From small beginnings to major succes

It is a calm, slightly grey Monday morning in Krummhörn, Germany, when Jelto van der Linde gives us a tour of the arable farm he runs with his father Harald. The contrast between the calm weather and the lively farm could hardly be greater. Almost every barn is buzzing with activity, and with a total of 600 hectares of land and five permanent employees, this is not surprising.

Since 2018, some of those hectares have beendedicated to seed potato cultivation. Today, Jelto tells us how the company, which has been in the family for generations, has undergone major developments in recent years. 

“We really are a family business,” Jelto begins. “My great-grandfather started it, my father Harald is the third generation and I am also fully involved.” The fields produce wheat, barley and rapeseed, among other things, but since 2018, seed potatoes have been an important part of farm operations. They started with 45 hectares seven years ago, and in 2025, the seed potato acreage spans 196 hectares. Part of it is planted with varieties for the German organisation Solana and around 100 hectares are dedicated to HZPC varieties Colomba, La Vie, Innovator, Emanuelle, Sunita, Norman, Morris and Dali.

Jelto considers the cooperation with HZPC to be very important. “We start with virus-free mini tubers from the greenhouses in Metslawier, under horticultural fleece. This keeps them aphid-free and healthy. Every year, we jointly agree on how many hectares will be planted with each variety. HZPC handles sales and communication runs smoothly. For us, it is great that everything is taken care of quickly and reliably.” 

Growing seed potatoes involves much more than planting and harvesting: innovation, sustainability and resilience are key themes. For instance, the mini tubers are under horticultural fleece, straw is applied between the ridges to repel lice and the arrival of selection carts makes the work more efficient. Two Flikweert QualityGraders photograph each potato and automatically remove clods or potatoes with black scurf (rhizoctonia). “There used to be four people at the sorting belt, now there is only one. It saves a huge amount of labour.” There are also solar panels and work is underway on battery storage for solar power. They also participate in a wind farm and there is an active robot tractor demo. 

“In a changing world, resilience is important”, Jelto exclaims. “We start with healthy material, ensure good drainage and even plots. This ensures the land is kept in the best condition. Large machines make us less dependent on external staff. For potatoes, every hectare counts; for other crops such as rapeseed, the potential yield is lower.”