Mathias Mørup - Plant farmer for 10 years
26 October 2021

Mathias Mørup and his father are in the process of a generational change in several areas. As Mathias Mørup takes over the farm, pig production is being phased out and the focus is on seed potatoes and more high-value crops. Also, more of the farm's purchasing is starting to go digital to make everyday life more efficient.

From pig farmer to plant grower
Meet Mathias Mørup

Mathias Mørup and his father are in the process of a generational change in several areas. As Mathias Mørup takes over the farm, pig production is being phased out and the focus is on seed potatoes and more high-value crops. Also, more of the farm's purchasing is starting to go digital to make everyday life more efficient.

Farmer for 10 years - Maykers since 2020
Generational change and seed potatoes

28-year-old Mathias Mørup works on his father's farm, but they are in the process of a generational change, where Mathias will become co-owner of the farm on 1July 1st. After a 5-year introductory period, Mathias hopes to take over full ownership of the farm.

Until recently, the farm's primary focus has been on the production of slaughter pigs (they produce 14,000 slaughter pigs ranging from 7-100 kg per year across three properties), but the company's strategy is to shift production to crop production with high value crops such as seed potatoes as the pig barns become run down.

"We have started to grow seed potatoes for export and this is relatively new for us. It's quite different from what we've done before. You have to look after the potato as though it were a small child, and that requires a completely different set-up than what we have been used to," says Mathias Mørup.

Farmer from the beginning

The property in Central Jutland was bought by Mathias Mørup's grandfather, so the 28-year-old farmer will be the third generation on the farm, which until now has been primarily pig production. 

"On paper, I have been a farmer since I was 17 years old and graduated from agricultural school. But otherwise I would say I have been a farmer since I was born. I've always helped out on the farm," says Mathias Mørup.

Mathias Mørup has already given a lot of thought to his future as a farm owner. The decision to co-own his father's farm was one of the hardest decisions the young farmer had made, because ownership also means potential risk and responsibility.

The new generation

Mathias Mørup and his father have a good cooperation with their local dealer Lyngfeldt A/S, which is also visible on Maykers.com with a large range of different products for Danish farmers. When Mathias Mørup needs to buy materials and standard goods for his farm, it is often done through Maykers and with Lyngfeldt A/S. 

Trading agricultural goods digitally
Facing the future

"Sometimes I need so many small items that it's easier for me to find them myself and buy them online. I believe that  what Maykers is doing is the future. Things have just become more online in general, and with the generations, shopping is shifting from physical commerce to more online commerce," Mathias Mørup says and continues:

"Maykers opens up the possibility for more, without doing much. There's price transparency, so it's visible what we get out of the deal. I would also never buy a TV before checking the price at all the retailers."

The young planter points out that you can just tell the difference between his father and himself. For his father, online trading is relatively new, and although the feed supplier has an online platform where feed can be bought for the pigs, his father often chooses to call.

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Meet more farmers at Maykers

Check out our stories from other Danish farmers and hear how Maykers makes everyday life on the farm simpler for them. Also meet a number of local Danish dealers who are using new digital platforms to create more value for their customers via their online shop on Maykers.

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