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Herman Leijten

Mts. Leijten

My name is Herman Leijten. I grow organic chicory, and apart from that I am also an arable farmer.

I was born and raised on this beautiful farm here in Tollebeek and have lived here all my life. In 1977 at the age of nineteen, I started helping my father with the various farming activities on the 12 hectares of land we had at that time. In 1994 we expanded our farm with a further 12 hectares and continued to focus on potatoes, chicory roots and beets. In 2009, together with my son Jan we decided to switch to organic agriculture. For us it was a logical choice not only because of the growing market for organic products but also because our farm was too small to compete with the large conventional neighbour farms.

Working organically means taking care of the soil and that is why we work with a crop rotation system (1 on 6). We start with grass clover and then sow seed onions followed by the chicory rootstock. Consequently we sow parsnip, pumpkins, peas and finish off with potatoes. The rotation system ensures that the soil gets enough variety and rest which is extremely important. I am delighted that I am now an organic farmer .. it is not only much more fun but also very interesting to look at your farm in a completely different way.

The marketing of my products takes place via Nautilus Organic

N&M: What makes your business so special?

As far as I know, we are the only organic chicory grower in Holland that also grows our own chicory roots. The roots are part of our 1 in 6 rotation system. Apart from growing chicory we also grow a wide variety of other open field crops.

N&M: What has been changed since you are an organic farmer?

Practically speaking, I am working much more together with nature instead of monitoring nature by spraying and with nitrogen. I am trying to create the ideal conditions in the soil with compost and our rotation system ... thereafter the plants should do it themselves! Previously used to spray almost every week and now I do not spray anymore of course, while in terms of yield hardly anything has been changed. Food for thought...

N&M: What has switching to organic meant for you personally

It is great to focus on something new .. organic agriculture is very very interesting and you forced to look at your business in a whole new way. Before I farmed as an automatic pilot now I have to think and gives me so much more satisfaction.

N&M: On your property I also see beautiful hydrangeas, can you tell me a little more about why you grow these.

My wife grows these beautiful flowers on a piece of land that is difficult to access with a tractor. Although it looks very pretty now, you should visit us in august when this field is bursting with colour

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soil

A good farmer does not fertilise crops, but instead feeds the soil. This is an essential difference. It prevents the use of salts (artificial fertiliser) and chemicals, instead it involves manure and compost. Emphasis falls on decomposed organic material and this allows plants to grow according to their natural development. Our wide rotation of crops ensures that the soil is alive and fertile for years to come.

biodiversity

When we speak about biodiversity, it is all about the life in the soil. 25% of the worlds life forms is found in the soil. As for the plants, chicory is grown in a special way. Cultivation takes two years (or growing seasons). In the first growing season, the plant is grown from seeds, in the soil. The chicory plants are not edible in this first phase and are therefore fed to the cattle. However, under the ground these plants grow a very thick pen root, and that's what it's all about.

After harvesting the pen roots, they are left to hybernate and stored at -1 degrees Celsius up to 10 or 11 months. After the "cold shock" Herman puts the roots into wooden boxes that are put in darkened cells. The roots receive water with a temperature of around 17 degrees Celsius. This brings them into "spring mood" and the roots shoot into the well-known white chicory stalks. After 4 weeks, these are large enough to harvest. The pen roots are only used once and are then given to cattle - cows love it!

individual

Every year 20.000 to 340.000 farmworkers die of pesticide poisoning and 1 to 5 million farmworkers get sick from it. In organic cultivation no chemical-synthetic pesticides are used and significantly less pesticide residues are found on organic products in the store. Research indicates (Fantke & Jolliet, 2016) that this also has a health effect for consumers.

In short, we can say with confidence that organic fruits and vegetables, on the average, are healthier. And that also goes for chicory. By the way, chicory is considered to be very healthy in general, for example in easing digestive problems. Moreover it has the ability to prevent heartburn, reduce arthritis pains, detoxify the liver and gallbladder, prevent bacterial infections, boost the immune system, and reduce the chance of heart disease.

society

The concept "freedom" in the sustainability flower refers to personal development, education and culture. The concept "justice" in the sustainability flower refers to equal relationships and human rights. Het begrip "solidariteit" heeft in dit model betrekking op economische duurzaamheid.

The concept "solidarity" in the sustainability flower refers to economical sustainability. By converting to organic, Herman found more economic, sustainable stability.

climate

The fact that we do not use chemicals means that our indirect energy output is much less. In the past we sprayed weekly but that is obviously no longer the case. The organic method is naturally better for the quality of air. Just like other farmers, Herman works with a tractor: “Because we have a light tractor the negative impact on the soil is less and we also use a minimum amount of diesel.”

water

Herman uses a lot of water in his chicory breeding station. The chicory stalks grow on thick pen roots that only receive water. Through the water, the temperature in the breeding boxes is controlled (see "plants" section). Water is however abundantly available in the Noordoost polder and is not a scarcity. Also, the water that is used, stays very clean. It's in fact cleaner than the surface water, so the farm has permission to return it directly into the ditches, where it goes back to the ground water. This way, the cycle is closed.

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