It’s hard to find many Ukrainian farmers today who’d say everything’s fine and they’re fully ready for the new season. Low grain prices, rising input costs, a shortage of funds — that list could go on and on… Against this backdrop, any support from partners is sorely needed, especially in maintaining core production assets.
That’s exactly why Berthoud’s clients were pleasantly surprised by the initiative taken by the machinery manufacturer and its official dealers in Ukraine. Over the past few months, Berthoud’s service engineers have visited agricultural companies in every region of our country to carry out inspections of self-propelled sprayers — free of charge. As a result, dozens of Ukrainian farmers have already had the chance to properly prepare for the new season.
We spoke with many owners of Berthoud self-propelled sprayers and found out how they view the French manufacturer’s new initiative.
Yevhen Lomaniuk, director of “Elita” farm (Vinnytsia region)
— We farm roughly 1,300 ha and grow practically every crop typical for our region — winter wheat and barley, corn, soybean, sunflower, and winter rapeseed. We always strictly follow the growing technology, so during the season our sprayer practically never leaves the fields.
Two years ago we bought a new Berthoud Raptor 4200 self-propelled sprayer with a 32-meter boom. We chose the machine based on its overall advantages — high technological sophistication, productivity, precision, and reliability. It’s a workhorse, and an extremely effective one at that. Over two years of operation, our Raptor has already covered more than 11,000 hectares, and it’s in excellent condition.
We bought the sprayer from our long-standing partner — Berthoud’s official dealer, the company “Astra.” I should note that we’ve bought almost all of our machinery from this dealer, and we’re very happy with our cooperation, especially everything related to service. “Astra” always has the parts we need, and their engineers arrive to every call as fast as they possibly can.
I want to highlight an initiative from the Raptor sprayer manufacturer, Berthoud, that’s extremely relevant right now — this year they carried out free inspections of every machine. They called us in December and arranged a visit. Our sprayer was inspected down to the last screw — this let us take care of its proper maintenance well in advance.
For us, this initiative was actually useful from many angles. Not only did we get ahead of any potential technical problems and replace parts, we also learned to look after and set up the machine more effectively. That applies both to improving how reliably it operates, and to the efficiency and precision of its work. So I want to thank both Berthoud and “Astra” once again for this kind of care, because today, more than ever, it matters to be confident that your agricultural machinery is in good working order and operating effectively.
Oleh Tanasevskyi, head of “Raiduha” farm (Odesa region)
— We farm up to 1,000 hectares, where we grow various cereal and industrial crops, including corn. We aim to properly care for our crops, so we apply crop-protection products even at relatively late stages of crop development. That requires a highly productive sprayer with high clearance. Above all, it was precisely because of its exceptional 180 cm clearance that we chose our Berthoud Raptor 3240 back in 2016 — we bought it right at a show, seven years ago. And, as it later turned out, we made a truly correct choice, and not just because of the clearance. The Berthoud Raptor is a reliable, high-tech machine, and we’ve never had problems with it. Every year our sprayer treats 3,000–3,500 hectares, doing all the work well and on time. Thanks to timely maintenance, we’ve had no faults at all, except once when we needed to adjust the monitor.
For maintaining our Berthoud Raptor, we work both with our dealer — the company “Technotorh” — and directly with the manufacturer’s own specialists. Over this time we’ve built a friendly, trusting relationship. The guys come out when needed, check every mechanism, replace parts, and so on. Sometimes we handle some things ourselves too.
I especially want to highlight this year’s initiative from Berthoud and its dealers on free sprayer inspections. Engineers came to us in late October and checked and adjusted everything they could. That’s very important for us, because a specialist is always a specialist. We have a small staff, and one person is responsible for various types of machinery from various manufacturers. So when our sprayer is inspected by someone who specializes specifically in it, that’s very good for everyone.
I’m extremely pleased with this initiative, and I want to say it would be great if every agricultural machinery seller treated their clients this way! Berthoud — well done!
Roman Pidhainyi, director of “Lannivska MTS” LLC (Poltava region)
— Our Berthoud Raptor 4240 sprayer has been working for us for more than eight years now. We bought it specifically so we could treat tall-growing crops. We work roughly 3,000 hectares of arable land, so the machine carries a serious workload every year. Each season our Raptor covers 10,000 to 15,000 hectares, and it does all the work on time and to a high standard.
For sprayer servicing and buying spare parts, we work with Berthoud’s dealer — the company “Astra.” I can only say good things about the company, because you can feel they take their work and their client relationships seriously. Alongside that, we stay in direct contact with Berthoud’s Ukrainian representative office, reaching out to them whenever narrowly specialized questions come up.
Overall, I want to say that free machinery inspections are a very good thing. After all, our job as sprayer owners is, roughly speaking, to keep an eye on oil and fluid levels and to properly put the machine into winter storage. We don’t have sufficient expertise, and we shouldn’t be expected to carry out a thorough inspection of every unit and mechanism ourselves. That should be done by specialists, and it’s wonderful that Berthoud, together with its dealers, has taken this initiative.
A sprayer in working order at the start of the season is one of the most important elements for a successful harvest. And this factor directly affects our operation’s profitability, since crop-protection products don’t come cheap, so it’s important to apply them to crops in a timely, effective way. It’s reassuring to know our sprayer has been inspected by specialists, that all the work and adjustments have been carried out, and the machine is ready for the new season!
Mykola Manzaruk, director of “Anatolivske” private enterprise (Mykolaiv region)
— We farm 2,100 hectares, where we grow cereal and industrial crops typical for southern Ukraine, including flax and winter rapeseed. Working conditions are far from easy, so a great deal depends on timely, high-quality crop-protection product application.
We bought our Berthoud Raptor 3240 self-propelled sprayer three years ago. We chose the machine based on the key criterion of value for money, and this exact model met all our requirements. It’s a very reliable, productive machine that’s convenient to use. On average it covers 3,000–4,000 hectares a year. During this time we haven’t had any trouble with faults of any kind.
We stay in close contact directly with the manufacturer’s specialists. They regularly call, check in, and visit our farm to see how the sprayer is performing. Ahead of the New Year we were offered a free machine inspection, and, of course, we agreed. It was a pleasure to watch the engineers thoroughly check every unit and the condition of every system on our Raptor.
Yevhen Lomaniuk, director of “Elita” farm (Vinnytsia region), with Berthoud managers and engineers
This matters a great deal to us, because everyone knows how hard it is, given today’s grain prices and the generally difficult situation across the whole country, to achieve any profitability growing crops. So much depends on the precision of crop-protection product application, and every single gram of product used carries real weight. So I want to thank Berthoud and its dealers for this initiative, which is genuinely useful for us farmers!
Mykola Maslovskyi, head of “Viktoriia” farm (Khmelnytskyi region)
— We grow a wide range of crops on an area of 1,000 hectares. Our Berthoud Raptor 3240 self-propelled sprayer is constantly out in the fields, since we practice intensive growing technology. Suffice it to say that winter rapeseed alone needs to be treated at least six times over the season. So we always set high standards for the quality and reliability of our sprayers’ work.
We bought this model two years ago. It already had substantial hours on it, but thanks to proper preparation and servicing by “Agroterra,” we’ve had no reliability issues whatsoever. We chose the Berthoud Raptor 3240 above all because it’s an optimal fit for our working conditions. Our farm’s fields have quite uneven terrain, with many steep slopes, but this machine handles them as if the ground were flat. If it needs to, it’ll get through even on three wheels!
I also want to note the sprayer’s very smooth ride and its consistently stable boom, which helps a great deal working on slopes. Overall, we’re a hundred percent satisfied both with the sprayer itself and with our cooperation with “Agroterra”!
The same goes for servicing and inspections. Specialists from both the manufacturer and the dealer visit our farm regularly, check in on how the sprayer is performing, replace parts, and make sure the machine stays in good condition. I especially want to highlight the free-inspection practice, which is very much needed by us farmers right now. Because however hard things are for all of us right now, however hard it may be, bread still needs to be grown, and that requires reliable machinery in good working order.
