Limburg poultry farmers nominated for agricultural entrepreneur of the year election

The national election "Agricultural Entrepreneur of the Year" is celebrating an anniversary in 2020. On Thursday 26 March the winner of this award will be announced for the 25th time. Among the five remaining contenders are two farmers from Limburg: poultry farmer Eric Thielen of Lamberdina's Hoeve in Castenray and the Kuijpers family, poultry farmers in Grubbenvorst and Stevensbeek in Brabant.

The election

Agrarian Entrepreneur of the Year is the most prestigious business award in the agricultural sector. Boerderij, Groenten&Fruit and Pluimveehouderij, together with partners ABN AMRO and Hardeman Veenendaal, are looking for the best agricultural entrepreneur for the 25th time.

The award is also an important part of the success of the Dutch agricultural sector.

In addition to continuity, finances and production volume of the company, the jury also looks at the entrepreneur himself. The future vision of the entrepreneur, the enthusiasm, the innovative capacity and integrity are at least as important. Above all, the agricultural entrepreneur of the year has fun in his profession.

The nominees

The competition is now in the phase where five participants still have a chance to win the prize. An independent jury chaired by Marc Calon, general chairman of LTO Nederland, has selected these five entrepreneurs from ten candidates. The Limburg entrepreneurs Thielen and Kuijpers are up against Rob Baan of Koppert Cress, Familie Buysman of Buysman Herbs and Mathijs Baan of Elke Melk.

On the website of the election you can read the stories of the nominees. For example, poultry farmers Kuijpers explain the short-chain principle on their broiler farm. Eric Thielen of Lamberdina's Hoeve in turn shows how he combines animal welfare and sustainability at his organic laying hen farm.

Vote for your favorite

The jury will visit these five nominees. The winner of the jury prize will receive a cash prize of 12,500 euros. In addition, there is the audience award, an amount of 2,500 euros, which is presented to the entrepreneurs with the most votes of the visitors of the website Agricultural Entrepreneur of the Year. You can cast your own vote for your favourite there until 25 March.

The winner of Agrarisch Ondernemer van het Jaar was supposed to be announced in De Basiliek in Veenendaal, but due to the coronavirus this was not possible. The announcement has now been postponed to September 17 and can only be followed via a livestream.