Grower in the picture: Heidemans brothers

Heidemans brothers farm

For over 35 years, the brothers Jacob and Jaap Heidemans have been in business in Espel (Noordoostpolder). The men have a lot of growing experience in chicory, seed potatoes and onions. The main crop of the arable farm is the stock cultivation of seed potatoes, supplemented with hobby cultivation of new potato varieties. In this article, Jacob talks about onion cultivation and his business.

Pink onions

The brothers want to distinguish themselves in onion cultivation, Jacob: “Quality and distinctiveness, that’s what our arable farm is known for.” In the current season, the brothers are growing the new red seed onion variety Red Herald, Red Tide and pink onions of the Rosanna variety. “We think it is important to find a buying party that adheres to not only applicable agreements such as loading times, but mostly we are looking for a buyer who values the quality of the product, regardless of which certification is attached to the onions.”

Onion fly

With the disappearance of several pesticides, such as the IC Mundial coating, crop protection is gradually becoming an increasing challenge. “We are seeing a high increase in onion fly damage this year, which is unfortunately also reflected in the current situation.” In addition, areas with high cultivation of onions are also vulnerable to onion maggots. Together with local growers, Jacob and Jaap are looking for other solutions to exert the pressure off the onion fly. “In the field of crop protection, we stick to our advisor’s advice.” According to Jacob.

Challenges in onion cultivation

The brothers are phasing out their onion cultivation activities a little bit. “Onion cultivation will remain with our company, but we deal with large transactions this year. That is why we are finishing the hectares of onions, and we have chosen to remove onion sets from our cultivation plan in the first year and to get more from sowing onions.”

Jacob and Jaap have seen their business change over the years, where the focus of the arable farm has been on pulling chicory pens for 17 years. Also, a fish farm has been added in the past. Jacob’s advice is always to do what you enjoy: “In addition to the arable farm, my brother and I also have secondary activities, such as self-employed work with fellow growers and taking samples on arable fields. deliver with excellent quality.”