Noortje Krol: 'Switching to nature-inclusive means thinking backwards'.

Noortje Krol decided to change course with her partner Nico Miedema about three years ago. For their dairy farm in Heeswijk-Dinther, Brabant, they opted for nature-inclusive management. That does mean that we have to think outside the box.

Krol and Miedema are now in the middle of the conversion process and with every step they take they consider the extent to which they can work sustainably. The whole process of conversion started for her after reading an article in the newsletter of the agricultural nature association. It said that the province of Noord-Brabant had a subsidy pot for farms that wanted to farm in an environmentally friendly way.

That really appealed to the farmer's wife, but she didn't think the farm would qualify. 'That we would be far too intensive. But it kept haunting me and I contacted a ZLTO coach. He gave us the right push to take the step to nature-inclusive farming.

More than flower fields

The dairy farm with 250 cows may be suitable for this change, but Krol and Miedema also had to go through a process themselves. At first we thought we'd get there by planting a few flowerbeds here and there and leasing a few hectares of grassland. We have now discovered that there is much more to it than that.

In everything they do, they have to consider whether it is sustainable. Does this decision improve biodiversity? That whole process takes time. As a farmer you always think you are doing the right thing for the land and the animals. With nature-inclusive you simply have to look further.'

Ambracing subsidy

Krol took over the business from her parents and her father is still very involved. They sometimes differ when it comes to applying for subsidies to make the dairy farm more sustainable. He still thinks that, as a farmer, you have to be able to do it yourself and that you don't have to hold your hand up for subsidies.

She tries to make it clear to him that you have to embrace subsidies because the farm will never receive the extra cost from the market. 'Society would like us to start farming nature-inclusively and we want that too. Then it is also logical that there will be financial support from society. As far as that is concerned, as an agricultural entrepreneur you have to see subsidies for sustainable business operations as part of your earnings model.'

Source: newharvest