Johanna & Anneke Mohr, potato farmers, Kreis Dithmarschen (Germany)
Kreis Dithmarschen is a tiny region in the northwest of Germany, in the state of Schleswig-Holstein. This region, which was still part of the sea five hundred years ago, has incredibly fertile soil, perfect for agriculture. It’s here that the Mohr family grows their seed potatoes. We travelled to their farm, located right next to the Wadden Sea, to speak with Johanna and Anneke Mohr about seed potatoes, farming equipment, and what it’s like to run a large farm as young women.
During a casual conversation with the Belgian machinery manufacturer Dewulf, the topic of women in agriculture came up. It wasn’t long before one of the Dewulf representatives mentioned the Mohr cousins. They are the sixth generation on the family farm and the third generation to grow potatoes. Our interest was piqued, and soon we reached out to them. Not long after, we were in the car, heading to northwestern Germany to visit the farm.
A young woman at the wheel
“I’ll send you my location,” Johanna Mohr messaged over WhatsApp. In the vast polders near the Wadden Sea, it wasn’t hard to spot her, driving her red Dewulf Kwatro potato harvester. The machine left a large cloud of dust in its wake, and I just had to find the right dirt road to reach the field. A few minutes later, as I rode with her in the passenger seat, Johanna talked about the past growing season: “a very wet spring made planting our potatoes difficult. It was followed by a relatively warm summer, which led to a lot of clods forming in the potato ridges. You can really see it now during the harvest!”
Johanna Mohr (27) and her cousin Anneke Mohr (26) run the family farming business, Mohr Potatoes. On nine hundred hectares (2224 acres, red.) , they grow winter wheat, winter barley, rapeseed, and, most importantly, seed potatoes.
A busy harvest season
When we visited Johanna and Anneke, it was the busiest time of the year for them: harvest season. While Johanna was at the wheel of her Dewulf Kwatro harvesting seed potatoes, Anneke, along with other family members, was transporting the harvested potatoes to the farm, where they are sorted, cleaned, and stored. The potatoes they propagate in the fertile polder soil of Dithmarschen are all license-free varieties. Their in-house sales team sells the seed potatoes worldwide, with North Africa being the main market. The sold potatoes are shipped from the port of Hamburg, either in fifty kg (110 lbs, red.) bags, big bags, or in bulk.
A different path to farming
Although Johanna and Anneke grew up on the family farm, agriculture wasn’t their first career choice. Both initially worked in other sectors but eventually found their way back to farming. “After my studies, I started in the creative industry, which was interesting and challenging,” Johanna shared. “But I quickly realized I missed living in tune with the seasons. From late autumn to spring, I would leave for work in the dark, spend all day indoors, and return home in the dark. In the summer, when the weather was beautiful, I was stuck at my desk. The love for farming, which I had since childhood, resurfaced. I followed my heart, left the creative industry, and returned to agriculture.” Anneke also took a detour into another sector before deciding to continue the family farm. “As kids, we rode along on the tractors and grew up with the seasons,” she explained. “Life on a farm is just different. Who else can say they had a Unimog to drive around at sixteen? While our friends rode bikes, we had our Unimog (laughs)!”
Continuing a Family Legacy
Johanna and Anneke are the sixth generation to work on the farm. Their grandfathers started growing potatoes in the early 1970s, the first generation to introduce potatoes, and their fathers expanded the business. “We have a large and interesting farm here, which has been built up over generations. At some point, the question arose: who will take it over”, Anneke said. “Johanna and I have always enjoyed working together on the farm, so the decision to run the business together came naturally.”
Nothing special
“For us, being women in agriculture isn’t anything special. We grew up in it, and there weren’t any special exceptions made for us,” Anneke explained. Johanna added, “It’s no longer all about physical strength if you want to do this work. You need to be able to operate impressive machinery and work with the latest technology, but the days when you needed to be physically strong are over. Farming does involve long hours, and sometimes nights and weekends, but that’s part of the job. The rewards are breathtaking sunsets while harvesting the last rows or sunrises as you head to the field. Who else can say that besides farmers?” The passion for farming can be heard clearly in both Anneke’s and Johanna’s voices as they talk about what makes their profession worth it.
“Although I grew up on the farm and farming is in my blood, I took a detour into another sector before I started farming myself. I would encourage any young women considering a career in agriculture to take the leap and not be afraid. You should do what you want, even if it means taking risks. In the end, you can learn everything,” Anneke said. Johanna added, “Girls thinking of entering the sector shouldn’t hesitate! If you try, you’ll soon see it’s possible. We have a great saying in German: ‘Es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen,’ meaning nobody is born with experience. Anyone can grow in the sector, so don’t hesitate—just go for it!”
This article was published in Women in Ag Mag 2024-003. Click here to read the magazine
