Peter-Jan and I of course have a shared interest. Ultimately we both want to develop varieties suitable for the market of Joordens Zaden. Therefore we need each other. Fortunately it works very well.
What I see with customers in the field, on demo fields and hear in the market, I take it into discussions with Gidy. Together we decide where to focus on in the breeding program. And that is not always easy.
Peter-Jan has a point there. It is always searching for the balance between quality and quantity. But also between the possibilities that we hear of, for example, Wageningen UR and the available budgets to be able to cross in new characteristics. “Just cross it in …” we hear sometimes … But that’s not how it works.
We all understand that the work is never finished. And in addition to renewal and improvement, just the day-to-day work must be done. We deliberately set a date twice a year on which we all go through the presentations with proposals and make decisions.
Making crosses, harvesting, cleaning, I like the various activities very much. And more and more I can visit trial fields. Then, I am even closer to the results and can use information from customers to find the connection to product management.
In the end we have a good overview of all the pros and cons. And then we are exactly where we want to be; the best for our customers!
