This year, sowing spring crops at “Epicenter Agro” enterprises happened in record-tight timeframes — grain and oil crops were sown across 160,000 ha in just 18 days.
Speeding up spring sowing timeframes by almost 1.5x, while simultaneously significantly increasing the land bank’s volume, was helped by using new, powerful tractors and planters, the agroholding’s statement says.
As noted, this year, to carry out process operations within optimal timeframes and ensure quality operational management of technologies across all sown areas, the company additionally purchased 10 FENDT 936 Vario wheeled tractors with 360 hp, and 15 HORSCH Maestro 24.70 row-crop precision planters.
«Powerful agricultural machinery increases the efficiency of field operations in crop production. And this fully aligns with the agroholding’s strategy, under which all innovations in crop-growing technologies are aimed at boosting the agricultural business’s efficiency», emphasizes Bohdan Cheremkha, deputy head of the agricultural division at “Epicenter K” and production director at “Epicenter Agro”.
Since “Epicenter Agro” is gradually switching to using liquid fertilizers, 7 new HORSCH Maestro AHL planters have a liquid-fertilizer-application function. Another 8 HORSCH Maestro SW planters purchased this year provide for applying dry granular fertilizers, but for 2021 there are also plans to additionally fit them with systems for applying liquid fertilizers.
According to Bohdan Cheremkha, more than 50% of the sowing units at “Epicenter Agro” enterprises are now working with simultaneous application of liquid starter compound fertilizers during sowing, which is quite relevant given insufficient moisture supply.
The new FENDT 936 Vario wheeled tractors are fitted with Trimble automatic-steering systems based on the TMX-2050 display with a high-precision signal-reception option, control of trailed implements via the ISOBUS protocol, and online transmission of information on fertilizer-application volumes and sowing rates.
Overall, 160 million UAH has already been allocated toward implementing this year’s investment program to update the agricultural-machinery fleet in 2020. Total investment in buying new agricultural machinery over the “Epicenter Agro” agroholding’s time in operation exceeds 1.1 billion UAH.
