EkoNiva Group, Russia’s largest dairy holding, has announced the beginning of spring crop sowing season. The farms in Voronezh subdivision were the first to take action. The first field work has commenced in several other regions of the company’s presence.

The spring field work season started in EkoNiva’s Voronezh subdivision in the middle of March. To start with, top dressing of winter crops was carried out. Introduction of nitrogenous fertilisers helps the plants to recover after overwintering and proceed to active vegetative growth and tillering. Then, harrowing of perennial crops and winter cereals as well as seedbed preparation ahead of spring sowing took place. At the same time, similar operations were performed in Kursk subdivision.

In Kaluga and St. Petersburg branches, fertilisers are also being introduced into winter cereals and perennial grasses simultaneously with harrowing. During the week, Volga, Moscow and Ryazan operations are planning to come into the fields.

In early April, sowing of barley and annual forage grasses commenced in a number of farms in Voronezh oblast. Currently, soil preparation for alfalfa and sugar beets is also ongoing. Besides, enterprises of the group are planning to sow such spring crops as wheat, barley, oats, maize, peas, soya beans, lentils, faba beans, sunflower, rapeseed, flax as well as different perennial and annual grasses for forage and seeds in the current season.

'We observe that the winter crops are in a good condition, virtually without losses after the winter. The priority task at the current stage is to feed the grasses and winter crops as well as to preserve soil moisture, with that in mind our employees are doing their best to complete harrowing in the shortest possible time. In some regions, Siberia in particular, there is still some snow in the fields, though it is melting fast. So local farms are also looking forward to favourable conditions to get down to work’, says Aleksandr Anpilov, Chief Agronomist of EkoNiva Group.

According to the Group’s plans, around 475,000 ha of land – including meadows and pastures – will be allocated for Crop 2026 in 13 regions of its presence. The total acreage of forage crops together with meadows and pastures is going to exceed 200,000 ha. Over 270,000 ha is going to be taken with cash crops, including those grown for seeds. The area under winter crops amounts to over 63,600 ha.