Miory Regional Executive Committee
While weather conditions remain favorable for farmers, every good opportunity must be seized. However, without a well-considered and responsible approach, high yields and a robust feed base cannot be achieved. Science and technology stand ready to assist, a fact clearly recognized by Sergey Ignatyev, a mechanizer at the Vitebsk Zonal Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, whom we encountered in the field sowing the final hectares of sweet clover. Ignatyev has been with the institute for nearly 20 years, and his wife also works there as head of the feed production department.
— You could say we operate as a family team, — jokes Sergey Nikolaevich. — I come from a farming lineage; throughout my school years, I consistently spent my summer holidays working as a combine harvester assistant. Perhaps that is when I developed a passion for this profession and its romance. Even now, whenever I look at a field turning from green to golden, which I myself have sown, my heart feels just as light as it did in my youth.
I have been operating this high-power "Belarus-3522" for three years now. The work proceeds smoothly, and all prerequisites are in place: reliable machinery, experience, and, importantly, a positive work mindset. How could one not have it when you see how much has already been accomplished and is currently being done to develop our agriculture under the continuous support of the Head of State. I am far from a newcomer in the agro-industrial complex, so I have ample basis for comparison.The majority of the land area of the Vitebsk Zonal Institute of Agriculture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, totaling nearly 1,550 hectares, including 1,350 hectares of arable land, has been sown specifically by universal mechanizer Sergey Ignatyev. Before you realize it, he will switch to the combine harvester: harvesting of winter barley here is planned to begin in late June to early July.
The zonal institute has been working with winter barley for several years, a crop whose potential was previously noted by the President. Production plantings cover more than 40 hectares, states Ivan Chekalov, head of the grain and legume crops department:
— For the second year, we have been conducting trials to study the timing and seeding rates of winter barley under the conditions of the Vitebsk region. This crop is heat-loving and quite demanding. To obtain a decent yield in the northern part of the country, all nuances must be taken into account. Experiments are underway with the first domestically bred variety "Buslik," which is the most adapadapted for our fields, and the imported 'ZU Midnight' helped determine the optimal sowing dates for our region. It is not late August, as previously believed, but September 10–15, with an optimal seeding density of 3–4.5 million seeds per hectare.
The main task of the Vitebsk Zonal Institute, according to its director Sergey Kolotkov, consists precisely in this — testing varieties of various agricultural crops taking into account the local climate, multiplying them, and transferring improved planting material to farms:
— We can say that we have become, in a sense, trendsetters of modern agronomic practices in our home region.
The institute, which rightfully takes pride in having the largest collection of grain and legume crops in the region, certainly has much to offer. The collection covers approximately three hectares and includes 99 varieties of domestic and foreign breeding, Sergey Kolotkov clarifies:
— Trials on specially allocated plots allow us to determine which crops and varieties are best suited for the Vitebsk Region.
For example, we are working with silphium perforatum, which yields between 750 and 1,000 centners of green biomass per hectare across several cuttings. This is a true discovery and a foundation for a reliable feed base. The plant's potential is enormous. Nevertheless, last year only four farms purchased seeds from us. We hope this is just the beginning.Sergey Kolotkov also notes the significant economic benefit of cultivating silphium, which successfully grows in one location for up to 30 (!) years. This means funds and resources can be saved on spring fieldwork. Another advantage is that even small-contour plots are suitable for this crop, which is highly relevant for the Vitebsk Region.
This year, the institute planted for the first time the soybean variety "Sussex," regionally adapted for the Vitebsk Region. They have also closely engaged with such a promising crop as Galega orientalis, increasing its area to 6.5 hectares. In terms of protein content, this perennial leguminous grass surpasses even silphium, which is called the new queen of the fields.
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Currently, in the Vitebsk region, as across the country, feed harvesting is at its peak, notes Vitaliy Vorobyov, Head of the Department of Agriculture, Crop Production and Feed Production of the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Agriculture and Food. Work in the region began a week earlier than last year. The total area of first-cut grass crops amounts to 210 thousand hectares, of which more than 20 percent has already been harvested as of June 4. Over 0.8 centners of feed units have been prepared per average head of livestock. Sowing of corn for silage in the Vitebsk region is nearing completion. This season, 106 thousand hectares have been allocated for it — 20 thousand more than last year. Vegetable planting on 250 hectares of regional farms has already been completed.