By 2019, all cattle farms in the Vitebsk region will have silage trenches
The crew of the "Zaozerie" Specialized Farming Enterprise (a branch of "Vitebsky Meat Processing Plant" JSC), consisting of combine operators Leonid Paramonov and Dmitry Skripelyov, was the first in the region to thresh over 1,000 tons of grain in the Lepel district. The frontrunners were presented with diplomas, cash bonuses, and gifts right in the field. The Vitebsk region is currently carrying out a comprehensive set of agricultural works. The main efforts are focused on grain harvesting; in addition, soil preparation for winter sowing is underway, and fodder procurement is in progress. "All presses are engaged in wrapping grass in stretch film. We are storing herbaceous fodder in trenches, but we don't have enough of them yet. Last year, about 600 tons of fodder were stored in mounds," said Ivan Fedorov. This storage method is inefficient. "A mound or a heap is, at best, an asphalted area, and at worst, just the ground where fodder is piled. With this storage method, losses are extremely high – 30-50% of the contents spoil. From a silage trench, we extract almost 100% high-quality fodder," explained the representative of the regional executive committee.
According to him, the region is carrying out systematic work to address this issue. Last year, over 50 trenches for silage storage were built, and approximately the same number will be added this year: 32 have already been constructed, and about 20 more will be commissioned by the corn harvesting season. "We will continue this work. By 2018, we plan to equip all farms with silage storage facilities," assured the chairman of the regional agricultural committee.
Alena Tikhonova - BELTA.