Farming Abroad: From Dutch Plains to Slovak Fields

What happens when the family farm becomes too small forthe next generation?Looking back on four years of farming in Slovakia, the Dutch brothers Rick and Thijs de Schutter recall facing more than just new soils and climates. Securing irrigation rights forced them to rethink which crops they could grow while the challenge of updating decades-old machinery became essential. As they built a smaller, specialised team and navigated unfamiliar regulations, the brothers learned toadapt to their new environment. Did Dutch-style efficiency mesh well with local working habits? Did their bold move payoff?The video of the talk, more information and further content can be found athttps://www.horsch.com/studioGuest and moderator:Rick de SchutterRaised in a family with generations of farming history in the Netherlands, Rick shares the same agricultural roots as his brother Thijs. Inspired by the family’s earlier move north in search of new opportunities, Rick and his brother Thijs made their own move to Slovakia fifty years later. With a background in engineering and agricultural machinery development, Rick combines technical expertise with practical farming knowledge. He now manages office operations while also overseeing crops and day-to-day activities on the farm.Thijs de SchutterGrowing up together on the family farm in the Netherlands, Thijs and his brother Rick learned from an early age that hard work and responsibility are part of everyday farming life. Afterstudying agriculture and business in the Netherlands, Thijsgained international experience across the agricultural sector in Europe and beyond. In 2022, he and his brother Rick took the bold step of selling their Dutch farm and starting a new chapter in Slovakia. Today, Thijs focuses on sales, field operations, crop planning, and pushing continuous improvement across the farm.Moderator: Jens FehlJens has been working in the agricultural machinery sector since 2012. After starting out as a demonstration driver, he moved into sales. Since 2016, he has been responsible for CropCare product marketing at HORSCH and has overseen the further development of the range which has grown from three models in 2016 to twelve models today. His specialist focus is on self-propelled machinery; within the CropCare range, he particularly values the variety of models and the BoomControl system.