From Organic to Biodynamic: Building Nutrient Density

When Erwin Westers joined his parents' organic farm in 2006, he knew organic certification was just the beginning. "Organic wasn't enough for me," Erwin explains. "I wanted to see what could be possible with less input and more qualitative output." This drive to produce nutrient-dense food led him to embrace regenerative agriculture at Horaholm, their 120-hectare farm in Hornhuizen on the north coast of the Netherlands.

The farm grows diverse crops including carrots, potatoes, seed potatoes, and over ten varieties of vegetable seed crops like radish, broccoli, carrots, cress, and flowers like nasturtiums, borage, and native wildflowers. Working with the challenging conditions of coastal farming, Erwin has adapted his techniques using methods like flächenrotte and careful mineral balancing to optimize both soil health and nutritional quality.

Since 2011, Erwin has been working together with Dietmar Näser from Grüne Brücke, who helped develop this regenerative system. Now, together with the Dutch Regenerative Alliance, which Erwin co-founded, he helps guide and teach farmers in the Netherlands about regenerative agriculture. "By improving soil health, we increase the nutritional value of our crops," he notes.

In 2020, Horaholm achieved Demeter biodynamic certification, opening doors to markets that truly value nutrient-dense produce while giving Erwin the framework to deepen practices specifically aimed at enhancing crop nutrition.

Engineering Soil for Superior Nutrition

At the heart of producing nutrient-dense food lies Erwin's soil management. His undersowing system—planting cover crops like grasses, clovers, and herbs beneath main crops—has become the cornerstone for building the mineral-rich soils that create vegetables rich in vitamins and nutrients. These living mulches don't just protect soil; they actively enhance nutrient availability by fixing nitrogen and improving microbial activity that makes minerals more bioavailable to plants.

Combined with his mulch growing technique, where mulch of rye and vetch is grown on the farm specifically for use on potatoes and to create protective soil cover, the farm has seen dramatic improvements in the very factors that determine nutritional quality: organic matter content has risen significantly, water retention has improved, and soil testing reveals enhanced availability of key minerals. Most importantly, these healthier soils are producing measurably better crops— particularly the farm's carrots, which now contain higher levels of vitamins and minerals thanks to the enhanced growing conditions.

"That the soil is vegetatively covered all year is clearly positive for all, but the challenge is to go from a green winter-hardy cover crop in spring to a new cash crop for that season," Erwin acknowledges. Through years of experimentation with self-made inoculants, ferments, and teas, he's developed systems that consistently produce vegetables with superior nutritional profiles.

Seeds: The Foundation of Nutrient-Dense Food Systems

What truly sets Horaholm apart is its focus on biodynamic seed production—recognizing that nutrient-dense food starts with the right genetics. "We grow biodynamic seeds suited for regenerative systems," Erwin states. These seeds are specifically selected and adapted to thrive in biologically active soils without synthetic inputs.

The farm produces over ten varieties of vegetable seed crops for companies in need of biodynamic seeds. Each seed carries with it generations of adaptation to regenerative conditions—genetics that naturally thrive with minimal inputs and are optimized for nutrition-focused growing systems. These locally adapted seeds give other farmers the foundation they need to grow truly nutritious food.

This work directly addresses what Erwin sees as agriculture's critical gap: "Practical information is the big missing link. Successful practices need to be developed more." By producing seeds optimized for nutrient density and sharing the techniques to grow them successfully, Horaholm is building the infrastructure for a food system that prioritizes nutrition over yield alone.

Sharing the Science of Nutritional Growing

Erwin has become a valued educator on the connection between soil health and human nutrition. Through his YouTube channel featuring informative videos, he demonstrates the specific techniques that enhance nutritional quality.

"We are setting up a community so farmers can support each other and help reduce individual learning costs," Erwin explains. This collaborative approach extends to hosting farm tours and workshops specifically focused on growing for nutrition. By openly sharing soil test results, nutritional analyses, and the practical methods that improve both, Horaholm has become a learning hub for farmers seeking to produce food that is truly nourishing for people and the planet.

The farm's partnership with the Alliance provides the framework for knowledge sharing and practical support, while their work with carbon credit programs through Oncra demonstrates that nutrient-dense farming can also be financially viable.

A Vision for Nourishing Future Generations

As a father of five young children, Erwin's commitment to nutrient-dense food runs deeper than business metrics. Every decision on the farm is made with their health in mind—creating a system that produces vegetables rich in the minerals and vitamins that growing bodies need.

Looking ahead, the Westers family sees Horaholm as a model for nutrient-focused regenerative agriculture that can inspire change throughout Europe. Their goal is clear: restoring ecosystems while producing high-quality, nutrient-dense food.

Through practical innovation in seed production, soil management, and knowledge sharing, Horaholm is proving that the path forward for farming isn't just about sustaining the land—it's about producing food that sustains human and planetary health at the deepest level.