We saw how in one of the farms of Svetlogorsk district there is a process of laying a silage from corn

Harvesting corn for silage in the Gomel region is at a pace that exceeds last year. 63 percent of the planned area has already been removed. In 2025, it was only 47 percent. This culture here occupies one of the largest areas among the regions - 211,000 hectares. It has huge fields in many farms. For example, in KSUE "Polesskoye" of Svetlogorsk district - about 3400 hectares. About how the farm is the process of laying silos from this culture, read in the material of our correspondent.

The autumn sun has not yet managed to disperse the morning haze, and Alexander Vasilevsky's forage harvester is already confidently cutting dense rows of corn. The equipment here is domestic and time-tested - KVK-800.

“The car is reliable, familiar to loads,” says Alexander, deftly controlling the levers. Of course, the weather this summer dried the stem, so the yield is more modest than in the past. For the replacement, we grind from 400 to 600 tons of green mass.

The height of the cut is kept strictly according to agronomic standards: 20 - 30 centimeters. At the same time, Alexander shares a professional nuance that often surprises beginners:

- The speed of the harvester cannot be slowed down. On the contrary: the faster you go, the more corn mass simultaneously enters the drum and the smaller it crosses. And finely crushed silage animals on farms eat much better.

Literally half a meter from the unloaded sleeve is a tractor with a trailer. So that the harvesters did not stand idle waiting for transport for a minute, the farm built an uninterrupted schedule of transportation: 18 units of equipment are involved on the route.

One of the tractors, Vasily Mickiewicz, has been working at the Polesskoye for about 15 years. This is his first and only job.

- The most important thing in our connection with the harvester is to work together: keep the distance and go strictly on track so that no kilogram of mass flies past, Vasily explains, while the body is filled with a juicy green mesh. The faster we load and reach the trench, the less the equipment will stand in the field. My overall productivity depends on my speed.

During the shift, Vasily winds from 60 to 150 kilometers, managing to make 7 to 15 flights. The load is serious, but for him it is a habitual way of life:

- After all, I am local, I was born on this land, in the agro-town of Polesie, so I was accustomed to work from early childhood. His father worked all his life as a driver in the local economy, his mother as an artificial insemination operator. So in another profession, I did not even imagine myself, I followed in my father's footsteps. I like the work, the team is friendly. When your work has proven itself well, when you see the real result, then the mood is, and from dawn to dawn to work ready.

On the territory of the livestock complex, while harvesters work in the field without pauses, harvesting boils. The director of KSUE "Polesskoye" Vladimir Sidorenko keeps the process under control.

“The corn wedge is impressive this season, today more than 70 percent of the area has been mowed,” the head enters into the course of the matter. Yields are kept at the level of 120 - 150 centners per hectare, in the best fields it reaches 170. The dry period and rains during the weeds made their adjustments, but there is no reason to worry.

Three heavy loaders Amkodor are working on the silo mass.

- The trench must be completely filled and hermetically covered in a maximum of four days, Vladimir Sidorenko stressed. Be sure to make high-quality biopreservatives, conduct continuous tramping and monitor the temperature inside every day. If all the rules to withstand the technology, the silo will retain all the nutritional properties for two to three years.

A reliable airbag for the economy was the transfer fund: since last year, about 11 thousand tons of silo remained in Polessky. Taking into account the current plans to lay another 20-25,000 tons in the trenches, the enterprise is guaranteed to form a year and a half supply of feed. Ten tranches before our arrival were already sealed.

To maintain the working pace, a labor competition was organized in the farm: the results of each mechanizer are recorded. Interim results are summed up every two weeks: the front-runners are encouraged with awards, and the main award fund will find its heroes after the end of the campaign. Caring for people here is in the first place: so that the mechanics do not lose precious minutes of suffering, hearty hot dinners are delivered directly to the edge of the field.

At the same time, forage is only one of the areas of great autumn suffering. In parallel with corn farmers "Polesssky" finish sowing winter grains.

- As soon as we close the issue with corn and winter crops, we will immediately shift our forces to the export of organic fertilizers and the rise of chicks, Vladimir Sidorenko sums up. In addition, we plan to mow the grasses of the third mowing on the hay. We do not have pauses: land and livestock require constant work without regard to the calendar.

vaschenko@sb.by