Goedemoregen → Good Morning!
Our day began with a very early start! It was a bit difficult to wake up at 5:00 AM, but once we got to the tulip fields, it was well worth it. But first, before we visited the tulip fields, we visited the Royal FloraHolland auction company. The warehouse that we walked through was about the size of 250 football fields! We made our way through the workplace through an elevated ramp in the middle of it, but even from our elevated view, it was impossible to see the entirety of the warehouse! I was in awe at their level of efficiency and organization while observing the employees here. Everything was moving so quickly but yet so smoothly, and it was really interesting to watch everyone seemingly working separately, but overall, as one large unit.
Another very interesting and impressive fact about this auction company in particular, is that this auction system has been in place for over 100 years! There have been some updates with the system over the past couple of years, such as projecting the clocks onto screens instead of hanging them onto the wall, and these updates have helped to maintain the momentum of the company’s success. The Royal FloraHolland also offers off-location auctioning and virtual sales systems, which have helped to increase the number of sales that they see as well as the concentration of their supply. Overall, I really enjoyed having the opportunity to see this auction company in-person. It was incredible to see how their system works, and it was definitely a unique opportunity that I won’t forget!
After we left the Royal FloraHolland, we made our way to the tulip fields! Here, we were given a tour that provided us with information all about how these tulips are planted, grown, harvested, and sold. An interesting fact about this field, is that these tulip growers primarily focus on the quality of the tulip bulbs, and not as much on the flowers themselves. In fact, once the tulips are grown, they will cut the tops of the flowers off so that the bulbs become stronger! Once the tops of the flowers are cut off, they are left in the fields to be composted, which is a sustainable measure that benefits the health of the field. Another sustainable measure that is unique to the Netherlands, is the groundwater level. In the fields that we visited today, located in North Holland, the groundwater is located about 60 cm below the surface, which is much shallower than most areas. As a result of this, the farmers rarely have to irrigate the tulip fields and this is a great conservation tactic for the water supply! I am not too familiar with different agricultural practices, which is why this visit was particularly interesting to me. I really enjoyed learning about tulips and about the complexities of the agricultural industry, there is an impressive history behind the tulips in the Netherlands!