% organic matter.

Paratrichodorus teres and M. chitwoodi constitute the greatest threats.

The alternative plan clearly shows reproduction of these two nematodes decreasing as carrot planting approaches. The plan also takes into account the cultivation of potatoes, onions and beets.

Chitwood Farms’ current crop rotation plan Planting beets before carrots can lead to a high trichodorid population.

Year

Crop

Nematode species, reproduction (para)trichodorus

Meloidogyne

Teres

Hapla

Chitwoodi

Pachydermus

Pratylenchus Penetrans

1

potatoes

+

+++

+++

+++

+++

++

+++

-

+

+

2

s. barley

Succeeding crop

IR grass

3

onions

Succeeding crop

y. mustard

4

potatoes

5 6

+++ ++

+++

-

+

+++

+ +++

+ +

The Dutch nematode scheme +++

+++ ++

+++

+++

+

+++

+++

beets

+++

+++

+++

+

+

carrots

++

++

++

++

++

+++

Alternative crop rotation plan for Chitwood Farms With flax and potatoes preceding carrots, the new plan greatly reduces the trichodorid population.

Year

Nematode species, reproduction: (para)trichodorus

Meloidogyne

Teres

Hapla

Chitwoodi

+++

+++

Pachydermus +++

Penetrans

potatoes

Succeeding crop

oilseed radish

2

carrots

++

++

++

++

++

3

beets

+++

+++

+++

+

+

4

potatoes

+

+++

+++

+++

+++

5

onions

++

-

+

+

+++

Succeeding crop

oilseed radish

6

flax

Succeeding crop

oilseed radish

2012

+

Pratylenchus

1

Field

26

Crop

+

++

+ +

++

2014

+ ++

2015

-

2017

1A

carrots

potatoes

s. barley

onions

potatoes

beets

1B

onions

potatoes

beets

carrots

potatoes

s. barley

2A

beets

carrots

potatoes

s. barley

onions

potatoes

2B

s. barley

onions

potatoes

beets

carrots

potatoes

3A

potatoes

s. barley

onions

potatoes

beets

carrots

3B

potatoes

beets

carrots

potatoes

s. barley

onions

Bejo carrot magazine

+++

-R

++

2016

+++ -R

++

? +

2013

++

+++ ++

-R

Nematodes! Now what?

How do you fight nematodes? It’s a difficult question to answer, since every field is likely to require a different approach. Ten Napel’s company has created a hands-on step-by-step plan that helps farmers to find solutions by thinking in new ways. Growers can carry out some steps themselves. “For instance, one step is to assess the field by answering a number of questions. Is the ground varied or uniform?

What’s its elutriability? And so on. This allows you to find out quite quickly which nematode or group of nematodes you have.” The final step involves making a new crop plan based on the existing one plus the data collected. “We always do this using a two-track approach,” ten Napel says. “Track 1 consists of modifying the crop plan where possible so the nematodes can’t spread, or will spread less. Track 2 consists of dealing with the infested area. And the likelihood that you’ll have problems with nematodes in the future is significantly reduced.”

+++

Along with Nemacontrol’s step-by-step plan, another useful resource that helps farmers in the Netherlands to fight nematodes is Wageningen University & Research’s nematode scheme, a free online tool available in Dutch only. “It shows you in a very accessible way which rotation you can use for your field,” ten Napel says. “Unfortunately, the scheme isn’t complete yet. Not every crop is included. More research is needed. But research costs money. And since the Dutch national product boards were dismantled, there are no subsidies for that research any more. It’s a shame. Luckily, though, more and more parties, including commercial ones, are seeing the need for this scheme and helping out.”

‘Don’t let it scare you’

In talking to growers and giving presentations on nematodes and the step-by-step plan, ten Napel has noticed there’s a lot of uncertainty around the issue. “In any case, don’t let it scare you,” he says. “Yes, nematodes are a problem.

Meloidogyne chitwoodi in particular is big at the moment. But by focusing on prevention and cure, anyone can come up with a crop plan that can cope with the nematode problem.”

The carrot range can be viewed online.

Bejo’s autumn harvest: a new website Bejo has launched an all-new Dutch website at www.bejo.nl.

Its sleek design meets today’s users’ needs and wishes while staying in step with the latest visual trends. It’s a responsive site that works on all devices with full functionality – of course.

Our new site makes it easy for growers and other partners in the chain to find the information they need. Under the main heading “Vegetables” and the subheading “Crop groups” are lists of all Bejo’s crops. Clicking on a specific vegetable or variety takes the user to a page of detailed information, complete with photographs. Related varieties are listed so growers can make an informed choice. The page layout is the same for the conventional and organic ranges, ensuring a smooth user experience.

The comparison tool is a new feature that lets users compare up to three different varieties. It can help growers put together a sound crop plan, look for ways to expand their existing plan, or find crops with particular characteristics. It works brilliantly with our extensive assortment of carrots!

The search function has been expanded for the entire site as well as for the assortment section. Users can refine their choices using filters. Of course, the site also devotes plenty of space to news and other useful information.

The attractively designed content sections are reachable via the Magazine heading. Major items are highlighted on the homepage as top stories and in advance announcements.

Come and experience our all-new website at www.bejo.nl and see how easy it is to find the information you need.

Bejo carrot magazine

27

From left: Markus SaphĂśrster of Bejo and the German carrot farmer, Mr Soller.

German market focuses on fresh carrots Germany is becoming more and more adept at growing carrots. The cultivated area is expanding but is limited by the scarcity of appropriate soil. Regional differences and the demands of buyers are determining the choice of variety and farming method.

The carrot cultivation area in Germany has increased in the past 20 years from 6,500 hectares to 11,209 in 2016. It continues to grow, but the limited availability of land poses a serious threat. Since leasing land is very expensive, crop rotation is too tight, allowing nematodes to rapidly multiply. Because a large volume of carrots is grown in a small area, there is a higher risk of carrot fly and, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, most plots donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow for irrigation.

Regional differences

Carrots are grown in every German state, ensuring a short distance between the farmer and the consumer. North Rhine-Westphalia is the largest cultivation area, with 2,780 hectares, followed by Lower Saxony and Rhineland-Palatinate. Each region has its own specialization, from mid-early carrots for storage in North Rhine-Westphalia and carrots for industrial use in Lower Saxony to early carrots and bunched carrots in RhinelandPalatinate. The varieties Nominator and Nagadir are doing well here. In the northern state Schleswig-Holstein, growers are choosing late varieties for winter storage. Nationwide, most carrots are the Nantes type (71%), followed by the Flakkee type (13%), Berlicum (11%) and Amsterdam A.B.K. (3%).

Supermarket-dominated

Large supermarkets dominate the German market. Farmers need to be able to supply large quantities for a relatively low price. The produce also needs to meet extremely high quality requirements and be uniform across the whole batch. German farmers therefore are becoming

28

Bejo carrot magazine

GERMANY

increasingly specialized and also bigger and bigger. In the main, they wash and pack the carrots themselves.

Market trends

Carrots rank second on the list of bestselling vegetables in Germany. The majority is destined for the fresh market, but there is also a market for juices and frozen and preserved carrots.

Cutting is becoming more important as ease of use is increasingly relevant to consumers.

The market for industrial processing is stable.

A small portion is used in baby food and carotene products. Flavour and dry matter content are becoming increasingly important factors in sales, as are regional sourcing and food safety.

Snacks and organic

The consumption of snack carrots is on the rise, and in this segment the Mokum variety is often used. In 2016, 64% of snack carrots were bought from discounters. Though these mostly come from Denmark, the German market share is growing. In the snack market only 6% is organic, but almost 17% of the total German cultivation area is organic. The carrot – with its 20% market share – is the most important vegetable on the

German organic vegetables market. Organic carrots are also finding their way to consumers via discounters. There is a preference for products originating in Germany. There is, however, also a sizeable import, mainly from the Netherlands and Israel. Other specialities, such as packaged coloured carrots, are available in some supermarkets.

Storage

Carrots are primarily stored in refrigeration.

In winter, they are kept unwashed in wooden crates and washed before use. The Nerac variety is very well suited to this method and yields a stable, high production. The carrots are stored at a temperature of 0–2 °C with a CO2 percentage of less than 1%. In these conditions they can be stored until May. Carrots for industrial use aren’t kept as long. They’re stored in piles for a few days at 0 °C at 95% humidity. In winter, these carrots come mainly from the Netherlands, Israel and Spain.

Low residual percentages

In 2015, 232 German carrot samples were tested against EU-permitted maximum residue levels.

None of the samples were above the allowed limits. In the past, supermarkets advertised the low residue levels on their vegetables. Today, more emphasis is placed on regional produce.

Carrot harvesting and growing in Germany.

Cultivation area in hectares in 2016.

Total 11,209 ha.

946

109

Market supply x 1,000 tonnes.

1,949 696

258

2,869 216

642

inland supply

52

6

1,909

504

237

527

265

import

239

2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

Carrot cultivation area x 1,000 hectares.

11.2

1,005

1,191

10.0

10.5

9.7

9.6

2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

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From left: Steve De Backere and Edward Deprez of d’Arta and Dirk Vanparys of Bejo.

d’Arta predicts continuing growth for frozen vegetables When you eat frozen vegetables in Europe, chances are good that they were frozen in West Flanders. Over 30% of all European production takes place in an area surrounding Roeselare. Seven companies that freeze vegetables and fruit are located here. The newest one is d’Arta, situated right in the middle of Flanders.

The company anticipates continuing growth for the coming years.

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BELGIUM

A little look back in time… Towards the end of the 1960s, there was a big increase in the consumption of frozen vegetables. Pioneering vegetable traders and farmers in the west of Belgium jumped onto the bandwagon and commenced new operations specializing in freezing vegetables. The soil was fertile; there was plenty of produce, and good logistic connections to the rest of Europe. D’Arta was founded in 1988 by Johan Talpe and Jean-Pierre De Backere, who already had a considerable track record in the sector. Since its beginning in 1988, the company has grown, with 350 staff members currently employed in Belgium. In Portugal, where the company opened a second production site, Dardico, in 1997, it employs another 220 people. And in 2018 a third site, Yorkshire Greens, will open in northern England; it will specialize in green peas for the British market. “It’s important to us to work with local produce as much as possible,” says Steve De Backere, one of the four second-generation members of the board. “It’s just more efficient.

And it’s easier to arrange for traceability. In addition, you’re helping to create a thriving region, where you complement each other and make each other stronger. We engage with all of our suppliers and grow together.”

Playing to further growth

The company expects more growth in 2018.

To support this, among other things, last year a new storage capacity for carrots was scheduled to be built on the site in Ardooie. This will enable the timely harvest of the carrots under the right conditions. It has six cells in which to store up to 8,000 tonnes of carrots, with a grid floor and mechanical cooling. Before the carrots are stored, up to 6 metres high, they are topped in the field, harvested with axial rollers and washed at the farm.

“ You eat with your eyes too.”

Adding value

D’Arta continues to challenge and develop itself, with respect to the use of technology as well as food design. “We want to add value to the product,” says Steve De Backere. “How? With new products, and also with new ways to offer

those products. We’ve developed a shelf-ready packaging, for example: a box containing bags of frozen vegetables. You remove one side of the box and then put it on the shelf so the product is immediately visible to customers. It makes handling on the shop floor much quicker.”

‘You eat with your eyes’

Naturally, our animated conversation turns to carrots, d’Arta’s second biggest product after peas, and good for 30,000 tonnes of finished product. “We get all our carrots via trade, with the exception of the large Flakkee carrots,” says Edward Deprez, one of two agronomists at d’Arta. “We have these large carrots under contract, mainly in partnership with the growers’ association Ingro. The cultivation area for the carrots is mostly in Belgium, but we also have growers producing them for us in France and the Netherlands.” The biggest development in carrots in recent years is the slices, or coins, not only in terms of flavour but also definitely looks. “You eat with your eyes too,” they say here at d’Arta. “For our coins we currently use 10 different cutting techniques,” says Deprez. “Each dish and each menu requires a different look. It’s important that it looks like the carrot has been cut by hand.

This reinforces the impression of healthy eating for consumers.” Are frozen vegetables healthy?

“Many studies have been done on the subject, and the results are always positive,” he says. “That’s because all frozen vegetables have had a thermal treatment. It’s a fact that the body absorbs vitamins from vegetables better after that treatment. And when you cook frozen vegetables, you’re eating vegetables that have effectively only been off the land for a few hours.” According to Deprez, consumers also appreciate that frozen vegetables don’t create any waste in the kitchen.

More and more hybrid varieties

Does Deprez see any other new developments for the carrot? “Following on from carrot rounds, we’re seeing a big shift towards hybrid varieties in the large carrots. Nowadays you can achieve a great yield with those while retaining the intense internal colour and a high dry matter content.

The Komarno variety has become a steady value in this segment. There’s also some demand for more flavour in the Amsterdam A.B.K. types.

The traditional open-pollinated varieties don’t offer much scope for that. If this segment wants to retain its relevance, we think breeders will have to focus on hybridization.”

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Organic carrots thrive in US market

Bejo varieties are currently grown on approximately 75,000 hectares in the US

Consumption of organic carrots in the United States is rising.

The trend stems from consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desire for transparency and traceability. People want to know where their food comes from, who farms it and how. As one of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest producers, Grimmway Farms is reaping the benefits.

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UNITED STATES

With consumer demand on the rise, organic vegetables are easier to find than ever. Once available primarily in high-end shops, today they’re for sale everywhere, from small groceries to large national chains and discount stores. As demand grows, organic carrots are becoming increasingly affordable, and many supermarkets are running promotions to encourage customers to buy them. “The organic market is just booming, and we don’t see that going away,” says Jeff Huckaby, CEO of Grimmway Farms.

As one of the US’s largest suppliers of organic carrots, Grimmway Farms has invested heavily in training and technology to keep up with the market’s growth. Across the board, Grimmway’s retail partners are ready to expand their organic programs. “We believe in the benefits these crops bring our customers and the environment,” Huckaby says. “Given the market’s response, we’re making the right decisions for both.”

In the early 1990s, Huckaby helped Grimmway start an organic division. “We convert more and more land every year,” he says. The organic market is experiencing strong growth in the US, having swelled by $4.2 billion in 2015.

The $15.6 billion organic fruit and vegetable segment accounts for 40% of the US organic market (IRI/FreshLook, Total US MULO, week ending 16/04/2017). The carrot category is growing significantly, mainly thanks to rainbow, baby and value-added offerings. Consumers are becoming more familiar with the benefits of organic production. Over the past year, demand in this segment has risen to account for almost 7% of total carrot sales (IRI/FreshLook, Total US MULO, week ending 16/04/2017).

Grimmway’s view of the carrot market Grimmway is responding to the convenience trend with innovative pre-packed, ready-to-eat carrot products. The supplier predicts that production ratios between organic and conventional growing will continue to shift. The new rainbow carrots are gaining in popularity as retailers use promotions to introduce them to shoppers.

Carrots will remain a staple food thanks to their high nutritional value, versatility, consistent availability, and suitability as a healthy snack. Grimmway expects demand in the US to hold steady thanks to these four key strengths.

Among fresh-cuts, value-added – in other words, processed – carrots for use in snacks and salads are on the rise. Coloured, baby, cello and shredded are the newest options. Crinkle-cut coins and julienned and shredded carrots are in demand for use in cooking and salads, while dipping sticks, carrot chips, and baby carrots single-serving packs make convenient fresh snacks.

Eating more vegetables

Creative new ways of preparing carrots fit perfectly into current culinary trends. They’re served raw with hummus, salsa, guacamole or ranch dressing; thinly sliced or shaved and put in coleslaw, sandwiches and wraps; and even seasoned, skewered and barbecued.

Other trends include a rise in the popularity of rainbow-coloured vegetables and healthy comfort foods. Grimmway’s rainbow carrots are doing well as nutritionists advise people >>

Grimmway processes fresh carrots into convenient, healthy snacks.

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>>

to eat more darkly pigmented produce. In response to consumers’ quest to follow a more plant-based diet and find creative ways of eating more vegetables, carrots have made their debut in many a classic dish. There are carrot bacon, carrot hot dogs, and carrot pigsin-blankets. Carrots remain a popular ingredient in fresh juice blends and smoothies. And even carrot cocktails and liqueurs have begun to pop up on store shelves.

total Imperator acreage. “With an increase in both population and awareness of nutrition at consumer level, we look forward to consistent and healthy growth in this segment,” says Jose Espindola of Bejo’s sales and product development team for the southwestern US. * C arrot market data provided by Grimmway Farms.

Bejo in the US

The Imperator type continues to dominate the US market, with Bejo varieties currently covering about 75,000 hectares. Of these, 60% are grown in Kern County, California, for spring, summer and autumn production; 20% in California’s Imperial Valley for winter production; and the other 20% in Colorado, Washington and Oregon for additional summer production. The organic imperator segment is growing steadily and comprises about 20% to 30% of

Popular consumer trends The US carrot market is roughly three-quarters conventional and one-quarter organic and represents a $1.3 billion-dollar category (IRI/FreshLook, Total US MULO, week ending 16/04/2017). The retail market consists of bulk, cello-pack and bunch carrots.

There’s also a wide range of ready-to-eat, valueadded options. For example, Grimmway sells dippers, sticks, chips, grilled carrots, and cut and peeled baby carrots. The food service market also offers

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an increasingly wide assortment. Cello carrots are generally packed in one-, two-, five- and 10-pound bags for use in juices and recipes. Cut and peeled baby carrots, in demand mainly for snacks and side dishes, usually come in one-, two-, three- and five-pound bags. Baby carrots are also packed in single-serving sizes for easy storage and transportation. Food service accounts for part of the market, with an extensive range of bias-cut, chunk, coin-cut, diced and julienned carrots.

INNOVATION

shows great results in field

A S T R O N G S TA R T FOR EVERY SEEDL

For instance, Bert Benedictus of carrot processor M&B Peen in Kraggenburg speaks highly of carrots cultivated from B-Mox-primed seed in the last year. He processed B-Mox carrots from various growers that came out of storage as late as July. “The carrots were very easy to process, and washing showed a considerably higher net result,” he says. “Fewer black spots, less loss and a higher yield. I prefer B-Mox carrots ten times over.”

Carrot farmer Hans de Zeeuw from Noordoostpolder is also clearly satisfied with the B-Mox carrot harvest. “In a test wash of treated and non-treated carrots, the average difference in yield was 37 kilos higher per crate for the B-Mox carrots. They also looked better and cleaner in the crate.” Robert Schilder says, “The formula helps the plants to develop a good root system early on in the growing stage.

This benefits the plant right up to the harvest, which results in a more healthy plant and a higher yield. A higher pack-out, up to 10%, wasn’t unusual. Those are really great results, Geeft het kiemend meerthat energie andzaad I’m happy we can help our customers to achieve harvests and better manage Stimuleert de groei in het better eerste groeistadium business risks.”

Verbetert de weerbaarheid van de plant

zaadverrijkende formule

Last year we introduced B-Mox, the enrichment Zorgt een verbeterde stresstolerantie en algehele gezondheid van de formula that makes seed more potent and voor gives B-Mox is always used in combination with Ondersteunt de ontwikkeling van een uniformer priming and is currently available foreindproduct carrots, plants a stronger start. B-Mox gives young parsley root, and Welsh onion crops. Because we have been seeing wonderful results with plants an extra stimulus so that thePositieve crop gevolgen voor deinteler: B-Mox parsley root for years now, we offer better Minder risico in de eerste van de groeiperiode becomes more resilient and develops seed for ourkwetsbare parsley rootweken varieties exclusively with B-Mox nowadays. Last year a number of Minder ziektegevoelig gewas throughout the growing season. Many growers growers also grew a trial of B-Mox-primed Grotere oogstverwachting en verbeterde pack out tot 15% Welsh onion seed with promising results. The have now carried out field trials, and we have B-Mox Welsh onions made beautiful, uniform produce and a good net yield. received many enthusiastic reactions.

B-Mox geprimed zaad is momenteel beschikbaar voor de gewassen wortel, wortelpeterselie en stengelui

As of this season, B-Mox is also available for the organic market.

bejo.nl/bmox

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Martijn en Monique Schieman op hun erf.

‘ Idealistic entrepreneurship’ Running a business while holding to your principles – that’s what Martijn and Monique Schieman are doing at their Demeter-certified farm. “We don’t grow in bulk, we grow for specific needs,” Martijn explains. Listening to customers is part of determining the crop plan.

Of course Martijn knows that some people make jokes about Demeter certification, especially the special preparations farmers make to promote healthier soil. If you tell a random person that you gather manure from a pregnant cow, bury it for a year in a cow’s horn, and then scatter it over your land, then you’re likely to get some funny looks. However, those looks often change to admiring ones as people learn more. Martijn and

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his wife, Monique, have a farm near Lelystad, the Netherlands, with 130 hectares of crops and 40 hectares of grass and woods where the suckler cows (kept for beef production) graze. Martijn has developed many sidelines linked to the farm, such as a spelt husking mill. His business came through the crisis with relative ease and has had the wind in its sails in the last few years. “When I explain the preparations, I sometimes compare

ORGANIC

them to homeopathic remedies for humans,” Martijn says. “Often there’s no scientific proof that they actually work. And yet a lot of people are enormously helped by them.”

Closer to nature

Martijn Schieman grew up in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant, where he went to secondary school. When his father became director of the Warmonderhof organic agriculture school in Dronten, Martijn went with him and did an apprenticeship with Lex and Janny Kruit, who had a Demeter farm in Lelystad. The young farmer was soon deeply impressed by those two pioneers. How could it be, he wondered, that most people in our society live so far from the land? He saw that even farmers were often indifferent to the influence of the moon on all the growing things on earth – the moon that makes the tides turn all by itself. He thought it was strange, to say the least, that that influence was so completely disregarded. “The more I learned about the ideas of Rudolf Steiner, who laid the groundwork for the anthroposophy movement and biodynamic agriculture, the closer I felt to nature,” he says, “and the more I became convinced that a biodynamic way of working was right for me.”

‘Consumers are more aware of what they eat’

Martijn and Monique took over Lex and Janny Kruit’s farm in 2000. Martijn comments: “Many consumers these days don’t think.

They care more about looks than nutritional content. We think it’s normal now for every carrot to have the same shape and size. That’s what shoppers look for. Isn’t that strange?

With our business, we want to help redefine ‘normal’. My idea of normal is selling products that have been grown with respect for nature— products that feed us in the genuine sense of the word.”Monique and Martijn are convinced that change is coming soon. They see that there’s more and more information available, and that it’s becoming more accessible. As a result, consumers are becoming more aware of how they eat, which in turn is making farmers grow crops more consciously and sustainably.

“A lot of our produce goes to Germany,” Martijn says, “where people consume more consciously than here. Sales to the baby food market are growing especially fast. Many people only make the switch to organic or biodynamic when they have children.”

‘Not an allotment garden’

Going with Demeter farming was no easy choice.

“Lex Kruit switched to biodynamic back in 1982, and I always admired that decision,” Martijn says.

“The organic market then was incredibly small, yet he still managed to build a healthy business, because he believed in the road he’d taken. I do, too. And of course you do have to take a practical approach. For instance, we consult the planting calendar or moon calendar, which shows the best days for sowing. But if bad weather is forecast for that day, then I may choose another. I have my ideals, but this isn’t an allotment garden.”

He continues: “We don’t grow in bulk. We grow for specific demands. We talk to our customers and look at their needs when we’re deciding what to grow. That means I have no idea what our crop plan will look like in the coming years.”

New methods

Martijn Schieman sees all kinds of new ways to work even more closely with the principles of Demeter farming. This year he switched to an eco plough. “I was already using only solid manure, because it contains good fungi and bacteria and contributes to the right carbonnitrogen ratio,” he says. “You don’t get all the way to harvest time without a few weeds, so you do have to do inversion tillage. With the new plough – which ploughs unbelievably well – I work to a depth of 15 centimetres, so I don’t disturb the soil life.”

Martijn and Monique Schieman practise mixed farming, with plots at five locations and between 23 and 50 percent of land under cultivation. Along with a rotation plan of 11 to 13 crops, they have some 70 heads of cattle, including young stock. The farm’s crop plan consists of carrots, seed potatoes, table potatoes, vegetables for tinning, spinach, cauliflower, grain, onions, pumpkins, garlic, leeks, flax and grass. The farm also has a spelt husker, which is fully operated by an employee, and Martijn is working with an organic chicken farmer to set up a proprietary label for organic meat. The carrots he grows are Kamaran, Miami, Rainbow, Deep Purple and special open-pollinated Demeter varieties, such as Rodelika, a sweet variety used for making carrot juice.

Using organic seed

Is there anything he’d like to see on the market?

“When consumers buy organic produce, they expect it to be grown with organic seed,” he says.

“But that’s not available for every crop. I hope to see more work in that sector – even though I know organic seed isn’t required and that it’s more expensive. ‘You’re robbing your own purse,’ people sometimes tell me. ‘No,’ I always tell them. ‘I’m working with my ideals.”

Martijn Schieman

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Sensors lead the way for precision farming 2.0 Drones detect the exact spots where work is needed.

The introduction of GPS has brought practical opportunities for better farming. But those are nothing compared to what’s still to come.

IT, sensor technology and robots, along with GPS, are all steps in the direction of precision farming, which makes it possible to reduce chemical and fertilizer use while increasing and improving production.

Dr Corné Kempenaar researches precision farming at Wageningen University, and one day a week he lectures at the Aeres University of Applied Sciences in Dronten, the Netherlands.

It comes as no surprise that he’s also a member of the Precision Farming Working Group. He refers to GPS as “precision farming 1.0”. You work in straight lines, you can weed close to the rows with reasonable precision, and you can prevent unworked spots, or have less overlap with fertilizers and pesticides. You’re less tired at the end of the day, and at peak times you can even work at night. “The next step is getting fertilizers and pesticides to the right place, in the right amounts, at the right time,” he says.

“Then you really start to benefit. That’s precision farming 2.0.”

Precision farming 2.0

Though farmers quickly put GPS into practice, they haven’t yet embraced the newer advantages offered by precision farming, specifically through the use of sensors. Placed on a tractor or other farm machinery, sensors can provide a constant stream of information about the condition of a crop or the presence of weeds. That means you

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FUTURE

“The government has embraced precision farming.” can spray or fertilize only where it’s actually needed. Kempenaar explains: “Sensor data is where things really get interesting. Early adopters are excited about the process, and they accept that it involves doing some things by hand. We’re not yet ready to just push a button and apply chemicals with an open/close control and variable rate application. There’s still a long way to go.”

Two systems

Precision agriculture can be applied indirectly, using a task card with measurements taken previously. For example, there are sensors that, if you pull them through the ground, can use electrical conductivity (EC) or light (nearinfrared spectroscopy or NIR) to assess soil composition. A soil sensor can also take a sample every metre and measure pH on the spot to make a liming map. Direct (on-the-go) application of precision farming involves using a sensor on the tractor or several sensors on a machine such as a sprayer. The sensors measure the active biomass, and some of them can give information about content, which you can use for nitrogen application. With haulm destruction in potatoes, for example, sensors can enable substantial savings, up to 20 to 40 percent, especially on a plot with mixed soil.

In light spots, little to no spraying is required.

The advantages are similar in onions.

Costs

Precision farming using satellite imaging is the least expensive. On clear days, all of the Netherlands is mapped, and on sites like Akkerweb, the grower can select a plot and satellite image, click on how he or she wants to use it and for what variety, click “go”, and download a digital task card. The grower can then put the task card on the spreading computer, for example, using a USB stick. One satellite image costs about €1 per hectare (at a scale of 10 x 10 centimetres). High-resolution images cost €10 to €20 per hectare. A sensor above the tractor that can measure the whole breadth of the working area has a fixed price of up to €20,000. Sensors on a sprayer that measure a narrow band cost €2,000 to €4,000.

Yield

With precision farming you can choose to spray more or less pesticide or fertilizer as you drive.

That can save 20 to 30 percent on chemicals.

And you can expect an increase in the yield. The more soil variation there is in a plot, the bigger the advantage. This is true for manure spreading and the use of herbicides as well.

Precision farming is certainly feasible for a large-scale crop such as potatoes, and then you can move on – with the stored data for soil structure and so on – to a crop like carrots.

The chemical industry also sees opportunities, because there is a chance that chemicals that are slated to be eliminated may be permitted after all on the condition that they are used only in precision farming.

Future

The Dutch government has embraced precision farming, in part because it contributes to the reduction of chemical and fertilizer use, enabling more production with less input. A national trial farm for precision agriculture is in the works, with €2 million in funding. Who knows what that may bring in the near future? “Take a look at what is available,” Kempenaar suggests. “Just one liming map, or a map for problem layers, soil herbicides, or areas susceptible to compaction may be financially attractive. Or a map with low spots plotted on an altitude map, which the government gives away for free. Of course there are also biomass maps that show a field’s relative yield potential. The data from rented plots from two successive harvests, if you share them with others, can lead to great results.”

Dr. Corné Kempenaar

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Poland sees heavy investment in modern storage capacity.

Polish carrot market turns professional “Carrots are an important crop in Poland,” says Irek Ruciński, sales manager for Bejo Poland. “The acreage is decreasing, but the market is professionalizing as large growers expand their business. In the past 10 years growers have invested heavily in storage, and they are also becoming more skilled in the field. At the same time the Polish market is highly volatile. The acreage varies by 10% to 15% from year to year.”

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Bejo carrot magazine

He explains, “About 21,000 to 22,000 hectares of carrots have been planted this year, but previously it was 25,000. The decrease is due to low prices, caused by a bad market and the Russian boycott of the EU. The production of carrots for industrial uses varies from year to year but is relatively stable in the long term.”

How has the market changed in the last decade?

“The fresh market has developed a lot in the past few years, due to growers’ groups making large investments in storage capacity. The EU has played an important role here. Polish farmers got back 50% of their investment in the form of an EU subsidy, and 25% from the Polish government. That’s why there has been so much growth.“But with the current poor market, some farmers are going through a bad time financially.

The market is now dominated by about 20 large

POLAND

Carrot growing areas in Poland.

• Gdańsk

• Szczecin

• Toruń • Gorzów Wlkp.

• Zielona Góra

• Warsaw

• Poznań

Irek Ruciński

• Łódź

• Lublin

• Katowice

Where are Polish carrots grown?

Early and mid-early: central Poland, with very early production under plastic tunnels and acrylic

Vroeg en m

Kraków

Storage: north, central, south (total in Poland: 12,000 hectares) Industry: central, west, southeast (total in Poland: 6,000–6,500 hectares) Bunching Coloured: Fresh market, big product northwest, southeast (total in Poland: 200–300 hectares) Fresh market, small product

Bunch carrots

Industry

Yellow carrot Large carrots, fresh market Black carrot Small carrots, fresh market White carrot Carrots for industry

Yellow carrots Purple carrots White carrots

growers. Their investment is going into storage facilities with a capacity of 10 to 20 tonnes, with the most modern washing, selection and packing lines. They are gradually taking over the market from smaller farmers. They supply the big supermarket chains, such as Biedronka, Lidl and Kaufland, which are becoming more important, while the greengrocers and smaller shops are declining. But the big chains don’t want to pay the farmers as much, while growers are competing to supply the larger stores.”

Who are the biggest players in the market?

“In general the large farms mainly supply the supermarkets rather than industry. But each region of Poland has specific characteristics.

The largest farms are found in the north, around Gdańsk, Elbląg and Toruń, but also in the west and south of Poland. These large farms have

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A modern processing line in Poland.

>>

about 100 to 250 hectares of carrots and have very good storage and machinery. The smaller farms are found around Szczecin and Poznań.

Near Warsaw the growers tend to have 20 to 100 hectares. These days farms with 2 or 3 hectares of carrots just aren’t big enough.”

Where do the growers get their information?

“Every year we invite Polish farmers to Bejo’s Open Days in Warmenhuizen. And we regularly bring crop advisors to Poland, because we don’t have many private advisors here. This year we’re taking a group of 15 farmers to Denmark to learn more about the organic market.

“Because of all the investments in storage, the growers didn’t think as much about investing in the land. Now that’s changing, and I see them becoming better growers. They’re more aware of the soil and the plants. The trouble in Poland is that they often have huge fields, up to 100 hectares, with different soil types within one field. That gives a less uniform crop, which leads to problems in storage. But the storage is getting better. We used to be able to store carrots until March, and now they keep all the way to the end of May.”

What about the types of carrots and the growing methods?

“Ninety percent of the growing is done on ridges.

For this type of sowing you need 1.2 to 1.5 million seeds per hectare. The rest are grown in beds of three rows with 1.5 to 1.7 million seeds per hectare. That’s about what you see in the rest of Europe as well. I think the bed method works better on lighter soils. “For the fresh market, growers here prefer the Nantes variety, or sometimes Berlicum, mainly for early

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production. For industry they mainly grow the Flakkee type, plus a little Berlicum and Nantes for slicing. Other common uses in the industrial market are frozen cubes and slices; carrots for drying; pasteurized and fresh juices; and fresh sliced. Processed carrots are sold on both the domestic and export markets.”

Where are most Polish carrots sold?

“The production of carrots in Poland is roughly 800,000 to 900,000 tonnes, and they mainly go to the domestic market. The export is about 30,000 tonnes, 4% of our production. The export used to go eastward, but now it’s more oriented towards the southwest. Most exported carrots, 75%, are sold within the EU, especially the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania, and also Germany. The most imports come from the Netherlands, with 17,000 tonnes, followed by Italy, with 10,000 tonnes, and Spain, with 3,000 tonnes.”

How is the organic market developing?

“The production of organic carrots in Poland is still limited, but a few large growers are considering organic for the future. Demand is growing from supermarkets and industry, and more organic shops are opening. The German organic market is also very important and will be attractive for our farmers.”

Together with our customers and partners we actively explore market opportunities and innovative research methods. We stay close to nature to develop the best vegetable seeds so growers around the world can harvest healthy, flavourful varieties for consumers to enjoy, today and in fifty yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time.