5 Implements That Help Sustain the Drive at Visser Farms

By Thomas Skernivitz|February 14, 2024

Iron gets a workout every year at Visser Farms in Zeeland, MI. Established in 1902, the 250-acre vegetable operation regularly rotates its crops to ensure its soil is not stressed or stripped of nutrients. Co-owners Phil and Cindy Visser and their seven children plant cover crops, such as rye and sorghum, to prevent soil erosion and replenish nutrients when plowed under. They pump water from an onsite pond and keep ditches clear to ensure proper drainage occurs. Luke Visser, one of the seven siblings, helps manage the operation, which includes coolers, washers, storage sheds, and greenhouses. Typically, he does so from behind the wheel of a machine. In the photo slideshow below, he describes his five favorite pieces of equipment.

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The Visser Family, including Luke Visser wearing brown cowboy hat in middle of back row.

Photo courtesy of Visser Farms
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Straw Chopper (Bedding Pro)

“We use the straw chopper to lay straw over the strawberries, kind of as a blanket for the winter. It will help keep them from freezing too hard. We’ll brush the straw off in the spring.”

Photo courtesy of Visser Farms
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Model 1000 two-row high-performance transplanter (Mechanical Transplanter)

“We use the Mechanical Transplanter to plant strawberries, all of our cole crops, and sweet potatoes. It does a really nice job.”

Photo courtesy of Visser Farms
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NG Plus four-row unit (Monosem)

“Our Monosem planter does a really good job with precision planting. We plant carrots, beets, peas, beans, sweet corn, and a bunch of other crops with it.”

Photo courtesy of Visser Farms
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OC-3 Crawler tractor (Oliver)

“This is my grandpa, dragging in the field with his OC-3 crawler. We use this to drag paths and keep weeds down in the fields.”

Photo courtesy of Visser Farms
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Seeder (Planet Jr.)

“We like running the Planet Jr. seeders on our farm because we can set them up on the tractor where we can see them and make sure they are working properly. For the size of our operation, we really appreciate how well they work, and we’ve learned that sometimes older equipment works just as good as the new stuff.”

Photo courtesy of Visser Farms