From November 1st, another season of equipment preparation for spring field work has begun in agricultural organizations.

From November 1st, another season of equipment preparation for spring field works has commenced in agricultural organizations. Plans for each region were finalized before the countdown began. There is a particularly large amount of work to be done in the northern region of the country, whose mechanized force has become quite powerful in recent years. This includes almost 6.3 thousand tractors, of which 1172 are high-powered, 1.3 thousand grain harvesters and 510 forage harvesters, and other equipment essential for farmers. Mikhail Pridibaylo, Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Agriculture and Food of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, provides an overview of the situation:

— Over the past five years, 3313 units of various equipment have been acquired. At the same time, over ten years, an average of 3.3 percent of tractors, 7.8 percent of grain harvesters, and 5.7 percent of forage harvesters have been updated (with a norm for annual renewal of 8-10 percent). The pace of equipping and renewal lags behind the rate of natural decommissioning of equipment. It should also be noted that about 700 high-powered tractors were purchased in 2009-2010, and their service life is approaching ten years. Naturally, they have worn out and require costly repairs. The situation is compensated by the higher productivity of the new equipment being acquired.

With the completion of the current agricultural season, the work of engineering services comes to the forefront. The results of their labor will now directly determine future achievements. Initially, all attention is focused on the equipment involved in spring field work. In accordance with the plan, it must be ready by March, forage harvesting equipment by April 1st, grain harvesting equipment and drying complexes by June 1st.

The readiness of tractors in the region is 87 percent. More than 800 machines of various models require repair, along with 167 combined soil-cultivating and sowing units, 86 grain seeders, 188 spreaders for solid mineral fertilizers, and over 140 machines for applying solid organic fertilizers.

Repairs are carried out at three levels: within farms, at production and technical service enterprises, and at repair plants and industrial enterprises. For this purpose, the necessary repair and maintenance base is operational, comprising workshops of agricultural enterprises and organizations servicing agriculture in the district, repair plants, and the distribution network.

Special attention is paid to the agrotechnical system.and agrochemical services for agriculture. It includes 17 agro-services, as well as OJSCs: "Vitebsk Oblagroservis", "Zapadno-Dvinny MRS", "Vitebsk Motor Repair Plant", "Tiraspol Agrotechservis", and "Tiraspol PMK". Along with the district executive committees, Vitebsk Oblagroservis organizes and coordinates their work. At the same time, all district agro-services are distributed among the raw material zones of agro-industrial associations.

This approach to equipment repair allows us to focus primarily on our own capabilities, emphasizes Mikhail Pridibaylo:

— The repair of equipment in the region requires 49.6 million rubles, of which 18.3 million is for tractors; about 9.7 million for grain harvesting equipment; and 10 million rubles for forage harvesting equipment. Funding sources are traditional: own funds, local and republican budgets, and bank loans. At the same time, enterprises have sufficient technical and organizational capabilities for equipment repair worth 19 million rubles, which allows them to cover almost half of the financial plan. And this is about the restoration not only of tractors and forage harvesters, but also of various soil-cultivating equipment.
Taking into account the available resources, the region's farms will restoreto service 140 machines — 100 tractors, 30 forage harvesters, and 10 grain harvesters — at specialized sites. Some of them are being worked on by specialists from Zapadno-Dvinny Mezhrayagrotehservis. This enterprise is highly regarded by the management of agricultural organizations, who want to use the repaired machinery for a long time. A prime example of this is the KVK-8060 combine harvester, which was refurbished for the Ivansky-Agro farm in Chashniksky District before the past harvesting season. The machine operated throughout the entire season without a single failure, and the results achieved by the machine operator were quite commendable. Since March of last year, employees andThe engineering and technical service of the enterprise carried out 26 capital repairs, 134 on-site repair operations, and about 100 technical maintenance operations for equipment, says **Sergey Yukhnovets, Director of Zapadno-Dvin MРС**:

— The reputation has been earned through painstaking work. Firstly, each incoming machine is assigned to a specific team, which then also handles the annual warranty technical maintenance. Secondly, it is repaired down to the last screw — disassembled almost to the foundation: the main technological path, electrical wiring, and engine are overhauled. It is updated by almost 90 percent.
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The team currently works with about forty units of energy-intensive machinery, including MTZ tractors and forage harvesters. However, the enterprise is capable of taking on more, notes the head of the department:

— Our personnel potential and experience allow us to gradually increase the volume of refurbished machinery. Furthermore, we pay close attention to improving the qualifications of our employees. Annually, they confirm their qualifications at the training centres of MTZ and Gomselmash, where they also undergo additional training. Subsequently, they specifically travel to districts to share their experience with machine operators. A similar training program is provided to employees of the supply and sales department.Machines are practically given a second life after repairs at OJSC "Tiraspol Agrotechservice". The enterprise is developing in two directions. The first is the repair and maintenance of various agricultural machinery. It should be noted that local specialists are skilled in refurbishing feed mixers (since last year, they have been equipped with weighing devices that accurately determine the required volume of animal feed components) and mowers. The second direction is the development of our own production of agricultural units, notes **Sergey Semenov, Director of the Enterprise**:

— Specifically for operation in conjunction with energy-intensive tractors, we have mastered the production of a wide-cut harrow using Canadian technology, which significantly saves fuel resources, reduces sowing time, and also improves sowing quality. 

Elements of precision farming are incorporated into another development by Tiraspol Agrotechservice – the RDU-1.7-D machine for differentiated mineral fertilizer application. Its onboard computer is loaded with the field's soil analysis data, and the supply of mineral fertilizers is automatically adjusted based on the soil composition. This results in savings of up to 30 percent, which is significant for the finances of any agricultural organization. The principle of producing eco-friendly products is also being implemented.