Janmiekeshoeve
Not everyone has a 35ha backyard. John and Angelique Heesakkers of the Janmiekeshoeve in Mariahout do. John knows the place where he was born and raised like the back of his hand. From a young age, he has been involved in dairy farming and, since 2011, he made a conscious decision to go organic only. His latest achievement is the construction of a 17ha agroforestry project started in 2020. This was a collaboration with Bosgroep Zuid Nederland who took care of the GOB application and Bureau 5voor1 who took care of the financial substantiation. Sjef and Wilma of Agroforestrysupplies handled the design, variety selection and construction.
Scaling vs biodiversity
With a total area of 35ha, the Janmiekeshoeve has been developed as farmland by John's ancestors for centuries - since 1781 to be precise. However, manure legislation and the milk quota in the mid-1980s did not energise him at all, and scaling up was not something he saw. At the time, you saw big barns popping up everywhere, but such a future was less appealing to him. In 2009, there were suddenly very poor milk prices and that didn't fit their financial picture. His wife Angelique then raised the question of whether organic would be for him. Through a crash course in organic farming at De Melkveeacademie, he learned all about the importance of good soil and the effect of green manures. In 2011 came the full leap of faith by quitting artificial fertilisers and pesticides.
"As a dairy farmer, you are only a very small player and you work 80% for foreign countries. You are so dependent on their pricing and that just makes you very vulnerable as a farmer. Once I went organic, I started producing more for a domestic market. Both the price and appreciation are different and that does give confidence for the future."
Moreover, his organic choice brought him into a totally different network. This is also how he came into contact with the philosophy and books of Mark Shepard, who had transformed his desolate agricultural land into a biodiverse agroforestry system. And then everything suddenly came together.
Climate-resilient species
When he got the chance to purchase a 7ha plot, John proposed to the province to start an agroforestry system. For this, he needed a strong plan in the first place. Advice on native nature had already been given to him, but he lacked the knowledge on productive varieties suitable for agroforestry.
This is how he came into contact with Sjef & Wilma. In co-creation with John, they took care of the concrete design, planting plan, plant and material supply and construction. This "tying up the loose ends" is exactly what they enjoy doing and what gives them the most energy. In this case, the choice fell mainly on the planting of walnuts, hazels, peaches, nashipers, olive willows and honey berries.
Research into climate-resistant and climate-robust species (such as walnuts) is also part of the cooperation between Sjef and Wilma and the Janmiekeshoeve. This way, they look at which species have a future in a Dutch climate through breeding or selection.
Admittedly, there remain a lot of variables that John is still going to have to work out concretely in terms of marketing. If he manages to capitalise on the potential of the full package (local market, self-picking, tours, nursery,...), then you have a very diversified business model that is less dependent on external factors.
Wanted: assistant farm manager
Besides learning about new breeds, there is also a steep learning curve as a human being. Besides working with the animals and machines, there is now more emphasis on the social role you can play as a farmer in today's society. John has already made the choice to make his farm more open and accessible. This way, people discover what goes on "behind the barn doors" and that is contagious. As a result, a lot of visits now take place at the Janmiekeshoeve. That also generates extra income.
After all, each crop or its processing can also be a speciality in itself. John is open to working with like-minded people to create a modern version of a mixed farm. Where since 1781 generations before him have spent hundreds of years working with a variety of crops and animals, he is now looking to construct a diverse system from that inspired by Joel Sallatin. With clever design, this could become a resilient and highly productive organic whole. As a right-hand man, he is looking for an Assistant Farm Manager here in the future, or someone with "the right capabilities to coordinate things".
