J un e 2 2 , 2 0 2 2 2 Scaling up requires careful
consideration
4 Towards 25 per cent
organically grown in 2030
6 Anticipating shortages
and price increases
8 Entrepreneurship, research,
and leaning: a must or not?
10 Biodiversity is of great
importance, but the mowing
policy is a point of discussion 12 The way potting soil
develops from peat
15 Partnership Varb and
GGP; also grounded well in 2022!
COLOFON: This KwekersBode is a cooperation between Uitgeverij de Bode and GrootGroenPlus | Distribution:
Municipalities of Halderberge, Etten-Leur, Rucphen and
Zundert | Circulation: 54,000 copies | Acquisition: Sonja Kox and John van Aert | Lay-out and design: Jan Bastiaenen, Simone van der Heijden | GrootGroenPlus texts are
submitted by: Frank van Suchtelen and Chantal van Kuyck.
THE 32ND EDITION OF GROOTGROENPLUS IS ALMOST HERE! Another live, physical edition of the trade fair GrootGroenPlus will be hosted soon. This edition scheduled for 5 - 7
approximately 155 participating tree
world. And you can be one of those participants.
and non-profit organisations,
October 2022, of course again in Zundert. Some 225 participants will welcome thousands of visitors from all over the
The international trade fair for the green industry
be and must see for governments,
use sometimes put that soil as a basis
international trade fair for the green
property developers, landscapers, gardeners, garden designers and
strong foundation, the industry always
GrootGroenPlus has been the
industry for decades now, and
attracts participants and visitors from
institutions, housing associations,
garden centres.
approximately 30 countries, such as the
Trade fair topic: Grounded
Germany, France, Poland, Hungary,
trade fair is ‘Grounded’. This theme fits
Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom,
Denmark, Italy, Spain, Slovakia, Romania and Croatia.
Growers, traders, manufacturers and suppliers of machines and tools and
numerous subcontractors from among others the Netherlands and Belgium
get the possibility to inform visitors and
participants on the latest developments in the industry. This strengthens
relationships and ensures that the
industry as a whole can take major steps forward.
This makes GrootGroenPlus a must
The theme for this new edition of the
in with the sector and the trade fair in a variety of ways. The interest for the
important advantages that the industry has to offer when it comes to greening, climate issues, and financially, is
increasing. That is why it is essential that the tree nursery industry is well-founded and works from a solid foundation, based on its own strength.
to the test. Nevertheless, thanks to the manages to find a way.
Of course, a good foundation and
healthy soil are also important for
nursery products. A plant can only do well if the quality of the soil is good.
And finally, many growers are also very grounded, because they have been
growing on one location for generations. They know exactly how they can get the most out of what they have and do this while combining traditional techniques
of products and services, which
makes sure that the most important developments are presented here.
Of course, there is also an interesting
programme, which will be broadcasted partly digitally.
The trade fair attracts thousands of
visitors every year. It also gains a lot of press attention; combined, the
journalists represent approximately 40
different media outlets from 15 countries. This makes the trade fair the perfect place to present your business.
Sign up for the new edition
them inspiring.
at the 32nd edition of the trade fair.
ensures better quality and it also makes
living, rich, healthy soil is the basis of
as plant protection and water and land
meet colleagues and customers. With
our crops. Restrictions on matters such
GrootGroenPlus offers a wide assortment
with the latest developments. This
The place to meet colleagues and customers
Of course, that starts with the soil. A
nurseries and about 70 subcontractors
Trade fair GrootGroenPlus is the place to
There is still some space available
You can register at GrootGroenPlus.nl.
Registrations, requests, and preferences will be handled in order of receipt. If you have any questions, please contact info@grootgroenplus.nl.
June 2022
SPECIAL
2
Text: Nursery Stock Trade Fair GrootGroenPlus
SCALING UP REQUIRES CAREFUL CONSIDERATION Scaling up has been an item in our industry for years. Companies take over each other, or grow. It has turned into more
ensure a good framework at every level,
disadvantages that it entails. What are the pitfalls? We asked both the consultant and the grower.
Dekkers.
than just adding some land and buildings. Things have become much more complicated, with all the advantages and
and good communication”, says René
Scaling up should not be an end in itself
use of drones. Specialisation can also be
itself”, says Dekkers. “There is a lot to
Dare to make choices
ted,” says René Dekkers, senior account
have to remember that specialisation
also has the disadvantage of becoming
emphasise the staff component. First of
horticulture) of Accountants- en
“Increasing scale is not cultivation-relamanager for Food and Agri at Rabobank. “You can see it in all types of cultivation in the nursery stock industry. For some
types of cultivation, mechanisation plays
an important part and specialisation can also lead to expansion. Or what about less intensive cultivation and allow for more fallow land with the use of soil
fertilisers. That would mean that you will
need more land to meet your production requirements. With a healthier soil, you
get better growth and therefore a better price. The soil is also capital and you
have to deal with it in a sustainable way.” Dekkers mentions the aspect of efficient working through mechanisation and
digitisation as an advantage of scaling
a reason for scaling up.” Dekkers: “You
more dependent. Distribution
among customers is important.
Another disadvantage of increasing specialisation is that it limits the
assortment. Specialisation has highs and lows; you can see it with the Buxus. Many growers have stopped growing these,
because of the Buxus moth. Now you can see that because of resistant species, interest is increasing again.”
“Scaling up should not be an end in
think about. And here, I would also like to all, you need ‘enough hands’. Scaling up,
mechanisation, and digitisation make the work more challenging. And that makes it easier to get staff.”
“Quite a lot is happening in the industry. New developments, interesting
knowledge initiatives, which also make
the profession more interesting for young people. Finding staff abroad? Then make
sure you’ve taken care of everything. I see that that isn’t always the case. In terms of staff policy, it is important that you
On behalf of trade fair GrootGroenPlus: Erik Bastiaensen, member of the board.
up. “Beside mechanisation, digitisation
“According to the Van Dale, ‘scaling up’ means ‘an expansion of size’. However, the
growth are increasingly more often being
Dekkers that scaling up isn’t a goal in itself, but that it often helps entrepreneurs
is also increasing. Soil situation and
digitally driven. You get data-driven
cultivation. And what about the emerging
responses in this article show that it is much more than that. And I agree with René reach their goals.
View of Rijsbergen near garden center. PHOTO FRESON
Mike Aldewereld (relation manager Advieskantoor ABAB, mentions the lack of a successor, market circumstances, and cost efficiency as the most important
reasons to scale up. “You have to make sure you don’t loose sight of the bigger picture. If you want to scale up, for
whatever reason, it is important to find
out if it fits you and the organisation you want to have. When scaling up, matters such as staff policy, organisational
structure and business development are explicitly addressed. It’s not what it used to be.”
“Especially for the companies that are
dealing with economies of scale for the
first time, it is important to seek external advice,” says Aldewereld, “if you’ve got any experience, you know a bit more about it, but still, external advice can always add another dimension. The
consultant can be the sounding board of the entrepreneur and if necessary, hold
3
Joost Sterke up a mirror. At ABAB, we know the industry
that’s really what you want. I think it is
We asked Joost Sterke, director-owner
addition to the aspect of the employees,
says Aldewereld. He mentions fiscal and
people he can talk to, and that he can
company considers innovation to be
automation, digitisation, mechanisation
from ‘A to Z’ and know what is going on,” financial policy, business development and of course HR management
(including staff policy) as very important points of attention. “Dare to make
choices, stay close to yourself and make sure that you continue to see the bigger picture” Mike Aldewereld advises the growers who consider scaling up.
Continuing to offer perspective to employees “It is very important that you carefully
list all the factors when thinking about possible scaling up,” says Elbert van Aalst of Alfa Accountants. “Bigger
doesn’t have to be better”. In addition to
considerations such as lowering the cost
price, the need for cooperation and being desirable to the market, Van Aalst also
mentions continuing to offer perspective to employees. He sees the increase in scale across the board in the nursery
stock, not necessarily cultivation-rela-
ted. It is often sales-driven, for example
to continue to facilitate large customers
“You sometimes have to grow with them.” “Choosing to scale up also means that, as an entrepreneur, you get a lot on
your plate. You have to ask yourself if
important that an entrepreneur attracts work well together with. The team has
to be strong. An increase in scale also
means more employees, either because they come along during a takeover or
are attracted externally. And if the size of your company is increasing, that
also means that you cannot do it all
by yourself as an owner. Other people
will also have to take responsibility. And you have to choose them carefully and
make clear agreements. And you have to keep communicating. If you work at one location, things are clearer than when you’re having multiple locations due
to a takeover. That requires a different
approach.” Van Aalst also gives us the
opportunity to think carefully about the
of Plantenkwekerij Joost Sterke. “Our
a solid foundation, and our employees
also play an important part in this”, says
Sterke. “They are also thinking about how we can make cultivation smarter, more
sustainable and more qualitative, which is also in their best interests. We are
investing in precision farming within the nursery. Plants, pruning, rootballing and undercutting are all done by using GPS. A soil scanner will tell us exactly where
plans are in line with the zoning plan and the environmental permit.”
Lack of ‘hands’ puts the brakes on growth
How does a grower look at this problem?
‘hands’ to take care of the operation. I just mentioned the aspects of mechanisation and such; they are not just important
from an efficiency perspective, but also for making the work lighter and more fun.”
it’s hard to get those hands. Even for
the plants, and measure the sizes. We use underground drip hoses to water everything.”
depends on the staff component. “Can
important to carefully check whether the
even then, you will eventually need those
We use a drone to scan our plots, count
And another point: “Scaling up can
the start of cultivation. In that case, it is
successfully, you can’t ignore these. But
It is not just the lack of skilled staff that
comes to food and water management.
According to Sterke, whether or not
also mean the acquisition of land and
and robotisation. If you want to scale up
on the plot we have to do what when it
form of the company. Does the current shape still fit in with the new situation?
you will of course also have to deal with
you should decide to scale up largely
you have enough skilled employees to cope with the expansion? If not, well, it
ends there.” Sterke also notices that this aspect puts the brake on the growth
of many colleagues. “Retailers are still
able to cope with this increase in scale. That is not the problem. Up-scaling
shouldn’t be more of the same entering
the market, that only lowers the prices. In
plays a role. Sterke: “Across the board,
unskilled work. At my company I mainly
work with Dutch employees, but currently I have 5 people from Romania who will
join us for a few weeks. In the past, people liked to work overtime, which was an
extra income. Nowadays, people more often just want to work the 40 hours.
You have to take this into account when planning your work. If you enter the field as’ unskilled in this field ’and you show your willingness to learn, then a great
deal has already been gained. Then there is plenty of willingness to help such an
employee on their way and to ‘retrain’.
This way, we’ve added another valuable employee to our company.”
June 2022
SPECIAL
4
Text: Broer de Boer
The step from sustainable to organic cultivation can still be challenging for the nursery stock industry
TOWARDS 25 PER CENT ORGANICALLY GROWN IN 2030 The cultivation of nursery stock is becoming increasingly more sustainable. Leaders in the industry have been working on this for twenty years. Organic cultivation is a politically correct activity that also increases the cost of production. That is why an increase in real organic products is still something for the future. Actually, the knowledge and experience
green manure crop. On top of that, the
(BIOM nursery stock cultivation) started
to a fertile soil with a rich and varied soil
“If regular cultivation, with the use of chemical products, will ever cease to exist?”
to an attractive living environment and
chemical products, ever cease to exist?
from practical network BIOM-boomteelt organic cultivation. Entrepreneurs,
consultants and researchers had been involved in this project, which took
place in 2002 - 2005. In 2021, the Second Chamber of the Parliament adopted a
motion that stated that 25 per cent of all planting material has to be organically grown in 2030. The question is: what’s
the situation of the organic nursery stock industry 20 years after the start of this
project? The nursery stock cultivation is
standing out due to its large diversity. It
has more than 20,000 types and cultivars in several plant groups: standard trees,
forest and hedge shrubs, perennials, fruit trees and ornamental shrubs, which are grown in pot, in container and on open soil.
Supervision
‘Organic’ is a legally protected term: a
product is only organic if it is produced and certified pursuant the Dutch and
European law. In the Netherlands, SKAL
Biocontrole supervises the organic chain. If you want to market a tree as ‘organic’, you have to be SKAL certified. Statistics
show that 1 per cent of all growers grow
organically. Large businesses sometimes grow part of their plants SKAL certified. For types that can be grown without
taking additional measures, this is not a
problem. However, it can be cumbersome to make a strict division between the different processes for sustainable
and organic growth. In many cases, a
separate legal entity is founded for the SKAL part.
Barrier
Organic arboriculture has been based
on the principles of organic agriculture. It strives towards closed cycles and
a natural balance. By refraining from
the use of artificial manure, chemical synthetic weed control, and gen
technology, tree nurseries are taking care of the environment. Organic nurseries growing nursery stock pay a lot of
attention to the fertility of the soil by using organic fertilisers, such as compost and
application of crop rotation contributes
life. Organic cultivation also contributes
biodiversity. However, nurserymen often experience the hoops you have to jump through if you want to become SKAL
certified, as a barrier. They often work
mainly organic and follow the guidelines, but without the certification. According to them, it is hard to get the certificate, and it might even have a significant
financial impact. Buyers also experience limits when it comes to purchasing
organic materials. This mainly concerns the obligation of the European tender,
and the limited supply of some products, which means that the purchaser cannot just select on SKAL material.
Faassen Plants
Ted Huijbers, account manager at
Faassen Plants in Tegelen, is expressly
working on certification of the company, with approximately 50 hectares of
avenue trees, 30 hectares of forest
shrubs, and approximately 1.5 hectares of container cultivation. He says: “We
would love to produce under the SKAL certificate, to be able to sell official
organically grown planting material.
We started growing as sustainable as
possible some fifteen years ago, pursuant the Milieukeur requirements. To become
Will regular cultivation, with the use of
Huijbers answers that question as follows: “I think it is impossible to stop doing this, unless the government will remove all
chemical products from the admission list of the ‘College voor de toelating
van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen en
biociden’ (Ctgb, college for the admission of crop protection products and
biocides). Organically grown is also more
expensive, and there is always a demand for regular planting materials. Huijbers says that in the past 15 years, Faassen
Provided that they are used well, they
always in a better position to withstand a
insects. Insiders know these products
monitor the crops. “A healthy plant is
bug or fungal infection than we think. And infections mostly come in waves. If for
example Fagus would really suffer from the presence of lice, watering could be
an option. We know from experience that they don’t like this! The use of ladybugs
in open organic cultivation is considered to be hard. Moreover, we see that weed
in our sustainable cultivation is the major point of attention. That especially causes problems with planting woodlands.
Despite mechanisation, a small plough
with a hoe are used to maintain our beds, very traditional.”
SKAL certified, you have to adhere to the years. For us, those rules are too much
that organic growers can use to combat
of a barrier still. There’s too much work pressure at the nursery, which means
that we hardly have time to work on this.
We wonder why it is not possible to award the certificate afterwards, after you’ve been doing it for five years. However,
we are officially PlanetProof and MPS A+ certified. My experience is that 50 per
cent of the municipalities and the forest
groups now work with PlanetProof or SKAL certified planting materials.” From that point of view, one could argue that the
turning point from regular to sustainable has been reached. In any case, Faassen
Plants is able to manage the demand for his PlanetProof products.’
Tegelen. PHOTO NWST
Plants has mainly learned to continuously
Use of means
rules of this certificate for at least five
Accountmanager at Faassen Plants in
What is the status of organic means
are very effective in controlling fungi and and every industrial permit holder has
an assortment of these ‘green products’. Some examples are Polyversum, new
organic fungicide on the basis of Pythium oligandrum, and Vintec, a product
against branch mortality on the basis
of Trichoderma atrovirens. Furthermore,
Taegro and Amylo-X have been allowed onto the market in the past two years.
These are organic fungicides based on the bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefa-
ciens, just like the already earlier allowed product Serenade. Velifer is a new
organic insecticide on the basis of fungus Beauveria bassiana and is effective
against - amongst others - trips and the white fly.
insects, fungi, and undesirable herbs?
Horticulture industry is leading
Coöperatie CEMP. Van ‘t Westeinde says:
product that the industry needs to learn
We ask Peter van ’t Westeinde of
“When it comes to green means, there is an entire series of low risk products
available, based on micro organisms
such as bacteria and fungi specimens.
Van ‘t Westeinde: “Velifer is a low risk
how to work with. Such a new product
is also valuable to be able to alternate the weed control with other products.
For weed control in organic cultivation,
On behalf of trade fair GrootGroenPlus: Didier Hermans, member of the board. “Chemical means, provided that they are used the right way, do not need to have a negative impact on our living environment. 100% organic may never be achievable. However, most nurserymen have a lot of attention for their soil, and are close to what would be possible from an organic standpoint.”
5
MUlti E-trike. PHOTO NWST people often use - with some limitations
breakthrough in selling only organic
herbs and (leaf) fertilisation. Earlier,
Of course, in addition to the use of
organic cultivation was somewhat of
headline regarding the purchase of
- pelagon, vinegar and nonanoic acid.
mechanic hoeing methods, sometimes executed using a robot. All products
and methods are similar in that they are more expensive than the regular - chemical - approach, and that the
industrial permit holders mainly focus
on horticulture in its development. There,
nursery stock? “For many growers,
a gamble,” he states. “This has given
them a couple of good years. However,
now the prices in the industry are overall increasing, we feel that there is less
interest in organically grown nursery
stock, which are even more expensive.
products and methods are used in a
Multi-headed beast
might be natural predators, which will
very important, it can be necessary to
more or less closed environment. These stay inside of a greenhouse, but which you cannot really control in outdoor
cultivation. Something like that can cause problems in sales if certain insects (such as remaining predators, red.) are found in the planting materials, especially if
the grower sells it through construction markets. Does Van ‘t Westeinde see a
For nurserymen who find sustainability use conventional methods or means
sometimes. For them, it still is no option to grow (completely) organically.
Fortunately, low-volume systems (LVS)
are also becoming increasingly common in modern, sustainable tree nurseries. They are often used as modular
systems for the control of undesirable
magazine Boom-in-Business used a organic planting materials: “This is a
multi-headed beast.” The conclusion is that nursery stock growers who focus
on sustainability experience this in the same way. However, it is quite difficult to get them to talk about this ‘in front of the camera’. The certified organic
cultivation method to them is one with
many question marks. Another question is if the industry will leave such a
development up to the market, or that it
needs intervention from the government to make this initiative - that has been around for twenty years - a success. Or would adjustments in the form of
more realistic objectives lead to a faster market penetration of organic planting materials?
Peter van ‘t Westeinde. PHOTO NWST
June 2022
SPECIAL
6
Text: Nursery Stock Trade Fair GrootGroenPlus
ANTICIPATING SHORTAGES AND PRICE INCREASES Both the corona period and the war in Ukraine have a major impact on
businesses, also in the nursery stock industry. How do nurserymen handle
price increases, increased delivery times of raw materials, and a shortage of
production resources? And how does the drought impact nursery stock crops in different areas? To answer these questions, GrootGroenPlus talked to a number of growers and other stakeholders.
Different strategies
a preference for nightly watering, and
French nursery Laforet Jeunes Plants.
control irrigation depending on the needs
We asked Emilie Carré, president of the “Covid-19 and later the war in Ukraine
have put us into an economic system
training of our employees, to better of the plants.”
that makes products that need to be
“We’ve also taken measures when it
and with longer delivery times. As a
a market perspective, we are also
imported less available, more expensive, producer, we have to be flexible, to
maintain the production cycles, and
control the costs. Our goal is to maintain a commercial dynamic with reasonable sales prices”, says Emilie Carré. Laforet
developed multiple strategies to manage these limitations as much as possible. Carré: “This means that we have to
anticipate when it comes to the delivery times of pots, diversifying suppliers,
reducing the number of deliveries by
comes to marketing”, says Carré. “From developing the assortment by offering
adjusted varieties such as the planting
of Phillyrea hedges (Phillyrea angustifolia Green Quick®), the expansion of our
assortment of Mediterranean plants
(shrubs and perennials), introducing
Mexican garden or dry collections, and by having the guts to use thyme or
chamomile to replace lawns. We have our AlterGazon® concept for this.”
potting soil mixtures (less peat), involving
It is important to keep an eye on the price
waste and to reuse everything that can
Os are managers and owners of the
maintaining more stock, developing our our very motivated teams to reduce be reused.”
The next problem is the availability of water. Besides the difficulties of the
industry, we have to deal with a shortage in water supply, like the rest of Europe.
For years, we’ve been trying to use this
resource the best we can: recuperation
of drainage water, protecting cultivation areas from the sun, mulching the crops,
Mart Peeters and his colleague Stijn van shrub nursery Smart Plants Potcultuur. The shrubs enter the company as
cutting and will be grown for a year.
After that, the products go to national
and international nurseries and trade to grow further, and finally end up at the
final customer, for example via garden centres.
How does he look at the current situation? “We are dealing with an industry-wide
Emilie Carré. problem”, says Peeters. “The companies
Peeters is happy that he doesn’t have
be hit harder by the increased prices
supplier has managed that very well.
in the pot and container cultivation will and lack of raw materials than open
soil growers, who will mostly be hit by drought.” He does notice the issue of
shortage of raw materials and increased prices in his company. “Take potting soil for instance,” he says, “a part of those
raw materials come from the area that is now hit by the war between Russia
and Ukraine. The potting soil now has a different composition. Fortunately, the properties have remained the same
for the most part, but you do notice it.”
any issues with the supply of the soil. “Our They didn’t accept new customers, so
they would be able to supply the current customers. I hear from colleagues that they do experience issues. That will
probably differ per supplier. The pots are still supplied in time, but in more limited quantities. There really is an issue with the availability of raw materials and
increased prices. We have to work with day prices for the pots, and the costs for box pallets have also increased a
lot. From 20 to 35 Euros. According to
Water is a necessity Due to climate change, we have to deal
with extreme weather more often, where
extreme rainfall is being followed by long
important to maintain the water, and take the right measures to do that.”
periods of drought. Therefore, it is very
The water board cannot do that alone. It
balance. Water is a necessity, especially
parties. “For the nursery stock industry
important to maintain a good water in the nursery stock industry.
A very important player in water balance is the water board Brabantse Delta.
What do they think of the situation? “This has indeed been a very extreme year”,
says René Rijken, account manager for
is important to cooperate with different
we’ve found a great partner in Treeport.
They help us with maintain a good water quality and reducing emissions. They
also help us find out how the industry
can help with limiting the consequences of climate change.”
agriculture at the water board. “In case
During the extreme drought of the
we can to make sure that water users,
confronted with issues around the
of continued drought, we do everything including nurserymen, get the water
they need. At the same time, it is also
summer of 2018, we were already
availability of water, and a pump ban for surface water was issued. If the water
level in ditches and streams lowers due
There are some great examples of that. If
might prohibit people from pumping
not let it get away. If you place a barrage
to long-term drought, the water board water from these ditches and streams to use in for example nurseries. In
some areas, a pump ban has already been issued again. “As opposed to other nursery areas, we don’t have
any large rivers here, that we can use to get water from”, says Rijken. “The
level in our waterways is low, and the
groundwater level is alarming. It’s really
in the red.” Something needs to happen. Rijken mentions reducing the need for
sprinkling as an important step. “This can be done more effectively, for example
by drip irrigation on specific locations,
instead of everything from the top down.
the water falls down, you have to store it, in a ditch, you prevent the water from going to the main water way. We can
also wonder if we need as many ditches as we have. In this area, ditches are not
used as water buffer. The system can be compared with the highway. It becomes more crowded due to all these access
roads. If you close down a few of them, it will all get a more quiet.” Rijken also
mentions improving the soil quality as
an important aspect. “Ensure the soil is
very permeable. I cannot emphasize that enough.” By taking the right measures together, we can cope with extreme weather conditions.
7
SMART PLANTS POTCULTUUR our suppliers, this might continue for a
did not experience much of a shortage.
of Van Krimpen BV, supplier of plastic
price increases. We’ve seen this with
continue to increase.” It all still fits in with
available anymore.”
“The frenzy of the corona era has died
to flower pots. Recycled materials will
while, and the transport costs will also
the production process of Smart Plants.
But we do notice that not all sizes are
Peeters continues: “We order what we
In 2018, Herplant took action regarding
the price. What can we charge to our
was going to be a real issue. We created
need. It is important to keep an eye on customers? It has to make financial sense. Some products allow for a
larger margin. We do need to cover our costs, but we also have to be fair to our customers.”
Same situation in Flanders
“In Flanders, people also have to deal
with an increase in prices and lack of raw materials, just like in the Netherlands”, says Didier Hermans from Herplant. “I
feel like it is easier for other industries
to transfer the price increases to their
customers than it is in the agricultural and horticultural industry. It will be
tough on many growers. Which isn’t strange, seeing that fertilisers have
already increased in price by 40%, gas and electricity is costing 3 to 4 times more, and that the price of potting
soil has increased by 15%, and so on. The transportation costs have also
increased a lot, and the staff costs have
the water issue. “We knew that drought two large pools, and we got rid of the
plots that we could not water. However, if we have months like these, with only 60 litres coming down, those pools
don’t really help that much.” Hermans is
annoyed by the arbitrariness of the pump ban. “We just concluded a contract for 30 days, and after one day, we hear that the
governor has issued a pump ban. There’s no dialogue here. It would be better if we
were able to talk to the water boards, like in the Netherlands. However, in Flanders people prefer a policy dictated by the
civil service. We feel that dialogue and consultation would be much better.”
Of course, we did talk to a supplier as
well. Marco Wilschut is co-owner/director
products for the professional horticulture. down, so the situation is a bit more quiet now”, says Wilschut. “However, that
doesn’t mean that calm has returned.
There is also a shortage of raw materials.
time. “Every month, we have to deal with
we are not able to scale-up very fast. That has increased by a lot, and will
probably remain that way.” Many feel
that corona and the war in Ukraine are to blame for the shortage of raw materials. Wilschut feels differently; he points the finger at the European Committee.
“They decided that as of 2023, every
plastic products should contain at least 1/3 of recycled materials. If it doesn’t, a
surcharge of hundreds of Euros per tonne should be paid. I do not understand that, since there is no capacity to do this right now. And there may not be for many
years. So the large recycling companies are becoming very proactive and are starting to speculate. That results in
“Due to different external causes, the tree nursery industry experiences many
Fortunately, we have a long-standing
growers and suppliers, have found an inventive way to deal with this, and that they
relationship with our pot supplier, so we
price increases and supply issues. It is good to see that our participants, both
View of stream ‘Aa of Weerijs’. PHOTO FRESON
materials, which is crazy.”
Wilschut notices that this way, the
On behalf of trade fair GrootGroenPlus: Frans van Wanrooij, secretary.
understand each other’s situation.”
become more expensive than new
There is still a shortage of products, and
also increased in the past two years by approximately 10 % due to indexation.
PET bottles, and the same will happen
suppliers are behind the curve all the
new price increases. We can handle one
or two per cent, but you cannot continue
like this, so we have to continue to charge it to our customers. And that doesn’t really make them happy either. Raw
materials make up more than 50 per cent of the cost price, and that doesn’t even
include the costs of energy, production, and transport.
What we see now is that large
international companies have started
focusing on recycling. They can make a profit there. And these companies also
have links to the consumer market. One
chain has already announced that they will require that 1/2 part of every plastic product should be recycled material. Otherwise, they will not use it. All this
is done for the customer that chooses environmentally friendly products… or
maybe it’s more about some sort of claw back arrangement? To say it bluntly: ‘the big money has its claws in the recycling industry’. We will have to buy our own waste flows”, says Wilschut.
June 2022
SPECIAL
8
Text: Nursery Stock Trade Fair GrootGroenPlus
ENTREPRENEURSHIP, RESEARCH, AND LEANING: A MUST OR NOT? Entrepreneurship, research, and leaning: a must or not? And can knowledge help to better counter a crisis or a problem? If you can answer both questions with
‘yes’, this will be a very short article. What is the importance of knowledge in our industry, do we use the knowledge we have, and is there enough knowledge? GrootGroenPlus decided to find that out.
Interaction between research, education, and businesses is very important.
presentation must contain his knowledge
industry, research and education are part
his claim.” Wil Bekkering notices a gap
“For an industry like the nursery stock
of the foundation of the arboriculture”,
says drs Wil Bekkering, director of Aeres Hogeschool, with faculties in Dronten, Almere, and Wageningen. “Important
global issues, such as the consequences of climate change and the declining
biodiversity, are hitting the nursery stock industry right in its core. If more people
about this product, the use, but it also has to be based on known scientific
knowledge and research that supports between the nursery stock industry
and developments from research. “I
wonder if companies notice this.” Maybe, colleges like Aeres, with practice-oriented research, will have the opportunity
to improve the connection between the nursery stock industry and research.
move to the city, more will be demanded
Aeres will enter into a partnership with
provisioning of food, water, and energy.
(E&E) at Business Centre Treeport (BCT).
when it comes to nature, liveability, the Knowledge is required to keep the
growing cities liveable. And nursery tock products are a very important part of
keeping these cities liveable. Increasingly more often, research shows the
importance of trees, hedges, and plants
for our health and liveability. That is why
interaction between research, education, and businesses is so important. To
give an example: if a grower wants
to convince the government or local
authorities of the importance of planting more green, just the story of him
having great products won’t suffice. His
the Experience & Excellence Centre
Bekkering: “It’s great to see that the E&E seeks to connect with other regions in the northern half of the Netherlands, also when it comes to research and
education. With our wide assortment of courses, the multiple faculties,
and our international contacts, Aeres
drs Wil Bekkering, director of Aeres Hogeschool
really wants to contribute to sharing
are not holed up in their scientific ivory
including attention for the products of the
important that Zundert closes the gap
ankles in the mud.” Aeres will be offering
mainly consists of professionals from
knowledge in the industry. I think it is
that I just mentioned. As colleges, we
can contribute to the thought process,
and we can share our knowledge from
a research perspective. Our researchers
FAÇADE:
towers, but are - so to speak - up to the masterclasses and demand-driven
practical research. Aeres will also develop a short part-time higher vocational
training, focused on nature in the city,
ROOF:
OTHER BUILDING MATERIALS:
nursery stock industry. The target group this industry, who want to deepen their knowledge by means of education. According to Bekkering, knowledge is indispensable when it comes to
countering problems or crisis situations. “What’s the problem? What are the
reason and the cause? It is important
not to be individualistic, but to look with
Citumen
the ‘outside world’ at the effects that
can be expected, and to make sure that Kerloc composite tiles
Platowood wooden façade cladding
Sedum roof
Ecoboard
Bio foam
Flax chipboard
CONSTRUCTION:
everyone can contribute to a solution
given their own personal background.
That is why”, according to Bekkering, “it
is important that the education matches the needs.” Resysta composite façade cladding Laminated wooden constructione
INTERIOR WALLS:
We can be proud of this in Zundert On this year’s schedule of the Business Centre Treeport (BCT), you can for one
thing find the development and set-up of the Excellence & Experience Centre.
Faay bio based interior wall Wooden hollow-core slab
The E&E Centre will include laboratories for applied research, and there will be
room for training, education, promotion, and innovation. Peter Berben has
Timber frame interior walls
Overgrown wall (interior)
INSULATION MATERIALS:
Hemp concrete
Recycled textile
Wood fibre insulation Flax insulation
IMAGE STANTEC
for reassembly
about six months now, and he is still as enthusiastic as he was on the first day.
Building with steel and/or concrete for the foundation and lower floor (dry connections) in a way that allows
been program manager of the E&E for
“We can be proud of ourselves, given
CLT walls and floors Wooden I-girders
what we’ve done here when it comes
to tree nurseries”, he says. “There is so
9
IMAGE STANTEC much craftsmanship here, and so much
of research and meeting. The set-up
of arboriculture also faces a lot of issues
They lift each other up, and want to get
lot of expanding on existing experience
account desires of future users, such as
to find a great solution. In that case,
from this, and so do we”, says Broere.
knowledge. Up until now, we’ve done a and knowledge. Existing and new
developments will all come together
of the building is flexible, to take into GrootGroenPlus.”
that require a wider knowledge in order it is important to know what kind of
knowledge you need in your business,
research here, and share knowledge.
Combination of science and practice
are going to realise. And you can write
machines and vehicles, and also active
Continuous process of discovery and learning
Toon Frijters used to live in Zundert, and
watering is very important to agricultural
here at the BCT terrain. We will conduct There are really ambitious plans that we it down: we want to be THE knowledge centre for the nursery stock industry
in Europe, and we want to create the
connection between research, education, and the nursery stock industry.” Berben states that the industry has the wind in
its sails. “We have to move along with the wind, and grab all the opportunities we
see. A lot is to be gained when it comes
to climate adaption and sustainability”, says Berben.
Focus areas for the E&E are, according to him: “vertical growing, a biotech
and pharma lab for tissue culture and
pharmacy, but also things like bio-based building, digitisation, robotisation, and datafication. Innovation will play an important part. We will be an open, outward-facing innovation centre.
This also answers the question of how
important the combination of entrepreneurship, research, and learning is.” The
DiTOIL is supplier of lubricants for
in the nursery stock industry. Director still feels connected to the region. He
very much believes in the combination
of practice and research. “By combining
science and practice, we have achieved the required performances for our
products”, says Frijters. “Of course, this
didn’t come without a fight, and we have done extensive research and applied a lot of trial & error cases.” Would the
same apply to the nursery stock industry? “Yes, of course. You have to be open to
new developments and innovation, but that sometimes seems to be a tough
task in a traditional industry such as the
nursery stock industry, with a lot of family businesses. I do see a need for renewal
among the higher educated people and young people, who have been able to look beyond the limits of the nursery.”
building that will house the E&E Centre
When asked if knowledge is important
“It will become a true combination
Frijters says: “Of course! The profession
should be ready next summer. Berben:
for countering a problem or a crisis,
On behalf of trade fair GrootGroenPlus: Corianne Oudijk, treasurer.
and that you invest in that.”
During these times of severe drought, and horticultural businesses. The
business want to have some sureties, because if the drought continues,
enough water must be made available
to optimise the germination and growth. GrootGroenPlus talked about this with Arie-Jan Broere from HortiGreen. This is the wholesaler of Broere Irrigation
the best out of everyone. They all benefit “They are winners in different areas, and
with companies on different types of soil. During the ambassador days, they also
exchange thoughts with other customers. The goal is to learn from each other,
and to gather information. We work in
approximately 20 countries, so we have
a great relationship with our clients from these countries, and we can exchange information. Of course, we also talk to
businesses and organisations outside of
the immediate industry. For example with Delphy, the knowledge institute when it
comes to ‘food and flowers’, and with the educational institution Aeres.”
BV, which focuses on drip irrigation for
Broere: “In our management process, we
the combination of entrepreneur-
a process, and how we can lift that client
agriculture and horticulture. Of course, ship, research, and learning plays an
important part here. “We assume that we have to do better this afternoon, and even better tomorrow”, says
Arie-Jan Broere. “Entrepreneurship is a
look at how we can bring a client along in to a next level. We do online coaching,
and we can look at his irrigation settings. That is very important, especially in the first phase of the cultivation.”
continuous process of researching and
Broere also mentions the importance of
sometimes a few small steps. It’s a wave
problem or crisis. “How you can handle
learning. Sometimes you take big leaps,
motion. You have to continue to develop and take those small steps that all contribute to taking a big one.”
Broere has set up ambassador days
within his company. These ambassadors are ‘top’ clients in different segments of agriculture and horticulture. They
combine approximately eleven different crops. “The great thing about the
“The tree nursery industry is growing with its time in many different ways, from
relations between those ambassadors
and research, in combination with entrepreneurship, to be able to achieve the right
each other, and that they are happy to
mechanisation to soil improvement. In order to do this, it is very important to learn
is that they are not in competition with
applications and working methods.”
speak freely, and to exchange thoughts.
knowledge when it comes to tackling a something like that, of course depends on the issue. You have to be able to
oversee the impact of the problem or
crisis. If you know how to solve parts of
the problem, you are already reducing
it and keeping it acceptable. Take water for instance; if you have defined the
problem, and you notice that taking
away iron or manganese results in an improvement, you’ve taken a step. So dissecting problems and offering a
solution that doesn’t need to cost a lot of money.”
June 2022
SPECIAL
10
Text: Nursery Stock Trade Fair GrootGroenPlus
BIODIVERSITY IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE, BUT THE MOWING POLICY IS A POINT OF DISCUSSION Biodiversity is very important. Growers and governments agree on this. However, when it comes to the mowing policy,
obliged to use weed control products,
municipalities actually aware of the additional biodiversity that the various crops bring, and which crops provide the
weeds. It would be nice if municipalities
major differences of opinion remain. There are also differing views within the growers’ community itself. Are nursery
most biodiversity? And what influence does the ‘let it grow and spread’ policy have on cultivation in the area? GrootGroenPlus discussed this with the Agro Biodiversity Work Group of Treeport and the ‘tree nursery municipalities’ of Zundert and Boskoop.
Last year, many municipalities in West
trees and plants and that sicknesses and
we grow a product that contributes
to mow their roadsides and ditches
ways than only chemical. However, these
I think it is of the utmost importance that
Brabant – including Zundert – decided in a different way. This is done in a
collaboration between 13 municipalities in Western Brabant, the Brabant Delta water board, the State Forestry and
the Bijenlandschap (bee landscape
organisation). The main reason is that all participants want to mow ecologically and bee friendly. The biggest change
brought about by this decision is that the roadsides and ditches are mown
less often. By protecting nature and the
habitat of various insects, biodiversity in the area should be improved.
Growers of nursery stock are the natural partners in the pursuit of biodiversity. In this context, Treeport has created the
Agro Biodiversity Work Group. We spoke with chairwoman Jolanda van Hasselt
about the purpose of this work group and about the way in which you can strive for greater biodiversity in cooperation with
the governments. “Knowledge about agro biodiversity is limited and fragmented
plagues need to be fought in different
growers often lack practical tools to deal with this. We want to use the work group to combine all existing knowledge, both scientific and from experience, and put it into practice. The pursuit of a greater
degree of biodiversity is not new. Jolanda van Hasselt: “Actually, we have been
working on this for many years. A number
of growers started sowing flower mixtures as soil fertilizers in corners or empty pits instead of spraying everything with a
weed control substance or keeping the
soil nice and black with a machine. And we feel that more growers should join
that pursuit, or even better: every resident in Zundert and the surrounding area.
Van Hasselt: “As growers of nursery stock,
pre-eminently to biodiversity. Therefore, the government and local authorities
consider us a partner in this pursuit. And that’s what’s missing sometimes.” The
mowing policy turns out to be a hot topic. By refraining from mowing, the herbs get the opportunity to spread. That’s nice,
but not if your nursery land also gets the full layer of those scattered herbs. “For
management, that they also have a
spraying license and that they don’t get
paid for weed management.” Van Hasselt notes, however, that some progress has
been made. What used to be absolutely non-negotiable is now becoming
negotiable. “All parties must clearly
indicate where the problem lies and then try to find the best solution. Tree growers
also find biodiversity of great importance and often contribute to this through their cultivation.”
for nurseries with seeds, it’s disastrous
municipalities contribute to increasing
in the spring. The beautiful flowery
roadsides are not the problem, but the many seeds that blow over and end
up between your plants cause a lot of
misery. Buyers still want to receive plants without additional weeds. Sometimes,
we feel like we cannot win. First, we were
On behalf of trade fair GrootGroenPlus: Chantal van Kuyck, trade fair manager.
growers see that a natural balance can
biodiversity. GrootGroenPlus has been an active partner of this foundation for more
will take place in Zundert. This is a unique, massive event, with a lot of attention for than 10 years.
have the expertise when it comes to
The diversity of species and varieties
a problem,” says Van Hasselt, “however,
when it comes to growing nursery stock,”
have a positive effect on the growth of
and water boards realized that growers
growing standard tree, that isn’t much of
“On 16 November, the national celebration of ‘Stichting Nationale Boomfeestdag’
says van Hasselt. Increasingly more
and now we get a fine if we control the
produced in the tree nursery
biodiversity in those municipalities in a
positive way. The shelter, the food supply, the opportunity to migrate and to nest
etc. all differ among crops, but the total picture is overwhelming and of a much
higher value than is often seen now. It is a
combination and teamwork of organisms and plants.
Taking into account all stakeholders
At the time of writing this article, the
new board of mayor and aldermen had not yet taken office in the municipality of Zundert. However, the municipal
organisation considered it to be very
important to reflect the municipality’s
11
have negative consequences for our
as possible with different flowering
find a solution along with ZLTO, Treeport,
to manage 1,000 different species.
growers/farmers. That is why we tried to and Bijenlandschap West-Brabant. It is important that we achieve ecological goals, without much nuisance from
weed seeds blowing in for our growers/ farmers.”
Normally self-management of roadsides
is not allowed, now it has been decided to allow this in some locations. The relevant locations and the conditions attached to them can be found at:
www.bit.ly/zelfbeheer-toegestaan. How could the municipality, the water board and growers best cooperate in
this area? According to the municipality,
this is: “by remaining in conversation and having (and keeping) an eye on each other’s interests. The Bijenlandschap
West-Brabant is also a partner in this. In addition, it is important to properly monitor and evaluate the impact of
this policy, including the possibility for
growers to intervene themselves, to do the right thing in the future.”
Putting more focus on the planting of new trees
The Dahlia is also common in Zundert. biodiversity policy in the KwekersBode.
We have to take into account all
of the importance of the nursery
biodiversity. In addition to the nursery
“The municipality of Zundert is aware stock industry for biodiversity in the
municipality,” said a spokesperson. “That
is why we are constantly in close contact with this industry. We are looking for the
our stakeholders when it comes to
stock industry, these are, for example, our inhabitants and nature and environmental associations.”
middle ground, something that would be
The municipal biodiversity policy
could be: increasing biodiversity through
with the interests of growers. This is
in the best interest of both parties. This
ecological roadside management and limiting the nuisance caused by weed seeds blowing in at growers/farmers.
PLANTS
GROWING
(mowing policy) may sometimes clash certainly something the municipality is aware of. “We understand that
ecological mowing management can
GRUBBING
We also went to see how another
municipality with a big tree nursery
industry looks at this. Boskoop is one of the nuclei of the municipality of
Alphen aan den Rijn. “The importance of biodiversity is not in question in the municipality of Alphen aan den Rijn,” says alderman Anouk Noordermeer. “There is a lot of focus on this in our
‘green and trees’ policy. The new college has been instructed to make a firm
commitment when it comes to planting new trees. In addition to a diverse use of as many non-toxic plant species
times, our tree policy sets the ambition Increasing biodiversity is also mentioned in the Environmental Vision and the
Sustainability Implementation Agenda. In the municipal mowing policy, the
municipal management of rough grass
and bee idyll classes is designed in such a way that the optimum conditions are created for insects”.
Alderman Noordermeer says that
intervening in nature with management or by combating harmful herbs or
unwanted insects or soil life is at odds
with the great importance of biodiversity. “This interest sometimes clashes with
the importance of the floriculture sector to protect products. At nurseries, we therefore endeavour to coordinate
the mowing policy in consultation with growers in such a way that nuisance is avoided as much as possible. But the overflowing of seeds is not 100% preventable.”
“Biodiversity, and plant diversity in
particular, prevents the occurrence of entire pests,” says Noordermeer.
“By introducing diversity into the plant
world, a balance is created in the insect world. We therefore also want to focus on increasing the number of insect
hotels. This helps the growers, because a plague more often happens at nurseries, since they often have many plants of
one species. Preventing the plague in a natural way is important. In addition to
aligning the mowing policy, it is therefore
very important to focus on plant diversity
and insect hotels, and this is something in which we as a municipality and growers work together.”
FOIL
Machines for horticulture and nurseries Wildertstraat 4a, 4881 MC Zundert Tel.: +31 (0)76 597 9580 • GSM: +31 (0)6 5129 9417 E-mail: info@jochemsmilbou.nl Watermanseweg 2a | 4891 SZ Rijsbergen | The Netherlands T +31 (0)76 596 1220 | E info@basrijs.nl | www.basrijs.nl
WWW.JOCHEMSMILBOU.NL
June 2022
SPECIAL
12
Text: Arno Engels
THE WAY POTTING SOIL DEVELOPS FROM PEAT For decades, peat has been the most important raw material for potting soil, but in recent years, the use of alternatives
also decided to check the quality. This
example. And whatever raw material is mixed, it requires an adjustment in fertilisation and irrigation.
Potgronden, abbreviated to the RHP
has also increased. Potting soil manufacturers participating in GrootGroenPlus are now focusing more on wood fibre, for
Even before potting soil even existed,
later, in 1913, Klasmann in Germany set
grown in a substrate of low moorland.
cultivation, peat was already popular
extraction in 1920 between Groningen
van Nierop van Klasmann-Deilmann,
prior to the potting and container
among users. As fuel, which had been
discovered centuries ago. Peatlands that were not suitable for agriculture due to the wetness were excavated, the peat was laid to dry until it could be use to
start up a fire. The excavations created the Reeuwijkse Plassen, for example.
The peatlands in the Boskoop area have always remained unspoiled, allowing
the tree and ornamental cultivation to
flourish. Peat also proved to be excellent for cultivation. It can quickly absorb
moisture, and it also retains it for a long time.
Several of today’s potting soil
manufacturers have started out with
peat extraction for energy supply. For example, Pindstrup Mosebrug was
founded in Denmark in 1905. Some years
up a peat factory. Deilmann began peat and Oldenburg, and later on the two
merged to form Klasmann-Deilmann.
The transition from peat for firing, to peat for use as a growing medium, began
after the Second World War. Back then,
horticulture had to grow as an industry, to be able to feed the population. This was for example when the first large-scale tomato cultivation started. They were
“But they soon discovered,” says Fons
“that the quality of low moorland wasn’t
the same everywhere and could contain pathogens. Then they switched to a clearer high moorland.
The varying quality was also the reason for setting up a quality control system for potting soil. The testing station in Naaldwijk suggested this, and after
that, the testing station in Aalsmeer
On behalf of trade fair GrootGroenPlus: David Bömer, chairman.
resulted in the national Regeling Handels (regulations on trading in potting soil). For decades, peat was the main raw
material for potting soil. The increasing
demand from the potting and container cultivation also resulted in an increase in production areas. Over the years, Pindstrup began to extract more
peat outside of Denmark, from other
Scandinavian countries, Germany, Ireland and later also from the Baltic States.
The extraction of Danish peat decreased. “That extraction had always been
limited”, says Feico van der Schaaf of
Pindstrup. “It became even more limited
when green parties wanted to protect the peatlands and the government bought off permits. Something that happened
in Germany as well. There was a reason
“Phasing out peat in potting soil brings along new questions. It is great that
we moved to the Baltic states.” It’s not
together. The conversation that is held on the trade fair floor, is of great value for
in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, but the
suppliers and growers share their experiences and are trying to find solutions
just that there is more peat available
that.”
climate is also different, according to
Van Nierop. “Baltic peat does not need to
Peat alternatives make fertilisation even more challenging Fertilisation of potting and container
cultivation process.”
we’ve been used to for years: mainly
means that the potting soil can retain
because the quality of the irrigation
nutrients. A manufacturer can measure
The pH of peat alternatives is also
buffer. You are moving in the direction of
cultivation has always been customised, water, the crop and the nutritional requirements can differ for every
company. That already was a big challenge. Developments in the
potting soil have only made this more complicated. “In fact,” argues Lowie
Weerts of Haifa North West Europe, “if we cannot coordinate this well with
the potting soil producer, this might
have negative consequences for the
Peat substitutes in potting soil release this according to Weerts, so he knows how to adjust the fertiliser to this. For
example, wood fibre and bark extract nitrogen from the potting soil during digestion and release manganese
during cultivation. And compost releases potassium. “You have to know all that,”
says Weerts. “It allows us to help think of a fertilisation strategy that works for the grower. This will be different than what
peat dominated potting soil.”
higher than that of peat. As a result,
less calcification is required to achieve the desired pH of the mixture. “But less calcification means less calcium and magnesium for the plants.”
According to Weerts, growers are only partly aware of the effect of using a
peat alternative in the potting soil. “They might know that al alternative retains
less moisture, for example. But this also
fewer fertilisers. That limits the nutritients rock wool cultivation.”
Wood fibre is similar to peat in terms of various properties, but the buffer
capacity of wood fibre is smaller. The
smaller the buffer, the more fluctuations you can get in the potting soil. “And
when it comes to cultivation, similarities and rules are more convenient, since
they will help increase the growth of the crop.”
Schrauwen Machinebouw Zundert
De Ambachten 21, Zundert, Gsm: +31 (0)6 51 835 957 E-mail: info@s-m-z.nl, Internet: www.s-m-z.nl
info@roelandskwekerij.nl
+31 (0) 76 59 72 756
13
Potting. PHOTO ARNO ENGELS freeze to be used in potting soil, German
years ago, Pindstrup started using
fibre as potting soil component, and
mann-Deilmann, we have six composting
In Russia, the availability of peat is much
product that we use from the Baltic
tension in our market,” says Van Nierop.
we can have 100.000 cubic metres of
peat does.”
better than in the Baltic States. That’s
why Pindstrup invested in Russian peat
extraction a few years ago. “We thought that was going to be future”, says Van der Schaaf, “but the war with Ukraine presents an additional problem.”
The biggest problem is the phasing out of peat in recent years, under pressure from governments, retailers and
environmental movements. This requires growers and potting soil manufacturers
to look for alternative raw materials. The availability of peat is not the issue. Van
der Schaaf: “Every year, more peat grows
in the moors, additional millimeters every year, more than we excavate.”
By 2025, at least 35% of potting soil for professional users (such as growers) must be made up of renewable raw
materials, i.e. peat alternatives. Many
wood fibre as an alternative. “A residual timber industry, from fine to coarse
fractions. Wood fibre has proven itself
to us; many growers are already mixing
30%. We will achieve the 35% target with wood fibre,” says Van der Schaaf. For
now, compost is not interesting to the producer. “Because it is heavy, which
makes transport even more expensive. Wood fibre is light.”
Other manufacturers focus for example
on coconut fibre, which increasingly more growers also use in their potting soil.
However, for Pindstrup the possibilities with coconut fibre are limited. “A few
percent of our raw materials are coconut fibre. It is quite expensive, partly because it has to come all the way from Asia.”
Increasing energy prices also increases
the demand for wood fibre as fuel, which results in increased prices for wood
also limited availability. “It is a source of Klasmann-Deilmann is trying to look at
the availability of peat alternatives from a geographic point of view. This also
includes coconut fibre. “We really need
coconut fibre, but when it has to come all the way from Africa, you can hardly call it sustainable.”
Some potting soil producers already
do this, but eventually all producers will create an overview of the impact of all
raw materials on the environment, using a lifecycle analysis, an LCA. In the long run, that might mean that certain raw
materials no longer come from far, but from locations nearby.
Some growers are currently conducting
trials with locally grown peat alternatives to potting soil, including the Miscanthus.
“Will this be available in large volumes?” wonders Van Nierop. “Within Klas-
businesses, but that doesn’t mean that
compost available whenever someone wants it.”
Time will tell if it is possible to end the
use of peat and only use alternative raw
materials. The global demand for potting soil and substrate continues to grow
significantly. Wageningen University &
Research calculated that the demand
will quadruple between 2017 and 2050: for peat from 40 million to 80 million cubic
metres, for coconut fibre from 10 million
to 45 million cubic metres, for wood fibre from 3 million to 30 million cubic metres, for compost from 1 to 4 million cubic
metres. And the demand for new raw
materials (such as Miscanthus) started with zero in 2017 and will increase to 65 million by 2050. This presents a huge challenge on the side of supply.
w w w . v r a a g h e t g e w o o n . n l WWW.LOONBEDRIJFKUSTERMANS.NL | T. +31 WWW.LOONBEDRIJFKUSTERMANS.NL | T.(0)76-5976755 076-5976755
June 2022
SPECIAL
14
Bargam zelfrijdendeand/or en/ofcarried gedragen Bargam self-propelled field veldspuit - VAMIL / MIA mogelijk! sprayer machine - VAMIL/MIA possibility!
DO YOU HAVE CONSTRUCTION OR RENOVATION PLANS? We are ready to help you.
Tailor-made mechanisation Mechanisatie op maat • 22 werkplaatsen voor professionele service
• 23 workshops for professional service • Dealer/ importeur van Hermeler, Bargam, • Dealer/importer of Hermeler, Bargam, Fedele, Fedele en Ortomec and Ortomec keuringen van •• Onderhoud Maintenanceen and inspection of tuinbouwmachines agricultural machines •• Meer More info information at: www.abemec.nl op: www.abemec.nl
VestigingRijsbergen Rijsbergen Location 076 (0) 59 620 59620 59 TT+31 76 59
+31 (0)76 - 5974254 info@demeijerstaalbouw.nl www.demeijerstaalbouw.nl
Verkoop Tim Tim Hurks Sales Hurks M 06 29 02 29 53 62 02 M 53 +3162(0)6
EXPERIENCE OUR ADDED VALUE
FOR AGRICULTURAL ADVICE, PLEASE CONTACT VAN OERS AGRO The most important decisions are made at the kitchen table. We experience that every day. Therefore, we’d love to visit you to discuss your annual figures, scale advice, or to offer our input regarding strategic decisions. Our account managers are familiar with your industry and speak your language. They understand that you have a lot going on and would like to help you bring your plans to fruition. Of course, professional advice is always our main goal. Your account manager suits you, because of his interest and knowledge, but also as a person. We feel that a genuine connection is really a prerequisite to be able to help you best. Are you interested in a pleasant cooperation and high-quality output? Call us at +31 (0) 76 - 597 88 00. We’d love to visit you.
Van Oers Agro Hofdreef 24, 4881 DR Zundert | Phone +31 (0) 76 597 88 00 | E. agro@vanoers.nl
Grote Heistraat 22C 4884 JC Wernhout tel: +31 (0) 6 13847291 - info@leenaerts-halters.nl
VANOERS-AGRO.NL
www.leenaerts-halters.nl
AMBITION • ENTREPRENEURSHIP • RESULT VOE21098 Adv Kwekersbode 130x195mm.indd 1
ROSES AND ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS
11-06-21 13:39
15
PARTNERSHIP VARB AND GGP; ALSO GROUNDED WELL IN 2022! The cooperation between Varb and trade fair GrootGroenPlus - the platforms for outdoor green - has become very
grounded in the past few years. Continuous innovations have resulted in the current stock being visible in participant profiles, a general search engine with the full current stock, an overview of the top 5 of updated profiles and multilingual accessibility through both the website and the quadrilingual trade fair app.
webpage with additional information.
Are you unable to set everything the
Exclusive benefit for participants of trade fair GrootGroenPlus 2022
of the website, full search engine will
pages, and the trade fair app of
the trade fair, which will be hosted from
participants with their current stock. The
search engine can be used to search per
and both photos and pages with more
We are very proud of this grounded
Even though the six weeks haven’t
it offers to both our participants, so make
Only participants in the 32nd edition of
5 - 7 October 2022, will be able to show their full current stock during a period of six weeks. They are able to enter
their stock two weeks prior to that, so
be included, which will present all
participant, but also on (part of) plant
names. This significantly increases the findability of the offer.
that everything will be visible from the
Worldwide and freely accessible
not (yet) members of Varb will get a free
Dutch and English. It is not necessary
moment we go live. Participants who are demo account to do this.
Of course, one can also use the sorting and search options this year. This
creates a very interactive experience.
In addition to that, on the landingspage
The system is worldwide available, in
GrootGroenPlus are visited very well,
details can count on a lot of attention. started yet, we do want to call upon
everyone to make sure their participant
information, and their favourite plant.
registration form at www.grootgroenplus.
visitors and participants a unique
optimum use of free additional company
Both the landingspage, the participant
stekcultures
sure to use them well!
Are you not yet participating in
including photos, social media
The link with Varb allows participants
opportunity.
cooperation and the unique advantages
page is up to date as much as possible,
for visitors to create an account or to register. This easy access offers both
right way? Feel free to contact us.
of GrootGroenPlus and Varb to make
and product promotion. Suppliers do not get a Varb connection, but they do have other opportunities to expand their
GrootGroenPlus 2022? You can find the
nl. Upon registration, you will receive the login data for your personal participant profile right away, which will also be
visible right away. Do you want to join Varb and not wait for your free demo
account through GrootGroenPlus? Please check out www.varb.nl
Supplier open soil planting materials of approximately 60 types predominantly evergreen shrubs, such as: Prunus laur. - Ilex - Osmathus - Elaeagnus - Magnolia Photinia - Thuja etc. Also multiple types of Prunus laur. in C20.
Beekweg 27 7887 TN Erica Tel.(0)6-52631987 06-52631987 Tel. +31 www.weberstekcultures.com
BOOMKWEKERIJ BV
Maalbergenstraat 12 • 4884 MT Wernhout T +31 (0) 76 597 2920 • M +31 (0) 6 22 11 71 25 info@boomkwekerijhuijbregts.nl www.boomkwekerijhuijbregts.nl
NURSERY FOR PERENNIALS
A.M. MARIJNISSEN
SPECIALISES IN: Eldertstraat 8 - 4882 JH Zundert Tel. +31 (0) 76 - 5973026 info@marijnissenvasteplanten.nl
SHRUBS IN OPEN SOIL PLANTING MATERIAL PRUNUS LAUROCERASUS IN OPEN SOIL AND P.9
+31(0)651 426 755 info@boomkwekerijwillemsenbv.nl www.boomkwekerijwillemsenbv.nl
June 2022
SPECIAL
Elco-machinebouw B.V. Kraaiheuvelstraat 1d 4885 KZ Achtmaal (NL)
16
Tel. +31 (0)76-5985713 info@elco-machinebouw.nl
Plant Market B.V. info@plant-market.com +31 (0)76-5990590
www.elco-machinebouw.nl
RENTAL
ACCOUNTANTS
'Robuust, Betrouwbaar' ‘Robust,Efficiënt, Efficient, Reliable’
• CONSULTANTS
KESTEREN
Doing construction work? We also rent out! What do we have to offer? Transport/means of transportations Climbing and scaffolding materials Heating-drying-cleaning Electrical hand tools Electronics Air tools Garden and park Lifting and hoisting gear Construction machines/earth movement
Agricultural roots
Rooted in SMB
WEA DELTALAND ACCOUNTANTS & CONSULTANTS
Ulicoten +31 (0)13-5199501 +31 13-5199501 Ulicoten www.spapensmachinehandel.nl +31 13-5199501 www.spapensverhuur.nl www.spapensmachinehandel.nl spapens verhuur / spapens machinehandel www.spapensverhuur.nl spapensmachinehandel spapens verhuur / spapens machinehandel spapensmachinehandel
• OUD-BEIJERLAND • BRIELLE • DORDRECHT • DRUTEN • • GROOT-AMMERS • KESTEREN • MIDDELHARNIS •
info@weadeltaland.nl +31 88 133 73 00
WWW.WEADELTALAND.NL
We are l ooking for new colleagu es!
17 ADVERTORIAL
Text: Addo Sprangers
‘NEW COLD STORE BUSINESS CENTRE TREEPORT (BCT) IS READY FOR USE’
André ‘t Lam. Considering the advantages of the new cold store at Business Centre Treeport (BCT), one has to be crazy to not take advantage of it. If someone knows more about this, it’s André ‘t Lam.
He is a very experienced cool guy. He
service as magic words.” Eighteen
cold storage and freezing company
cold store at Business Centre Treeport
started out when he was 18 and sold his J. t Lam & Zn. BV in Veen forty years later, since he had no successor. Through an old client, he got into contact with BCT,
which really wanted to use his expertise and experience to guide the realisation
of the so-called BCT Treehub Cold Store BV.
Flexibility and service
“The tree nursery industry saw an
increased demand for cold storage,”
says André ‘t Lam. “That is why it wanted its own cold store, with flexibility and
months later, he can say that the new is ready for use. It has a strategic
position at Hazeldonk, along the highway near Breda, between Rotterdam and Antwerp. A modern building with a
surface of approximately 10,000 square metres, equipped with fifteen cold
stores, a reception hall, and a space
for truck drivers. A building that uses a
sustainable CO2 installation to cool, and
Sophisticated storage device
Own transport service
with modern measure and control
entire agricultural industry, and which
will be added to the building, which
of which the cold stores are equipped
technologies, which allows for cooling of up to a tenth of a degree.
A cold store that is accessible for the is mainly set up for the members of Coöperatieve Vereniging Treeport
Zundert e.o. U.A. Moreover, being a
service licensor who has the desired flexibility and service as a standard.
André ’t Lam: “We have an extremely sophisticated storage device with in total 5,500 pallet places. We know
exactly where every pallet with products is. One phone call or app of the
customer, and the requested pallet can be ready for transport in the loading
dock within five minutes. As soon as the order is placed, the computer prints a packing slip, with - if applicable
- requirements from the customer,
and the entire process will start. Our customer is king, and we try to help them as fast as possible.”
As of September 2022, seven cold stores provides another 2,500 pallet places. And it doesn’t stop there, says André
‘t Lam. “We consider creating our own transportation service, in order to get products to clients even faster. We
want to have at least one truck that will
drive around all the time with deliveries, whether the customer requests five
pallets or one crate. Of course, we will have a lot of customers that want to
stop by to get their products. But if you don’t have to, why would you want to?
One phone call, and we can do it faster
and more effectively. However, that has to grow. Flexibility also means that the
entire process should be right. The new
cold store at Business Centre Treeport is ready for use.”
BCT Treehub Coldstore BV www.bct-coldstore.eu
Partner Nursery Stock Trade Fair GrootGroenPlus
Belgian trade fair for ornamental plants and nursery stock
9.00u - 18.00 u | Waregem Expo | Belgium Growers, suppliers, and traders from the ornamental horticulture industry present their assortment to an international trade fair public. Besides the production companies, important trading and export companies are also participating in FLORALL.
• Free access for professionals
Online registration is obligatory via www.florall.be
• Free parking
Check out the plan at www.florall.be
• Free catalogue
with an overview of the full assortment
• Corona safe concept
pursuant the applicable guidelines
Kom ons team versterken? Will jij you join our team? BootBoot & Dart Boomkwekerijen is een boomkwekerijbedrijf gericht op het on leveren van een totaalpakket & Dart Boomkwekerijen is dynamisch a dynamic nursery stock company that focuses providing a full package ofbeplanting, plants, voor toepassing ingreen grootschalige in areas stedelijke enEurope. landschappelijke gebieden binnenlocations heel Europa. eigen for application in large projects groenprojecten in urban and rural within With our own production withMet a total surface productie locaties met oppervlakte circa 130 in zowelwe Zundert alstoBoskoop, zijn wij in staat een of groot deel van de producten of approximately 130een hectares in bothvan Zundert andha Boskoop, are able develop and produce much the products ourselves. zelf te ontwikkelen te produceren. Boot & Dart is groeiend en daarom zijn wij voor onze locatie Zundert Boot &en Dart is growing, and that is why we are looking to expand our location in Zundert with:op zoek naar:
VOORMAN FOREMAN VERLADING SHIPMENT LAANBOMEN STANDARD TREES
LOODSMEDEWERKER WAREHOUSE EMPLOYEE
hetcoordinating leuk om werkzaamheden • •DoVind youje like work? coördineren? • Doteyou know a thing or two about standard •trees? Heb je kennis van laanbomen? Heb je kwaliteit hoog in vaandel staan? • •Is quality very important tohet you?
• • Will you surezendingen that our shipments Zorg jij make dat onze compleet are shipped out in full? in één keer worden verstuurd? • • Do youjelike working with plants? Haal plezier uit het werken met planten? • • Do you know how to work with a mobile Heb je gevoel om te werken met een crane and tractors? mobiele kraan en trekkers?
het afleverseizoen zorgwill je ervoor dat de In In the delivery season, you make sure that verlading van laanbomen rolletjes the shipment of de standard trees op goes well. You loopt. zorgt met het team dat de laanand yourJe team will take care of a correct and bomen correctofenthe tijdig verladen worden. timely shipment standard trees. You are Jeconnection bent de verbindende schakel tussen de the between planning and your planning jouw hetshipment. (over) laden team, whichen will taketeam carewat of the You van de laanbomen Je houdt will keep an overview,verzorgt. even when thingshet are overzicht, getting busy.ook in drukke situaties.
Are you able to in a teammaar and solo? Kun je goed in work teamverband, ook We offer a great job in an enthusiastic, motivated zelfstandig werken? Wij bieden een leuke team, renowned dynamic company, with baan at in aeen enthousiast en gemotiveerd team many opportunities for development and bij een gerenommeerd dynamisch bedrijf training. met de mogelijkheid om je zelf verder te ontwikkelen en opleidingen te volgen.
POT / CONTAINEREMPLOYEE FOR POT/ TEELTMEDEWERKER CONTAINER CULTIVATION • •Would you like toinwork in a great team? Wil je werken een gezellig team? • •DoWeet you know how to get things done? je van aanpakken? • •AreHeb youjepassionate about plants? passie voor planten? At this department, work a team Op deze afdelingyou werk je inineen teamand en are involved with the entire process, from potting to ben je betrokken bij de gehele teelt supply. van oppotten tot afleveren.
In zijn thatwij case, looking Check out www.bootendart.nl/vacature for the full job descriptions. Dan op we’re zoek naar jou!for Kijkyou! op www.bootendart.nl/vacature/ voor de volledige functiebeschrijvingen.
www.nouwsYour specialist for: mechanisatie.nl
EERSTE MONTEUR LANDBOUWMECHANISATIE
Groei met Grow with Groenvision Groenvision
Wij zoeken iemand:
Garford hoe technology Wij bieden jou:
Weidemann loaders
Reactie:
Hardi spraying technology
Claas tractors
For all your agricultural and horticultural machines, tractors, garden and park machines. Service and maintenance.
Watermanseweg 2b 4891 SZ Rijsbergen + 31(0)76-5968705
www.nouws-mechanisatie.nl National celebration Boomfeestdag
Wednesday 16 November 2022 Nationale Boomfeestdag (national day for celebration of trees) is a national holiday during which 100,000 elementary school pupils will plant 200,000 trees and hedges in the Netherlands. This year, this national celebration will take place on Wednesday 16 November 2022 at the Business Centre Treeport (BCT) terrain. Its theme is ‘working (with) trees!’ and the pupils will have a challenging, and active program for the day. They will go on a tour with a forester, get acquainted with the work on tree nurseries, and they will plant a lot of trees at the BCT terrain. Besides the joint program with the pupils, the invited adults will attend multiple workshops and lectures of interesting speakers from the green industry. A unique aspect this year is the international character of the Boomfeestdag. The development crosses borders and the terrain is located in both the Netherlands and Belgium. To enforce the cooperation between both countries, the Dutch and Belgian pupils will also plant some trees together on the border.
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BUSINESS CENTRE
Voor denurserymen boomkweker For encommercial handelskwekerij. and nurseries.
Complete bedrijfssoftware die eenvoudig Complete business software for easy and improved meer grip geeft opbusiness uw bedrijfsvoering. control over your operations.
Tel. +31 (0)172 23 54 44 www.groenvision.com
Powered by
Juni 2022 June 2022
SPECIAL
20 ADVERTORIAL
Text: Addo Sprangers
‘MAKE THE TREE NURSERY INDUSTRY IN ZUNDERT AND SURROUNDING AREA EVEN MORE ATTRACTIVE’ “Through education, research
and innovation, the Experience &
Excellence Centre (E&E), part of the
Business Centre Treeport (BCT), aims to make the tree nursery sector in
Zundert and the surrounding area even more attractive,” says Peter
Berben, programme manager at the E&E Centre.
The bar is set high. “The E&E Centre has
the ambition to become the knowledge centre for the tree nursery in the wide
surrounding area,” he explains. “In fact, we have European ambitions.”
Versatility
The E&E Centre is characterised by its
versatility. “We create a building that is
great to look at, and that uses technology related to the tree nursery. In terms of
content, the building is also functional:
it can host fairs, lectures, and meetings, and it will also get a restaurant. But
above all, it will be a place with space
Peter Berben
for education and research. Knowledge
Agreements
its existing green education programmes
lead’.” The tree nursery industry has
for example into ‘virtual growing’, and the
intention to connect with lecturers
their specific expertise to the industry
want to innovate, but they also want to
institutions can conduct research there,
use of LED lights. We will also be working on robotics.”
‘Applied geo information’
The HAS Den Bosch is one of the parties with which the E&E Centre has already made agreements. “They will mainly focus on ‘applied geo information’,
combined with data-driven processes.
With a drone above the land, for example, you can analyse an entire area and then use this information to launch another study. In addition, there is a link with
the Environmental Studies programme. Soil, water and sustainable energy;
they are all connected. Using the drone
mentioned before, you can observe that the product does not grow on a specific
type of soil. You can work on that. Is it the soil? The irrigation?”
Adding value
“Tree cultivation has a huge potential,” he continues. “There is a lot of hard
work going on in this industry. You can add applied scientific research to the knowledge and expertise of the tree
growers via the E&E Centre. In this way, you can add value to the tree nursery industry and its products. Here in
Zundert, we are the European heart of a wonderfully beautiful green sector with a great deal of knowledge. That is how people see us internationally. We can
be proud of that, and we can show that more often.”
Peter Berben explains that it is E&E’s from HAS Den Bosch. There is a similar agreement with Avans. “Avans will develop activities in and from the
from Breda to Zundert and thus link
with which it has been collaborating for years.”
knowledge centre. For example, she is
Hip and interesting
and smart farming. Avans has some
with the various knowledge institutes not
very good at matters such as digitisation current projects that she wants to
transfer to Zundert and develop further here, for example when it comes to
artificial intelligence. The Aeres training
institute, with MBO and HBO programmes in the middle and east of the country, is
also very interested and wants to start a so-called ‘associate degree’ in Zundert: a programme between MBO and HBO,
with a link between theory and practice. Aeres also has a new Applied Biology
programme, which focuses on nature
and biodiversity. Finally, Curio will connect
According to Peter Berben, joining forces only ensures innovation that benefits
the industry, but also encourages young people to choose a career in the tree nursery industry. “If you think about
quite a lot of small entrepreneurs. They make money today and tomorrow. Time and money for real innovation is usually lacking. The E&E Centre facilitates this
kind of innovation. Ideally, we will conduct a lot of research specifically for the tree nursery industry in Zundert. The results will also be owned by the industry. The E&E Centre is and will remain a direct extension of the growers.”
the tree nursery industry, you don’t
Lobby
data. By making education hip and
of the pillars of the E&E Centre. “On the
automatically think about drones and interesting, young people will become
interested, and the industry will get more future employees.”
Facilitating
He continues: “Businesses are ‘in the
‘Last, but not least’, promotion is one
one hand, in the sense of showing the beautiful products the Zundert tree
nursery industry has to offer, and the specifications of those products. For
example, a plant is often sold on the
basis of the idea that it is beautiful, while this could also be done on the basis of
the carbon-fixing property of that plant. On the other hand, promotion is more
in the lobbying part. In the Netherlands, for example, 400 municipalities want
to become greener. They should think of Zundert for that immediately. That
is not self-evident at the moment. So
there is certainly something to be gained there. We should be proud of what we
do and tell a lot more about it. The tree
nursery sector here is amazing. The E&E
Centre will hopefully make it even more attractive.”
More information? peter@treeport.eu
