A grower's tools for future-proof chicory cultivation

Growing an emerging crop like chicory means facing challenges – and new opportunities. The right tools and support, as well as sharing knowledge, are crucial for growers to seize these opportunities. Hubert Visser, arable farmer and chairman of the Chicory Growers Association (picture left), explains what it means to grow chicory. He also explains the value of cooperation and innovation in aiming for a future-proof cultivation.

Together with his brother, Hubert runs a 135-hectare arable farm in West-Brabant, The Netherlands. This includes cultivating 25 hectares of chicory, which the brothers do in collaboration with their neighbor farmer. “The reason we merged our chicory fields is twofold”, Hubert explains. “Firstly, you can learn from each other, share costs and scale up. This way, you become stronger together. And secondly, like with any other crop, scaling up is necessary to make a crop future-proof.” Chicory has been a part of Hubert’s crop rotation since 2009.

Chicory: the ins and outs

“We initially started growing chicory because we were looking for a stable crop to replace our sprouts, which came with high risks at the time”, Hubert says. “Chicory has a stable yield and low susceptibility to diseases, thus being less dependent on chemical protection. The Visser brothers have kept chicory in their crop rotation for the last 15 years, and plan for it to remain there in the future. According to Hubert, chicory plays a valuable role in maintaining a healthy crop rotation. “Potatoes are the main crop in our plan, together with grain and sugar beet. Chicory is one of the ’later’ crops in that equation. It allows the crop plan to be broader, which is better for the soil and thus helps to keep the soil healthier.”

“A major added advantage, especially in sandy soils, is chicory’s ability to control potato fatigue”, he continues. Even though chicory is relatively unknown on the consumer market, Hubert sees a lot of exciting opportunities. Especially for chicory root fiber, which is extracted from the crop. “The benefits of chicory root fiber are very versatile. The combination of it being a healthy food ingredient and having the ability to provide a neutral to sweet taste is highly valuable in my opinion. And with Sensus Agro department’s 30 years of experience and expertise in growing chicory and chicory root fiber, we have the right tools at our disposal to get more value out of our chicory cultivation.”

“Our collaboration with Sensus provides growers with the right tools, including the sustainability premium, to create a future-proof chicory cultivation.”

Towards a future-proof cultivation

As a non-commodity crop, chicory offers growers like the Visser brothers another important challenge. “In smaller crops, there is less innovation power driving the cultivation forward. That is why our collaboration with Sensus, Groeikracht Cosun and other growers is so important. Together we have a strong determination to make this a future-proof cultivation.” Hubert knows that to become future-proof, chicory cultivation needs to become more sustainable. “But to implement sustainable innovations, we need the right legislation and tools.” To Hubert, Sensus’ sustainability premium is one of these tools.

Testing the FarmDroid

With the help of this premium, Hubert was able to test his own FarmDroid last year. And even though the wet conditions made testing difficult, Hubert has seen a lot of potential and looks back at a positive learning experience. “The premium basically matched the costs we had per hectare to test the FarmDroid. It’s a great way to stimulate growers to think in the right direction and bring new innovations to the field.”

Better together

Whether it is working with his neighbor, Sensus or the growers’ association, Hubert believes in the power of cooperation. “Sensus and Groeikracht Cosun really stimulate the three cultivations – potatoes, sugar beet and chicory – from production to consumption or application. Combining these cultivations helps us share knowledge and discuss best practices. Working together is essential to bring us and the chicory cultivation forward.”