Martine grew up with her brother on their parents’ farm in Groningen and Denmark, where she also worked for many years. “A few years ago, we partially split the farm, and I merged part of it with my husband’s business. We mainly grow seed potatoes, but also grains, fava beans, and of course, sugar beets.”
New Techniques
Although Martine knows these crops inside out, much has changed in their cultivation in recent years. “You see that crop protection products are disappearing, and the use of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium must be reduced. Anticipating this involves risks. For example, you can invest in the cultivation of cover crops and new techniques, such as a hoeing machine, but will it yield enough in the end? Too often, you see that sustainable investments cannot be translated into a better price for the crops.”
Contributing to the Solution
Martine has clear ideas about this issue. “We are at the beginning of the chain and bear the costs alone. That should change.” To contribute to the solution, she decided in 2014 to join Cosun’s Members’ council. “I wanted to make my voice heard and address the Executive Board and the Board on the actions regarding the challenges we face as growers.”
From Members’ Council to the Board
Martine is now the one who can be addressed by the Members’ Council. In September 2023, she joined Cosun’s Board. The primary task of the Board is to govern the cooperative and is ultimately responsible for the development and implementation of policies for both the cooperative itself and the companies that belong to Cosun.
“As a member of the Board, you are closer to the action, delve deeper into the matter, and your responsibility is much greater. The most important responsibility I feel as a ‘farmer member’ is to ensure a good beet price for now and future generations.”
Importance of Dialogue with Government and Politics
Due to various circumstances, such as the turbulent sugar market, fewer crop protection products, and the nitrate directive, the beet price and the earning model of growers are under pressure. “It would make a big difference if you could rely on the government and develop your own policy with a clear goal in mind. But unfortunately, that is not the case now. That’s why I find it so important that we put a lot of energy into the conversation with politics and the government. We need to communicate much more clearly to politicians how important our work is for food supply and the consequences of their choices. We want to avoid generic measures as much as possible and focus on goal-oriented measures. The use of N-mineral samples is a good example of how we try to get this adjusted.”
Chairman of the Members’ Affairs Committee
On the other hand, Martine also finds it important that members can show Cosun what they are facing. “Within the Board, I am chairman of the members’ affairs committee. Members can come to us with their questions and comments, and I also seek out the members myself, across the country. As a committee, we try to bridge the gap between the factory and growers and address topics such as conditions around sugar beet deliveries, complaint handling, and exemptions. We present new conditions to the members’ council. In this role, my own experience as a member of the members’ council and grower comes in handy. I know the procedures and interests.”
Unlock 30
Martine also played a role in shaping the revised Cosun strategy: Unlock 30. “What struck me positively were the open discussions among ourselves and with the members. It ensured that we came to clear main conditions and a clear goal. The question ‘Why are we on earth’ is always in the back of my mind when making decisions. Another important question is: ‘What is sustainable?’ Is it just green, green, green, or also a future-proof earning model? How do you mix that, and who pays the price?”
Performance Improvement
Martine also looks at the strategic pillar of Healthy Performance from the same perspective. “I believe that performance improvement is something you should always do. You should always see if something can be done better. As a member of the Boar, I see opportunities for the organisation in, for example, ‘One Cosun’: organising things more efficiently across business groups and creating more value. Furthermore, you see that in an organisation as large as Cosun, all small margins can result in enormous savings and profits, ultimately having a favourable effect on the beet price.”
Savings for Growers
As a grower, Martine also looks at what she can still improve. “Not only in costs for crop protection products and machines but certainly also in general costs such as insurance, energy contracts, telephone costs, and waste processing. We are also investigating whether a battery for our solar panels is a good investment. Furthermore, we also have ‘choices’ imposed by the government, such as mandatory savings on artificial fertilisers and emission reduction of crop protection products. These savings do not automatically lead to performance improvement, just as you cannot suddenly say in the factory: let’s skip maintenance.”
Searching for the Optimum
Healthy Performance remains a matter of making choices. “You have to look for the optimum, where the yield outweighs the risk. It should not be the case that growers take all the risks and other parties, such as suppliers of innovative machines – who currently charge high subscription costs for the associated software – walk away with the yield. For these kinds of issues, I want to make a strong case as a farmer member of the Board.”
