4 minute read
He refuses to be thrown off the land
by Goo Media
Dairy farmer Robert Maas (28) sees a future for commercial farming He refuses to be thrown off the land
Although reports in the media often suggest otherwise, there is still a bright future ahead for many farming businesses. A new generation of farmers has stood up and is paving the way to answer the changes in our society. Robert Maas is one of these ambitious ‘young farmers’.
Robert Maas
Robert Maas runs a dairy farm together with his parents in Moerstraten, West Brabant. Seven years ago, at just 21 years of age, he joined the business as partner. “We have 150 dairy cows, 90 heifers and 90 hectares of land,” says Maas. “I’m the fourth generation to run the farm, but our family was already farming long before that. So it’s pretty much in our blood. We weren’t born to work from nine to five.” He is the second of three children. “It was clear from a very early stage that I would one day take over the business. I wouldn’t have it any other way, and to be honest it’s all I know: this is what I’ve always worked towards.”
Maas is given more and more freedom to set the course of the company. “My father is still involved, but he believes it’s time the new generation stands up to make the decisions. But I obviously still consult him on everything.” Adapting to new circumstances are often the basis for a directional change. “It’s what we’ve really always done,” says Maas. “We are among the farmers who won’t allow themselves to be thrown off the land. We adapt in line with the political demands and public opinion. Two things are important in this respect: time and money. Time, because we simply cannot adapt to new regulations overnight. People often don’t understand this. Money, because we should be able to get a fair price for our efforts and our products.”
Super-cheap When it comes to better prices, people often point the finger towards supermarkets. In Maas’ view, this isn’t always justified. “Supermarkets also have their margins. I don’t think that’s where the problem lies. Consumers must be
a wind turbine. Our long-term vision is to be more extensive, but that’s an ongoing game of cost price versus yield. If we really want to make progress, the milk price has to go up.” Maas hasn’t been affected much by the nitrogen emissions problem. “We are fortunate to have a comprehensive permit, so we have enough options within that framework. But I know plenty of farmers who have been hit hard. The government has really dropped the ball on this one. I expect there may very well be some kind of public inquiry about it in a few years’ time, like there is now with the botched childcare allowances. Sadly, the required knowledge isn’t available in those places where things need to be organized.” The coronavirus crisis isn’t causing too many problems for dairy farmers. “We can quite comfortably keep the business running. I have noticed that feed is expensive at the moment because China is buying up a lot of raw materials. That could be a consequence of coronavirus.”
Cooperation Maas speaks passionately about his company and the agricultural sector. So it’s not surprising that he is formerchairman of the agricultural youth contact association in Brabant (BAJK). “I wouldn’t call myself a ‘protest farmer’ who drives his tractor over the motorway
prepared to pay more for good and healthy food. That’s what I believe is the real issue. On average, Dutch households spend 15 to 20 percent of their expenditure on food. There are some countries where this is even as much as 80 percent. It seems that people here just don’t care that much. The tendency today is that food should be super-sustainable and, at the same time, super-cheap. But those two views don’t go hand in hand, it just doesn’t work that way. If that viewpoint changes, we can get a fairer price for our products.”
Maas believes that the greatest challenge for the future is making the company more sustainable. “In our company, we have mainly been able to make progress in that area through sustainable energy, for instance by installing solar panels and to The Hague. I try to find different ways to do my bit for the future of our industry. At BAJK, we organize all kinds of activities for our members. A project we’ll be working on very soon, for example, focuses on learning how we can improve soil fertility. Furthermore, as the representative of farmers’ interests, we are in regular dialogue with the province and act as a sounding board group.”
He is positive about the opportunities for his company and the agricultural sector as a whole. “It’s logical that some farmers will stop, but that also creates more room for those who go on. Both the government and society want to see more smaller-scale businesses. The sad thing about that is that the current regulations are actually making those farmers disappear, resulting in the industry scaling up further.” Maas expects that cooperation will be the key word for the future. “I can imagine that, as a dairy farmer, I will soon be able to get rid of my surplus animal manure at a neighbour’s farm, who will give me wheat in return. A closed loop, which also allows you to reduce the use of artificial fertilizer. That’s the direction we’re heading. Cooperation has always been the norm. I see it only increasing further.”
