How the German director of “UIFK Agro,” based in Kyiv region, manages the farm under wartime conditions
Dietrich Trais is a landmark figure for the whole of Ukraine’s agricultural sector. Some time ago, this German specialist was among the first foreigners to bring leading Western technology to Ukraine.
That was back in the 1990s, when a yield of 3–4 t/ha of wheat and 6–7 t/ha of corn was considered perfectly normal on Ukrainian black soil. Dietrich Trais, together with other German and Dutch farmers, set off fearlessly at the time to an unfamiliar country, and thanks in large part to their contribution, we now have the kind of developed agriculture we see today. After all, despite Russian aggression, it’s precisely the agricultural sector that can be called the most resilient and productive.
Today Dietrich Trais is overseeing the development of a new domestic farm, getting 12–13 t/ha of corn even on sandy soils. Still, it’s not just about yield, but about the very approaches this German specialist follows.
“The war caught me in Ukraine. I left for Germany for a while, but came back just in time for spring sowing. Because this is my responsibility — both to the people I work with and to the business. I won’t hide it — it was very difficult psychologically, but you need to be ready for anything,” says Mr. Dietrich.
The “UIFK Agro” farm, located in the northeastern part of Kyiv region, was founded more than 10 years ago. Six years ago this asset was acquired by German investors, who wanted to substantially improve working processes. It was for exactly this purpose that Dietrich Trais, who has solid experience delivering exactly these kinds of projects, was invited to head “UIFK Agro.”
“When I came here, we were farming roughly 3,700 hectares of land. Now we’ve expanded our area to 4,500 ha. The key crop is corn; besides that, we also grow sunflower, winter cereals, and winter rapeseed,” says Dietrich Trais.
Dietrich Trais
We tactfully avoid asking the German director of “UIFK Agro” about troubles with attempted raider seizures of part of the farm’s land. Of course, for him, as a representative of one of Europe’s most legally developed countries, seeing things like this is, to put it mildly, strange.
“I’ve been in Ukraine for more than 20 years now, and I’ve come to love this country and its people. I can’t say things are worse here than in Germany. It’s just that everything in Germany is more stable and can be planned for the long term. In Ukraine, on the other hand, there are more surprises, financial crises for example, not to mention the war,” Dietrich Trais explains.
The German specialist admits he was initially struck by the scale of land holdings in our country. After all, Mr. Dietrich grew up in a farming family, where the farm cultivated a mere 65 ha. So he had to substantially rethink his approach to managing an agricultural company, including the choice of agricultural machinery. Dietrich Trais bets on the most productive, and at the same time high-tech, machinery available. In particular, the farm operates a 24-row seeder, paired with 396-hp Fendt 1038 tractors.
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REFERENCE |
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Fendt 1000 Vario wheeled tractors
These are the world’s first general-purpose tractors with the universal, low-rev Fendt ProDrive engine and Fendt VarioDrive technology. All the Fendt tractor’s components (engine, gearbox, fan, hydraulic system, and so on) were optimally matched to one another at the design stage and built on the principle of “high torque, low engine revs” to ensure minimal fuel consumption.
The Fendt 1000 Vario series of tractors is built in four model variants, with a maximum-power range from 396 to 500 hp. These machines are designed for the heaviest drawbar work, previously handled by articulated-frame or tracked tractors, and the key characteristics of the Fendt 1000 Vario are incredible power and fuel efficiency, maneuverability, compactness, and versatility.
The 6-cylinder, low-rev Fendt ProDrive engine from MAN, with 12.4 l displacement, delivers high power. The turbocharger guarantees good dynamics and high torque even in the lower speed range, while the CommonRail high-pressure fuel injection system ensures excellent atomization and combustion, ultimately cutting fuel consumption per unit of work done.
Fendt’s new VarioDrive power-transmission concept lets power be transferred directly to both of the tractor’s axles. The front and rear axles are controlled independently, opening up new possibilities for the Fendt 1000 Vario series: improved ground grip, fully automatic four-wheel drive, and improved maneuverability.
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“We needed genuinely the best tractors for heavy, uninterrupted work. We used to have tractors from another manufacturer and, frankly, they didn’t quite meet our real needs. I spent a long time choosing the right model, and I got the impression that Fendt tractors are special — in terms of functionality and capability, they’re a whole generation ahead of any other manufacturer’s machines. That’s an objective reality, which is why three years ago we chose Fendt. And we made the right call — today these two tractors effectively cover all the work across our entire 4,500-hectare area. That’s very convenient, because we don’t need many operators or dealers. We service our machines with a wonderful dealer — the company “Astra.” The tractors are always in good working order, completing all the necessary work on time. And over these three years we haven’t had a single technical problem or breakdown with them,” notes Dietrich Trais.
The German head of “UIFK Agro” takes just as thorough an approach to every other aspect of the company’s operations. For example, the farm managed to get through the extremely difficult year of 2022 for domestic agribusiness partly thanks to fuel, seed, crop-protection product, and mineral fertilizer reserves stocked up in advance.
“Honestly, I didn’t believe a full-scale war would start… I thought the Russians would have enough sense not to attack Ukraine, but as we can see, I was wrong. Still, just in case, we prepared: we bought in the necessary reserves of all resources, which helped us a great deal in spring. In fact, we had enough fuel to last until it became freely available again in Ukraine last summer. But, of course, we had no shortage of problems,” says Dietrich Trais.
The occupiers didn’t reach the “UIFK Agro” farm’s outermost field by literally a kilometer, and the distance from the combat zone to the farm’s main base was roughly 20 kilometers. Still, the farm’s infrastructure wasn’t damaged.
“Just in case, we conducted a survey to detect mines and explosives, but, thank God, we didn’t find anything particularly dangerous. There were a few grenades lying in the shelterbelt somewhere, a couple of shell craters, a couple of dugouts, but nothing else. So we were able to work normally on our fields last year,” our interviewee says.
On the other hand, the problem of selling the harvested crop became acute, all the more so since corn is “UIFK Agro”‘s main crop.
“Thanks to our connections in Germany, we managed to sell rapeseed there, though not without problems — especially at the Polish border crossing. But we sold most of the harvest through traditional routes, via the Black Sea. There was no point shipping grain westward, since the distance to Odesa from us is the same,” Mr. Dietrich explains.
Still, the price for that same rapeseed was noticeably lower, so on average we sold this crop’s seed for about $70 per tonne less. The situation was similar for other crops.
“Today we’re trying to operate as normal and, despite everything, to keep improving our production technology. We have a very good team, with up to 80 people working here. We trust each other and we do everything together,” Dietrich Trais stresses.
According to him, having reliable partners matters a great deal under these conditions too.
“We’ve built a very good relationship with the company ‘Astra,’ which, among other things, services our Fendt tractors. It’s very good that for many years now there’s been strong competition among agricultural machinery dealers in Ukraine. That’s benefited everyone — both machinery sellers and farmers. All the scheduled maintenance, inspections, and supply of consumables — it all runs on schedule. Our tractors don’t stop for even an hour, and that lets us plan technological operations effectively. So I’m sincerely glad we have such reliable partners,” Dietrich Trais states.
AGCO is one of the world’s leaders in developing, manufacturing, and distributing agricultural solutions. AGCO machinery is sold by more than 3,100 independent dealers and distributors in over 140 countries around the world. AGCO Corporation has represented the Fendt brand in Ukraine for 20 years now. Over its years on the Ukrainian market, this brand’s machinery has earned a strong reputation as a productive, reliable helper for farmers.
“Astra” Agro-Building Alliance is one of the largest suppliers and service operators of agricultural machinery in Ukraine. The company’s core activities are the sale of new and used agricultural machinery, warranty service, and the sale of spare parts.
“Astra” offers its clients a wide range of machinery for practically every type of agricultural work: Fendt, Valtra, Manitou, Berthoud and Horsch, Framest, Bogballe, Valley, Trimble, Oros. The company supplies customers with the widest range of genuine spare parts to support all models of agricultural machinery from world-renowned manufacturers. Servicing agricultural machinery holds a key place in the company’s operations, covering nearly the entire territory of Ukraine and ensuring a fast response to farmers’ requests.
“Astra” has been operating on Ukraine’s agricultural market for 25 years, providing agricultural producers with quality machinery, innovative agricultural technologies, and a consistently high level of service.
