In #theweekof, we get to have a look within the workweek of young professionals in Seed Valley.
Lisa is support assistant at De Groot en Slot. Together with eight other colleagues, she supports the company with various activities, such as quality checks and the shipment of the onions. Lisa’s job mainly has to do with the process surrounding the production of seeds that are destined for the grower. The onions from these growers are destined for the supermarket. Check out Lisa’s week here!
Monday - 10:00 am
Good morning, welcome to my work week. This morning starts something different than usual: I’m helping with the harvesting of the onions! Usually, this isn’t a job for the office staff, but Covid-19 makes things a little different. So all the office workers are out to help one morning in the field.
Monday - 12:00 pm
De Groot en Slot specializes in the breeding, production, and sales of onion seeds. The onion is a two-year crop. In the first year, the mother onions are produced by the bulb growers. In the second year, the mother onions go to other growers, who then produce the seed. For the production process, we are in contact with growers in Europe during this two-year process. Eventually, the seeds come back to us.
Monday - 03:00 pm
So, now I can get on with my work. An essential part of my job is the shipping period. Together with my colleagues, I arrange the shipment of the mother onions to the seed growers. During this period, I have a lot of contact with our cultivation agents, both at home and abroad. We coordinate the processing of the onions and the transport with them. This is a hectic time in which we work a lot with the team.
Tuesday - 09:00 am
Today, my morning begins in the greenhouse. This trial shows how well the mother onions grow; a good mother onion ensures good seed production.
Tuesday - 03:00 pm
In addition to tests, we also carry out quality checks. Here my colleague and I evaluate the samples of mother onions and father onions. These will be used for the production of the seeds. We look at quality, shape, and weight, among other things.
Wednesday - 10:00 am
I learn something new every day! Here the assortment of commercial varieties stands side by side; we have over 260 different ones! We have short day and long day varieties, but also different colors. We also have onions that are harvested early in the season and storage onions. We have these for all continents, suitable for all cultivation conditions.
Wednesday - 03:00 pm
In the afternoon I work at the office for a few more hours. Fortunately, we have plenty of space, and we can’t do all our work from home. We work in small groups for 1 or 2 days at the office. Still, it’s very nice to talk to colleagues every now and then.
Thursday - 11:00 am
Good morning! One day a week, I work on my parents’ arable farm! My father also grows onions, so I come into daily contact with onions even on my day off. Here I check whether the onions are ready for harvest. A trick from the office: if you can see the rows (vertical strips) through the foliage (the greenery), you can harvest the onions.
Thursday - 04:00 pm
Fun fact: we also use De Groot and Slot seeds at home!
Friday - 11:00 am
Do you remember when I was in touch with our cultivation agents on Monday? Here the growers prepare the batches for shipment. The big bags are filled to the brim and are still transported to Spain and France today. From the office, we ensure, among other things, that all parties are informed and receive the correct documents.
Friday - 04:00 pm
The home stretch! A few more big bags are filled for transport. Now that the shipping period is almost over, we get an administrative period in which we prepare the settlements for the growers who have prepared onions in the past period. I’m glad you took a look at my working week. Time for the weekend!
Together we contribute to a healthy and flowering world. We’re constantly facing new challenges , and I work on the solutions. What will you do?
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