The Week of Drenthe: Fred Grim new trainer of FC Emmen and potato growers yearn for rain

Many people enjoy the warm weather of the past period, but for potato farmers it is time for it to rain again. Due to the drought and the warm weather, the spuds hardly rise and that causes problems, says potato farmer Henk Bosma. “If it stays as dry as it is now, I don’t think a single potato will grow. And that is a huge loss.”

The province is withdrawing the subsidy it would give to Shell for a hydrogen plant near Emmen. Originally, 1.6 million euros had been made available, but a million has already been deducted from that. Now the province has decided not to provide the remaining six tons. According to the province, this is because Shell has still not started construction of the factory, while the factory should have been there in 2021. It is not yet clear what Shell will do next.

FC Emmen has found the successor to Dick Lukkien in Fred Grim. During his playing career, Grim was active as a keeper at Ajax and Cambuur. His first job as head coach was at Almere City FC, the team that won the playoffs against FC Emmen last week. Grim was also a coach at the Dutch Juniors and in 2017 interim national coach of the ‘big’ Orange. His last job was at Willem II, where he was fired in March last year.

Rearing farms in Drenthe cannot manage with the subsidy available for wolf-resistant grids. The requirements for such a fence, which must protect horses against the wolf, make it much more expensive than a fence that protects sheep. “We receive 12,000 euros in subsidy, so that’s quite a lot of money. But so far I’m stuck with what I’ve already calculated at 23,000,” says Kees Kloet, owner of a rearing stable.

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