Although tramline widths in the UK are mostly 24m or 36m for cereal and root crops, the Dutch like to go bigger, and that includes spreading solid fertiliser. In the polder area north of Groningen, 45m has become the standard width for potato and beet crops. We visited one such farm where manager Klaas Nienhuis shared his experiences.
Potatoes and beetroot
Located on the North Sea coastline, about one third of the 155ha polder farm is dedicated to potatoes and a further 23ha to sugar beet. Because of these crops, Klaus switched to 45m tramlines seven years ago. The average field size is around 10ha, the largest measuring 22ha. As soils can vary greatly in the polder area,
