The traditional crop production workshop has taken place at EkoNiva’s premises in Voronezh region. The two-day event provided a platform where over 150 managers and specialists from every region of EkoNiva’s presence could share their know-how.

Regional directors, managers of subdivisions, agronomists, soil specialists, seed growers, technicians, economists, logistics specialists, commercial and HR department representatives as well as other employees from every region of EkoNiva’s presence participated in the large-scale training session.

In the course of two days, the attendees inspected reference fields at Voronezh region’s production facilities. They took a closer look at the technologies applied and the specifics of cultivation in the Black Soil region as well as highlighted future prospects in the field of crop production.

The specialists also engaged in the discussion on the alfalfa growing technologies. Producing fodder for the company’s own livestock is a high-priority task. Based on the soil profile, the specialists studied alfalfa plants in the first year of life, the soil’s condition and the crop’s root system. Due to its high nutrient content, which has a positive effect on animal productivity and health, the crop is a valuable component of the cow ration at EkoNiva.

Next, the topic of soil cultivation was brought up. The participants of the workshop visited corn fields, where the soil was worked using mini-till and conventional tillage.

‘Both technologies have their place. The conventional one is widespread in all the regions of EkoNiva’s presence. Mini-till is mainly used in Voronezh, Ryazan, Novosibirsk oblasts as well as in Volga region. The choice of the technology depends on the weather and climatic conditions, soil type and structure, the crop’s biological features, weed pressure, erosion risks, the equipment available and also the financial costs’, says Aleksandr Anpilov, Chief Agronomist at EkoNiva.

To continue the topic of soil tillage, the workshop participants were presented two domestic seedbed preparation cultivators produced by the Ekotekhnika company, i. e. the Sirius and the Orion.

‘Last year, we acquired the Orion cultivator. The specialists are always ready to help, which was exactly what they did whenever we had questions. As for the performance, the soil quality after the pass was impressive. The key advantages of the cultivator are accessible spare parts and maintenance service’, says Yevgeniy Konyaev, Chief Agronomist at EkoNiva’s Ryazan Subdivision.

Today, the machines are working successfully at EkoNiva’s fields in Voronezh, Ryazan and Kaluga oblasts.

The audience also addressed the matter of using the varieties of the company’s own breeding for cultivating winter wheat and soya beans. EkoNiva’s seed breeding division’s portfolio contains ten varieties of winter wheat and five varieties of soya beans, which are suitable for different soil and climatic zones. In the future, plans call for sowing 20% and 50% of the entire farmland with in-house developed varieties of winter wheat and soya beans, respectively.

The workshop has become an integral part of EkoNiva’s culture. Opinion and experience exchange among the specialists of different divisions tied with crop production helps to establish the right development vector so as to jointly work towards success.

‘Over the two days, we have heard hundreds of opinions on different issues, had heated arguments and discussions. It is at exactly this kind of meeting that the truth is born that will, without a shadow of a doubt, bear fruit in the future’, sums up Aleksandr Anpilov.