The Frisian arable farmers Kees and Anco van der Bos and Jan Idsardi have almost twenty years of experience with circular agriculture. In their association Ecolana they work closely with a dairy farmer and a sheep farmer. But not everything runs smoothly. “If the government wants to stimulate circular agriculture, it will have to facilitate more with knowledge and regulations.”
The seed potato cultivation is the proverbial cork on which the companies of Van der Bos and Idsardi float. Together with his son Anco, Kees van der Bos grows almost 40 hectares of seed potatoes, mainly traditional stock cultivation. Father and son focus on the cultivation of high-quality seed potatoes. At Idsardi’s arable farm, Jan is also mainly involved in the cultivation of seed potatoes. He grows more than 30 hectares of seed potatoes, especially in the higher classes PB4 and S. “We have to rely on quality here. Seed potatoes from the coastal region are of very good quality, the crop in this area is less sensitive to viruses and bacteria, ”says Kees firmly.
Rent extra potato land
But Van der Bos and Idsardi wanted to go further: not necessarily bigger, but broader and above all more sustainable. With dairy farmer Antonides, located on a company that is a stone’s throw from their arable farms, and sheep farming association Van Sinderen and De Groot, they have formed the Ecolana association since 2001. This collaboration has resulted in a mixed company new style, as they call it. The core concept in the collaboration is circular agriculture. The dairy farmer has the opportunity to dispose of his manure close to home and the arable farmers can rent extra potato land instead. The sheep farmer is a nice addition, given the many kilometers of dike that fall within the other three companies.
Read the full report about Ecolana in the March trade magazine Akkerwijzer. This issue will be released to subscribers on March 19. Request a free trial number here .
