The harvest will require the mobilization of forces

The district executive committee meeting addressed the issue of the district's agricultural organizations' readiness for the harvest and sowing of winter crops.

This year has been extremely unfavorable for farmers. A cold spring, followed by unprecedented drought, negatively impacted the formation of agricultural crop yields and caused considerable trouble for farmers. For almost three months, there was no rain in most of the district – the soil effectively "burned out" to a depth of 10 centimeters and lost its "nutritional" value.

As noted by Alexey Garbul, First Deputy Chairman of the District Executive Committee, Head of the Agriculture and Food Department, unfavorable weather conditions have affected the fullness of the ears of grain and threaten a yield reduction of up to 50 percent. This is despite the significant labor invested in the harvest: 13,643 hectares of winter cereals and 3,500 hectares of winter rapeseed were sown in the autumn, fallow land was plowed, and spring sowing was carried out within optimal deadlines. However, the loss of winter cereals was 19.4%, winter cruciferous crops – 58%, and spring fields were dried out.
Grain growers are taking measures to restore plots by reseeding with fodder crops. They are also preparing to work as technologically as possible during the harvest season: every ear of grain is worth its weight in gold under these conditions, and everything possible must be done for timely and high-quality harvesting and crop preservation. The task has been set to inventory each field in order to make informed decisions regarding its harvesting, product utilization, and upcoming winter sowing.
This year, over 21,000 hectares of grain, 4,000 hectares of rapeseed, 1,100 hectares of flax, 1,300 hectares of perennial grass seeds, and 20 hectares of potatoes are to be harvested. The harvested grain must first be stored for seeds, the state order of 7,400 tons must be fulfilled, and livestock must be maximally supplied with fodder.
The meeting analyzed the readiness of personnel, equipment, drying facilities, grain storage, and labor organization measures for the harvest.
It was noted that the number of harvesting machines is decreasing year by year, and their service life is increasing. As a result, the load on combine harvesters almost doubles the normative load. Nevertheless, with proper preparation of the machine and tractor fleet, it is possible to cope with the harvest within the established deadlines. To achieve this, it is necessary to complete the repair and readiness checks of the equipment by the beginning of July. Technical inspection of combine harvesters in agricultural enterprises will be carried out from

from July 2 to July 15.
For continuous operation, it is also necessary to organize combine maintenance in the field and eliminate downtime due to transportation. The main requirements for grain harvesters include sealing, adjustment and regulation at least twice a day, and cleaning of mechanisms.
The Chairman of the District Executive Committee, Vasily Shilov, drew the attention of farmers to the fact that the workload on harvest participants and equipment will be higher this year, as fodder preparation must be carried out intensively in parallel. Due to the drought, fodder crops have been significantly affected, and the first mowing was meager. Therefore, agricultural organizations must focus on fodder preparation, without which it is impossible to maintain livestock.
It is on the fodder fields that the mechanized detachments of the dairy and cheese factory and the district agroservice, which provide assistance to agricultural organizations in carrying out field work, will work first. Simultaneously with grain crops, it is necessary to harvest perennial grass seed crops and fill seeds.
The flax factory has 11 days to process flax, which will allow for high-quality flax straw. The problem of tractor drivers in this and other agro-industrial complex organizations is being solved by attracting personnel from industrial enterprises of the district.
24 grain drying complexes are ready to receive the new harvest, capable of processing over 6 thousand tons of grain per day, which corresponds to the daily threshing volume. In 2022, a grain drying complex was commissioned in SP "Drissensky", and the installation of a grain drying complex is underway in "Shaiterovo". The readiness of the drying facilities, as well as storage facilities for receiving the new harvest, was analyzed at the meeting. It was noted that all farms have pesticides for disinsection to meet the full demand.
Attention was drawn to the need to timely and fully ensure the collection of straw, and to quickly free up fields for plowing and the application of mineral and organic fertilizers.
From August 5, the optimal sowing period for winter rapeseed begins, which must be sown on 2.5 thousand hectares. The sowing target for winter grains is 12,500 hectares. Another 500 hectares will be occupied by winter crops for green fodder. Two weeks before sowing winter crops, fields must be plowed, potash fertilizers applied, and the soil rolled for sowing.
Measures to ensure fertilizers, seed filling, variety renewal, autumn chemical weeding of winter crops, and compliance with the technological chain of sowing were discussed at the meeting.
Special attention should be paid to the organization of labor for field participantswork, material incentives, and compliance with the safety of production processes. Tasks have been set to provide employees with workwear, serviceable tools and equipment, and hot meals. Medical examinations of employees and labor protection knowledge checks are under control. A fire extinguishing team is to be assigned to each grain harvesting unit.
Discipline and organization have been named the main requirements for participants in the harvesting campaign. At the same time, harvesting is not only the business of farmers, but also of the workers of the entire district. After all, the financial well-being of its residents depends on the results of agricultural work. Therefore, everyone must feel responsible for the timely and high-quality harvesting of the current crop and for laying the groundwork for the future.

Source: www.d-p.by