With soya pays off

Farming

“We had a field that failed to germinate as we had 65mm of rain in 30 minutes, but in the summer, we had problems, too,” she adds.

“Soya can deal with short, dry periods, but we struggled with irrigating enough during the drought.”

Despite the challenges, Jolande and Ad are prepared to be patient with the crop, while Henk Vermeer, Royal Agrifirm’s soya been project manager, is confident that the co-operative’s yields will be good this year.

“Our yields are now better than Brazil because we have the right skills and the right soils,” he says.

“We average 3t/ha, but the top 25% are producing 3.6t/ha and some are even managing as much as 4.4t/ha.”

What’s more, he says the crop’s performance, costs of production and price mean that soya is a viable and profitable alternative protein crop in the Netherlands.

“The cost of production is €750/ha, including all herbicides, but a lot of our growers say soya is very strong and they do as little as they can to it,” he says.

“If they are in an area with lots of potatoes, they need protection from sclerotina, and weed protection is also important.

“But many don’t fertilise at all, and we advise not to use a nitrogen fertiliser because high nitrogen causes the rhizome bacteria to die.”

Having initially introduced the crop to produce feed, the switch to food production, thanks to the contract with Alpro, has further added to soya’s value.

“We’re already seeing acreage grow, and we think it could reach 3,000-4,000ha”

“Everyone gets €500/t, but there are bonuses for the amount of protein delivered,” he says.

Protein is important as average levels of the Dutch crop are 41%, so Alpro mixes local supplies with Canadian soy to get the protein level to the 42-44% it requires.

With average net profits reaching €685/t last year, soya was ahead of spring wheat (€517/ ha) but below winter wheat (€702/ha), Mr Vermeer adds.

However, the top 25% of growers made more than winter or spring wheat.

“We think it offers a good option for growers, particularly if they have cattle to feed as they can use the crop for their own animals,” he adds.

“We’re already seeing acreage grow, and we think it could reach 3,000-4,000ha in the coming years.

“Farmers are very curious about the crop and are interested to learn about it.

“I believe it has the potential to be of solid value in Dutch growers’ cultivation plans.”

A contract between Royal Agrifirm and soy drink manufacturer Alpro, which takes 80% of production, has proven lucrative for growers

the switch to food production has further added to soya’s value