AUTONOMOUS DRIVING ▶▶▶
Farmer Ton Moors built himself an eight-row planting machine for iceberg lettuce. “The tracks and the larger width allow us to retain the soil structure as much as possible. The distance between rows is 38 cm.”
percentage. Producing scans is expensive, so it’s only profitable on your own land.” In order to reduce drift when spraying, he uses Airtec nozzles. Inside the nozzle, spray liquid is mixed with pressurised air, which helps to di- rect the spray downwards. Another novelty that Mr Moors believes is on the horizon is in- jection of the adhesive additive Squall in the nozzle in order to increase rainfastness. “This injection system has been developed by Raven Industries. Currently, I still add some Squall to the spray liquid, but it could be more effective.”
Test varieties The soil in Mr Moors’ region, the Wieringer- meer polder, is relatively poor and not suitable for all lettuce varieties. “As we are tied to this location, we are involved in various pilot stud- ies and tests. We currently have seven varieties in our cultivation plan.” The race to beat downy mildew has been run, he thinks. The aims are now a more fruitful crop, a longer harvesting
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period, and as much aphid resistance as possi- ble. Taste is not one of the objectives, while red colouration of the vein is. This can result in problems particularly in wet weather.
Non-affiliated grower In the past, Moorsagri formed part of a collab- orative partnership. From this year, Mr Moors has not only been growing but also trading with three regular customers. The greatest concern in Moors’ view is selling ‘the rest’. “We trade on the basis of weekly programmes. We surrender 80% to cover the risk posed by sup- ply failure. The idea behind non-affiliated business is to maximise profit.” With his 50 hectares, Mr Moors is attractive to exporters: “The added value you get with dis- tributive trade is declining. One grower can supply all of the goods and pack on request. With fixed growers, exporters can also improve their profiles in respect of their customers.” Sales are never predictable. “I have known a
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 1 november 2019
few years of poor yields with iceberg lettuce. But last year, it was suddenly back to normal.” The drought across Europe was responsible for this, although there was sufficient water in the Netherlands. Mr Moors secured his production with five hose reels.
Broader perspective The fact that he now organises his own trad- ing has altered his perspective. “Previously, I used to have difficulty making certain deci- sions or accepting my uncle’s viewpoint. Now I also understand things from the other side. My perspective has widened, and it feels good.” He laughs off his own observation by remarking that people in the agriculture sec- tor are perhaps not the best communicators. He has also developed on a personal level. “These days, I need to make more phone calls, and control and plan my work more. But if everything runs smoothly, it gives me a great sense of satisfaction.”
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