Who doesn’t know the farmer… FarmCamps De Kamperhoek

This is Huub and Martine, together they run an arable farming business in Vogelwaarde. They grow potatoes, sugar beets, grass seed, wheat, and brown beans. They live on the farm with their three sons, Milan, Yannick, and Timon (all between 16-21 years old). Huub was born on this farm. Martine comes from Sas van Gent and grew up on an arable farm as well.

How many animals do you have on the farm?
Coincidentally, we are just building a new barn where we want to keep not only chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs, but also goats, sheep, and a piglet.

Why did you become a farmer?
Huub has been helping on the farm since he was a child, and it was clear early on that he wanted to become a farmer. Martine does something completely different: she has her own pediatric physiotherapy practice in Hulst.

What does a typical workday look like?
An arable farmer’s days are very varied. This depends on the season and the weather. You can make plans, but for example, if it rains heavily, the work can’t continue. Huub is never idle; he has many machines and maintains them himself. During harvest time, sometimes you can work up to 16 hours a day. But… that’s the fun part: the harvest needs to be brought in!

What do you like most about your job and what do you like the least?
The best part of being a farmer is working in nature. And, of course, there’s a lot of flexibility: you can organize your day as you like. It’s also wonderful to see your products grow. During periods of extreme dryness or wetness, there’s a lot of worry about the crops. The weather app is Huub’s most used app on his phone. The administrative hassle surrounding food safety is not Huub’s biggest hobby. But well, you can’t avoid it in these times.

What does a FarmCamps farmer actually do on top of all the other work you already do?
A lot! The extra work starts a month before the season opens: that’s when you unpack the tents and make them ready for use. This is also when we do minor maintenance. During the season, we have to check in and check out guests and change the bed linens twice a week. There are also many daily activities with the children and parents, such as feeding the animals, giving tours, horse-drawn carriage rides, and making grass figures!

Why did you want to become a FarmCamper?
In 2012, when FarmCamps had not yet started, we were at the travel fair in Ouderkerk aan de Amstel. There, we spoke with the founders of FarmCamps and liked the concept a lot. Since we already had a campsite, it wasn’t a big leap for us, and we decided to join the concept in 2013.

What’s the best thing you’ve experienced with FarmCamps guests?
When the children cry or hide because they don’t want to leave, we know we’ve done a good job. In recent years, many parents have concluded that this is the best vacation "ever" for the children. Even better than all those faraway trips.

Huub and Martine’s Favorites: 

Favorite vacation:
We really love winter sports with après-ski!
Favorite hobbies:
Cycling, skiing, walking with the dogs.
Favorite food:
The men here love fries, and Martine prefers pasta.
Favorite animal:
Hummer and Storm, our dogs.

Our FarmCamps farms can be found all over the Netherlands. Curious? You can find them all on our handy farms page.