Potato Production Farm, Eastern Russia
Project Details
A 100-hectare potato farm located in Eastern Russia. The farmers had not produced potatoes before and were securing a contract to sell stored potatoes to the military. They were dairy farmers with experience in row crop production, specifically corn.
The entire plan consisted of 300 hectares of potatoes, 1,000 hectares of soybeans, and 1,000 hectares of corn.
Our Responsibilities
Our group was responsible for purchasing pre-owned equipment from the USA, coordinating freight to Eastern Russia, creating an agronomy program, training employees on equipment operation, and implementing the production plan.
This was one of the first projects we did in Eastern Russia. The group of farmers was simple. We did not use GPS, yield monitors, or mapping for this project. We kept it as simple as possible for the farmers to understand the mechanical side of farming. Later, GPS, mapping, yield monitoring, and soil sampling were implemented.
Thousands of hectares lay fallow in this region. Potatoes are a main food source for the local people.
Challenges
As one of our first projects based in Russia, this brought a whole new set of challenges we had not faced in farming. America's agricultural advancement is so significant that we often take our readily available resources for granted.
Some of the first issues we faced were logistics. Driving and breaking down a few miles from home to get a part sitting on a shelf at the local dealership is a far cry from the situation at the farm we built. Proper planning of parts, sister equipment, and having plans A, B & C is absolutely necessary for these areas.
Planting, spreading, and spraying with markers was another task we had not anticipated. It's easy to jump into the TerraGator, turn on the AgLeader, and start spreading.
The last hurdle was speaking the local language. As easy as that may sound, we often resorted to drawing images in the dirt to communicate. While this slowed our operations somewhat, it taught us all a valuable lesson in working together without direct communication.
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Limited Funding
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Fields uneven
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No Backup Equipment
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Language Barriers
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Nutrient-Deficient Soils
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Older Equipment
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Limited Part Availability
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Import Customs and Duties
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Theft of Crops
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No GPS
Successes
We built a team of old-time Russian farmers with new techniques they had not experienced before. We successfully harvested a great crop and the farm owners pursued a long career in potato production.
We managed to put together a plan to avoid some of the early problems we faced with logistics and planning make the following years much more manageable.
At the end of the first season, all the challenges the team had faced were identified and addressed. This made the following season less strenuous and more profitable for the farmer.
A great project and a real pleasure teaching farmer in this region on potato production. A proud culture and dedicated group with a get it done attitude. It was a real pleasure working with them.
