Most Ukrainian farms are hesitant to expansion because of the war. However, the family enterprise “Petrovit” is taking that risk.
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The family enterprise “Petrovit” has almost 5 thousand in cultivation acres, on which 12 crops are grown and a farm of 1.2 thousand head of cattle, the milk from which is sold to the dairy factory of the candy factory. Here they are investing in the development of livestock and expanding their land bank, although a large number of businesses in Ukraine today are afraid to invest in expansion because of the war.
“We practice a 12-field crop rotation and grow wheat, barley, corn for silage and grain, rapeseed, sunflower seeds, peas, perennial grasses, etc. on our plots. Firstly, thanks to such a crop rotation, you can visit the culture every season so that there are no repetitions in the same field. For example, sunflowers leave the same field only every 10 years. Secondly, this is necessarily additional insurance in case if the price of one crop is low in the season, it will cover losses for the second”
Now, the farm has 1,200 cattle, including 400 dairy herds, and another 50 heads of horses. At first, horses were used here as a traction force: they were used to transport fodder for cows. When their livestock increased, they began to sell meat to the Kharkiv processing plant. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the plant has stopped working, so this direction has remained curtailed.
“Currently, there are 50 horses on the farm. Horses are an outlet for us, not a business. Father loves horses very much, so he does not sell them, but on the contrary, takes care of them”
But they plan to expand the dairy sector. There are 60 steers and 200 heifers in the feedlot. Mainly Simmental cows are kept, but Holsteins are also introduced.
Milk with 4.2% fat and 3.3 g of protein. Annual income is 6,000. l of milk per cow.
“In order to diversify its risks, the economy must be multi-sectoral. In years when crop production does not bring desired profits, livestock production comes to the rescue. Plus it’s organic matter on the field. Where we applied organic matter 2-3 times, the yield is much better.”
They don’t particularly want to talk about the difficulties here. They say that the war should end, and we will decide everything else ourselves.
That report was powered by Latifundist Media, with USAID support provided through Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities (AGRO) Activity implemented in Ukraine by Chemonics International. For more information, visit their website or follow them on social media.
