Sustainable Farming Drenthe is growing: a record number of dairy farmers have registered for the subsidy scheme that allows farmers to gain experience with target steering and supports them in making their operations more sustainable. In 2025 and 2026, 430 dairy farmers will participate, representing about 60 percent of all dairy farmers in Drenthe.
This increase is remarkable, especially at a time when the number of dairy farms is decreasing. It shows that more and more farmers want to actively work with target steering and a future-proof agriculture. Deputy Gert-Jan Schuinder calls the enthusiasm ‘contagious’: ‘I see a lot of energy among entrepreneurs who want to tackle the challenges ahead. Target steering gives them the space to contribute with their craftsmanship to the tasks in the rural area. That our Drenthe farmers take the lead in this is something to be proud of.’
Target Steering and Sustainable Farming Drenthe
Sustainable Farming Drenthe is the unique Drenthe approach to gain experience with target steering. Target steering is about achieving goals, the way depends on the circumstances and what best fits the individual situation. Farmers within Sustainable Farming Drenthe are rewarded for achieving performances, for example in the areas of:
- Reduction of nitrogen and phosphate surpluses;
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions;
- Use of less environmentally harmful crop protection agents;
- Mapping biodiversity;
- More efficient use of protein from own land.
These performances are expressed in this project in Critical Performance Indicators (KPIs) that connect to the complex challenges in the rural area. The KPIs give farmers insight into how the company performs and provide action perspectives to improve this. The better the score, the higher the subsidy – up to a maximum of €6,500 per year over 2025 and 2026. Guiding target values with tiers have been established for the KPIs. If the maximum target value is achieved on all goals, the maximum compensation applies.
Years of Experience
In Drenthe, experience with target steering has been gained since 2016. The practical experiences from Drenthe in these new and previous schemes for dairy farming and the pilot target steering in arable farming contribute to the national developments around target steering. It is special that area contact persons – ‘farmers in the field’ – are involved as the first point of contact for participants. From the start, Sustainable Farming Drenthe works together with both agricultural and nature organizations: LTO Noord, Natuurmonumenten, Natuur en Milieufederatie Drenthe, Het Drentse Landschap, Staatsbosbeheer, Agrarische Natuur Drenthe, Landschapsbeheer Drenthe and the Drents Agrarisch Jongeren Kontakt.