LetsGrow provides insights into your own crop and those of your neighbours
Schenkeveld growers enthusiastic about LetsGrow possibilities

Almost 300 Dutch growers are now all employing the online management information platform of LetsGrow. Schenkeveld growers in Schipluiden are one of the pioneers in the vegetable growing sector working with the system. "We were able to measure everything on our site, but then you grow plants intuitively. We couldn’t measure whether a plant was active", explains Richard Schenkeveld.


Richard Schenkeveld shows LetsGrow

The state-of-the-art vine tomato site is now entering its second season with LetsGrow. “Our crop supervisor uses it daily. He checks for instance which other growers are closing their screen, and how late they stop irrigation. The program provides ever increasing possibilities,” Richard says enthusiastically. “It is updated all the time!”



Claudia Kouwenhoven (Hoogendoorn), grower Richard Schenkeveld and Harm Ammerlaan of LetsGrow

LetsGrow works very simply. The system collects all manner of data by linking systems, such as climate computers and plant sensors. Subsequently, LetsGrow offers the option to compare these data online, separately or combined, in an overview graph. “The grower himself determines what data he would like to make public, and to whom,” explains manager Harm Ammerlaan of LetsGrow. “We have now sorted out data about climate and turnover. We are now looking into data in the areas of energy and labour."


Always the centre of attention

Unlike other management information systems, with LetsGrow it does not matter what type of brand your climate computer or your other systems are. You can review all data via the Internet. LetsGrow also recently introduced the mobile measuring frame I4All, developed by Letsgrow in co-operation with Wageningen University. Richard Schenkeveld is a grateful user of this system. “We can monitor the status of the stomata with this system. With large sites, you always have a certain corner where plants grow less well. Now we can use the mobile crop frame to pin down and analyse more closely what the plant needs,” says Richard Schenkeveld.


The Schenkeveld growers’ site in Schipluiden

Richard’s crop data can be seen by all Prominent growers. “We handle data very openly within the Prominent group. We try to progress each other to a higher level. There is a big commitment to each other. When you purchase LetsGrow, you do have to invest some time and energy into it!” LetsGrow costs growers 1750 Euros per year. In addition, you receive an instruction manual, and there are also monthly free-of-charge introductory workshops. “LetsGrow provides you with more insights into and influence over the factors which eventually determine your costs, yields, labour requirements and quality of crop. And these insights lead to betters yield for growers, concludes Harm Ammerlaan.

For further information:
Harm Ammerlaan
LetsGrow
Westlandseweg 190
3131 HX Vlaardingen
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 10-4608108
www.letsgrow.com
Email

Publication date: 4/10/2008

respond to this article  email this article    print

Receive the daily newsletter in your email for free | Click here

 

<< back | www.freshplaza.com