At BioRomeo in the Noordoostpolder, they've been farming without chemicals for thirty-six years. Arable and vegetable grower Krispijn van den Dries discovered through Dietmar Näser's course that there was still a whole world of improvement to be found.
Three Generations on the Same Soil
The fields at BioRomeo go into winter green these days. They used to be black and bare. "Bare soil in winter is simply not good for your land," says Krispijn van den Dries.
Krispijn is co-owner of BioRomeo, a biodynamic arable and vegetable farm in Ens, in the heart of the Noordoostpolder. His grandparents came from Zeeland to the newly drained polder after World War II and started farming what had literally been the bottom of the sea. His father Digni converted the operation to organic in 1990, making him one of the first Dutch arable farmers to do so. "It was a good decision, but also a hard one. There were barely any machines designed for organic farms. Everything had to be reinvented from scratch. It was real pioneering."
In 2006 the farm went a step further, becoming biodynamic and earning Demeter certification. Krispijn joined in 2012, after working both in the Netherlands and abroad. Today he runs BioRomeo alongside his father and Peter Keij, a partner who has worked with the family so long he's practically become one of them. Across more than 70 hectares they grow over twelve crops: seed potatoes, onions, garden peas, rainbow carrots, varieties of cabbage, and grains. They've experimented with many different crops over the years, including being among the very few to grow organic pickling onions.
Biodynamic and Still Going Further
Biodynamic farming is regenerative by definition, Krispijn explains. But regenerative isn't a protected term; anyone can claim it. "We do it without chemicals. That's the hardest version."
Through fellow arable farmer Erwin Westers, he heard about Dietmar Näser's approach and took the Regenerative Alliance course for the first time. "The course was really interesting: both the content and the chance to think things through with other farmers about how they tackle it." Some of what was covered he already recognized from his own practice. But compost tea and ferments were new to him, and he applied both in that very first year.
You Don't Have to Figure It Out Alone
He's now in his third year of coaching with Dietmar Näser, and through the Regenerative Alliance he stays connected with other participants: joint field days, visits to each other's farms. "In-person visits, I get a huge amount out of those." The knowledge-sharing within the RA community matters too. "We're not out here on our own."
What You Do Upfront Counts Most
Four years in, and the learning is far from over, nor is it meant to be. "It's still very much a process of figuring things out," says Krispijn. "Especially timing and volume. When in the season do you apply something, and how much?"
His most important insight: everything you do right before the growing season has the greatest effect. The soil preparation, the cover crops, the fertilization, the ferments: the foundation has to be solid before the first seed goes in the ground. "Everything you spray or add after that has less impact."
How the Land Responds
There are concrete results. This year, the potatoes are growing exceptionally well. Krispijn feels the measures have genuinely made a difference. Last year, undersowing herbs in the cabbage worked out well: the fields went into winter green, and the soil stayed active. They measure carbon sequestration annually. "It gets better every year. We see it plainly in the numbers." And there are more birds and insects on the wing than on surrounding land.
He's trying bokashi this season. He tracks insect populations together with colleagues and Näser. Every year brings something new, or an existing technique refined a little further.
Moving Forward with Patience
"If you don't start farming more sustainably, climate change will catch up with you. And so will the cost of synthetic inputs." He's honest about what it takes. "When you're pioneering, things go wrong sometimes. That costs money. You have to be willing to accept that." And it takes patience. But what keeps him going: "The fact that things are getting considerably better. That there's real progress. And that I genuinely find it enjoyable and challenging."
Want to see what regenerative agriculture looks like on a larger scale in practice? Come to the open day on Saturday, July 4. Registration required.