For a few years now, Village Farms in Canada and the USA use the Valent O-Hook from Royal Brinkman to secure the tomato plants. In 2016, they chose the O-Hook for the first time. The free fall on the O-Hook is adapted into an O-form and works in a revolutionary way.

Village Farms has two enterprises in the state of Texas, USA, and one in British Columbia, Canada. At all locations varieties of tomatoes are cultivated, such as beef tomatoes, vine tomatoes, cocktail tomatoes and specialties. In total they cultivate tomatoes on approximately 119 hectares. Securing tomato plants is done on all locations by means of tomato Hooks from Royal Brinkman. Jan Korteland, regional manager of Village Farms in Texas, USA, says that they have been using O-Hooks since 2016.

“We started the new cultivation here in Texas some time ago. We have worked with the Royal Brinkman hooks since 2013 and from 2016 we used the new O-Hook during a large scale test on an area of 16 hectares. The test was a success.”, Jan Korteland explains that their permanent staff secures the tomatoes. 

The permanent staff was able to make a good comparison between the Extravalent hook and the new O-hook. "You could clearly see that is was less laborious. After a short while the advantage became clear: You can hang the hook on the wire and loosen the twine of the free fall via the loop with just one hand. Employees hold a supply of hooks in the other hand. In this way, you can work really fast."

The free fall of the standard Extravalent Tomato Hook is attached with an elastic band. The added advantage of the free fall of the new O-Hook is that it drops down in a significantly line, according to Jan Korteling:"Because of the O-form the bend of the wire is less tight and the wire drops down without kinks. Because the wire hangs straight, fastening of the tomato plants is realized much quicker."

Dirk de Jong from Village Farms has also gained experience with the tomato hooks of Royal Brinkman at the location in British Columbia, Canada. Dirk de Jong: "In Canada we also have positive experiences with the O-Hook. In the new cultivation season we will use the O-Hook on a large scale."

We at Royal Brinkman offer the brand Valent. The brand can be used for various vegetable crops. Valent has been developed to improve the following products often used in vegetable cultivation: Twine, Clips and Hooks. The products are specially developed by growers for growers, with the aim of increasing labor savings.

The twine has been specifically developed to ensure that there is no stretching. The twine has also been made to be stronger so it can not break. The clips are easy to re-clip and reduce the risk of Botrytis. The hooks are developed to make them easier to hang, there are three different hooks available so every grower can find a suitable hook for her crop. 

If you would like to know more about the Valent brand, please click on the link below.

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