This year's sowing campaign is expected to be very difficult, even extreme, for farmers. According to measurements from the weather station, the snow cover on the fields exceeds 30 centimeters – an anomaly for early April. In previous years, by this time, snow had almost disappeared from the fields, and machinery had made test runs on individual plots.
This year's sowing campaign is expected to be very difficult, even extreme, for farmers. According to measurements from the weather station, the snow cover on the fields exceeds 30 centimeters – an anomaly for early April. In previous years, by this time, snow had almost disappeared from the fields, and machinery had made test runs on individual plots.
Deep snow implies a large amount of meltwater. How good is this for sowing? As the saying goes, all things in moderation. Again, according to the weather station data, each hectare of field holds over a thousand tons of water in the form of snow. One can imagine the scale of this mass. Until it drains and the ground dries, there is no point in venturing out onto the fields – powerful tractors will only get stuck and cut ruts in the soil. Only when the meltwater has drained and the topsoil has warmed up will it be possible to sow the grain.
Much depends on the weather. Under rain, snow will quickly melt from the fields, but they will still take longer to dry to a state suitable for machinery, waiting for the sun to shine and warm them. If the current weather persists, with sunny warm days alternating with light frosts at night, the snow will melt a little longer, but almost immediately after that, soil preparation can begin.
In the meantime, farmers, farm agronomists, and the district agricultural supply department maintain constant contact with the weather station, regularly receiving weather forecasts. According to these forecasts, more or less favorable weather is expected to set in by the middle of the month.
Currently, considering the weather conditions and the snow on the fields, machinery is being kept in repair and mechanical workshops. More than 80 percent of tractors, sowing units, seeders, and cultivators are on standby. The repair and adjustment process is nearing completion, with some farms approaching one hundred percent readiness. Every day, mechanics and machine operators are bringing new units into service.
It is gratifying that the fleet of sowing machinery and tractors is regularly updated, with energy-intensive machines replacing the veteran MTZ-82s, and seeders being replaced by sowing units that are characterized by higher productivity, more precise adherence to sowing rates, and also prepare the soil for sowing more thoroughly. For instance, the SVF “Zaazerye” has almost completely switched to using sowing units.
All farms have the necessary stock of spring grain seeds. Barley, wheat, and corn have overwintered well, and in a while, they can be loaded into seeders and units. Farms regularly carry out breeding work, with elite seeds replacing those of the second and third reproduction.
In autumn, the agricultural workers of Lepel region sowed 8110 hectares of winter cereals and 2200 hectares of winter rapeseed and camelina. When favorable conditions arise – average daily temperatures reaching +50C and the appearance of white root tips, indicating the start of vegetation – the crops need to be fertilized with mineral fertilizers. Additionally, 4300 hectares of perennial grasses will also require fertilization. This is the very first task. For now, it is too early to comment on the condition of winter crops and how they have overwintered; we need to wait for the snow to melt. This is because there have been cases where some winter crops had to be re-sown.
The spring crop area is larger, reaching 13070 hectares. This includes 6890 ha of cereals and legumes, 1800 ha of rapeseed, 700 ha of flax, 3800 ha of corn, and 200 ha of potatoes. The optimal long-term sowing dates are by May 1st for cereals and by May 5th for potatoes and corn. As we can see, due to abnormal weather conditions, the tight deadlines are becoming even tighter. Will the agricultural workers manage to complete the sowing within the optimal timeframe, because, as is known, a spring day feeds the year.
It is planned to involve patrons – enterprises and organizations of the city and district – to assist in the sowing campaign. Several tractors are already helping to remove organic matter at OAO “Ladasna”. Workers from KUPV ZhKG “Lepel”, KUPV “Borovka” and others will come to the aid of the villagers.
Lyubov Pligavka, Head of the Department of Mechanization and Intensification of Agricultural Production of the Department of Agriculture and Food, is confident that there is enough time for all operations.
Vasily MATYRKO.