Nearly 70 percent of early spring crops sown in Vitebsk region
Spring field work in the northern region traditionally begins later than in others. While sowing is already being completed in the Grodno, Brest, and Minsk regions, the responsible campaign is in full swing for Vitebsk agrarians: as of yesterday, 68 percent of early spring crops have been sown from the planned amount. The weather is favorable, and a good pace has been achieved – 8-9 thousand hectares are sown daily in the region. In the Polotsk district, where our correspondents went, 75 percent of the planned area has already been sown. Work is also in full swing at the patronized farm of OJSC "Naftan" "Polimir-Agro", which was the first in the district to start fieldwork.
We also started earlier than others last year, says the deputy director of the agricultural enterprise, Vitaly Tsironok, meeting us early in the morning at the machine yard:
— There is enough equipment, seeds, fertilizers, and herbicides. We also have enough people; there are 170 people in total at the farm. Look at our staff – young, promising, with sparkling eyes and golden hands.
22-year-old Nikolay Chertkov and his peer Kirill Medvetsky are waiting to go to the field. Kirill is from the Rossony district and came to "Polimir-Agro"a fellow villager's advice. The young man lists the advantages of his new job:
— They don't skimp on salary, and the team is friendly. I once wanted to become a long-haul truck driver, but now I realize that I find it more interesting and familiar to work on the land. Currently, I'm involved in fertilizer application, and fodder harvesting will begin soon. If you strive and don't laze around, you can earn quite decently. I haven't sown yet, but I really want to try.
/>Young machine operator Nikolay Chertkov has been working at "Polimir-Agro" for five years. He has already participated in sowing and has proven himself excellently. It's no wonder, the guy smiles, as he is a hereditary agronomist:
— My father, Leonid Nikolaevich, works both on a tractor and a combine harvester at this farm. I was ten when he first took me to the field. I graduated from the agricultural technical college in Lepel, and I plan to get a specialized higher education. Agriculture is a stable and promising industry, so it makes sense.
The agricultural enterprise has over 3800 hectares at its disposal, of which more than 2300 are arable land and 1530 are meadows. A cow at "Polymir-Agro" produces an average of 18.4 liters of milk per day. They intend to increase the milking herd. A new calf barn for 200 heads is under construction. Taking this into account, they recently acquired an additional 400 hectares of land.
"We are provided with our own feed until August," estimates Vitaly Tsironok, deputy director of the agricultural enterprise:
— In general, our crop rotation looks like this: over 1100 hectares of winter crops, 1120 of spring crops, another 300 will be allocated for annual grasses, and 100 for leguminous crops. Corn will occupy 400 hectares, and about 100 hectares will be sown with sorghum, which has been growing in our fields for the third year. In 2022, it grew up to three meters high – a real green sea. Now we are looking at a hybrid of fescue and ryegrass – festulolium. We are also focusing on updating our machinery fleet: we are currently acquiring new forage harvesters and grain harvesters, and two MTZ tractors.
This spring, the Polotsk district suffered from flooding, but it did not significantly affect the lands of "Polymir-Agro." There are isolated areas where we will have to wait for them to dry, but overall, the harvest prospects are good. Winter crops overwintered well, with no mass die-off. Mechanizer Chertkov Sr., whom we found in the midst of sowing in the Dubovye tract, has no time for lengthy conversations:
We also started earlier than others last year, says the deputy director of the agricultural enterprise, Vitaly Tsironok, meeting us early in the morning at the machine yard:
— There is enough equipment, seeds, fertilizers, and herbicides. We also have enough people; there are 170 people in total at the farm. Look at our staff – young, promising, with sparkling eyes and golden hands.
22-year-old Nikolay Chertkov and his peer Kirill Medvetsky are waiting to go to the field. Kirill is from the Rossony district and came to "Polimir-Agro"a fellow villager's advice. The young man lists the advantages of his new job:
— They don't skimp on salary, and the team is friendly. I once wanted to become a long-haul truck driver, but now I realize that I find it more interesting and familiar to work on the land. Currently, I'm involved in fertilizer application, and fodder harvesting will begin soon. If you strive and don't laze around, you can earn quite decently. I haven't sown yet, but I really want to try.
/>Young machine operator Nikolay Chertkov has been working at "Polimir-Agro" for five years. He has already participated in sowing and has proven himself excellently. It's no wonder, the guy smiles, as he is a hereditary agronomist:
— My father, Leonid Nikolaevich, works both on a tractor and a combine harvester at this farm. I was ten when he first took me to the field. I graduated from the agricultural technical college in Lepel, and I plan to get a specialized higher education. Agriculture is a stable and promising industry, so it makes sense.
The agricultural enterprise has over 3800 hectares at its disposal, of which more than 2300 are arable land and 1530 are meadows. A cow at "Polymir-Agro" produces an average of 18.4 liters of milk per day. They intend to increase the milking herd. A new calf barn for 200 heads is under construction. Taking this into account, they recently acquired an additional 400 hectares of land.
"We are provided with our own feed until August," estimates Vitaly Tsironok, deputy director of the agricultural enterprise:
— In general, our crop rotation looks like this: over 1100 hectares of winter crops, 1120 of spring crops, another 300 will be allocated for annual grasses, and 100 for leguminous crops. Corn will occupy 400 hectares, and about 100 hectares will be sown with sorghum, which has been growing in our fields for the third year. In 2022, it grew up to three meters high – a real green sea. Now we are looking at a hybrid of fescue and ryegrass – festulolium. We are also focusing on updating our machinery fleet: we are currently acquiring new forage harvesters and grain harvesters, and two MTZ tractors.
This spring, the Polotsk district suffered from flooding, but it did not significantly affect the lands of "Polymir-Agro." There are isolated areas where we will have to wait for them to dry, but overall, the harvest prospects are good. Winter crops overwintered well, with no mass die-off. Mechanizer Chertkov Sr., whom we found in the midst of sowing in the Dubovye tract, has no time for lengthy conversations:
— Every minute counts now. But in general, I believe that luck is on our side. We are counting on it, and we are in the field from morning till night. Inside my "Belarus-3522" tractor, I feel like I'm in an airplane cockpit: the installed precision farming system keeps me on course. I have been in agriculture for 30 years, but I have been sowing like this, scientifically, for the second year. Of course, there is a difference, and a significant one. The pneumatic seeder "Omega 6000 Ferti," which I tried for the first time in the fall on winter crops, is also helpful. Now the result can be assessed – after it, the crops are even and beautiful, as if drawn with a ruler.