It was his constant search for good solutions that brought the current Field Manager of the Year to Barenbrug’s innovative Mow Saver. “I was looking for a grass mixture with which I’d be able to seed an area of just over 2.5 hectares around a new sports park so that it would enable me to save costs in its subsequent mowing, and above all also in the disposal of clippings,” says Bekkers. “Mowing and the disposal of the clippings account for the highest costs in the upkeep of grass, so your greatest profits can be made in savings in those fields.”
The soil of the land surrounding the sports park is highly diverse, varying from heavy clay to sand, and it had been used mostly for agriculture, so there were a lot of grass and weeds growing there. What it needed was a mixture that was suitable for various types of soil and that would above all entail less mowing. “We opted for Barenbrug’s Mow Saver concept because of its claim of producing 30 to 40% less biomass. This year my total will be around eleven mowing sessions, whereas eighteen are usually budgeted for such sites.”
Having used the mixture for almost sixteen months, Henrie is very satisfied with the results. He adds that he has the impression that there’s less weed growth than usual, and that the mixture did surprisingly well in the dry period in late summer. “Mow Saver grows less tall and forms a dense sward in which weeds have less chance of establishing.”