Don Field Day 2024 has begun in the Rostov Region.

On June 13, the 8th "Don Field Day" exhibition and demonstration opened in the Zernogradsky District. The event is supported by the government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Rostov Region and is held at the Donskoy Agricultural Research Center. The exhibition is organized by DonExpocentre.
The business program of the agroforum began with a tour of the exhibition. Deputy Governor of the Rostov Region –Minister of Agriculture and Food Konstantin Rachalovsky and Deputy Chairman of the Regional Legislative Assembly and Chairman of the Agrarian Policy Committee Vyacheslav Vasilenko examined agricultural machinery and spoke with executives and specialists from engineering companies.
During the opening ceremony, Konstantin Rachalovsky noted that "Don Field Day" was specifically planned for the eve of the start of the most important agricultural campaign that determines the year's outcome—the harvest of early grain crops.
Immediately following the opening, a roundtable discussion on "Problems and Prospects for Land Reclamation Development" took place, as well as the forum's main event—the regional pre-harvest meeting. Rostov Region Governor Vasily Golubev opened the event, recalling last year's record harvest and emphasizing the importance of farmers' efforts and government support during this challenging year.
According to official data provided by Konstantin Rachalovsky, Deputy Governor and Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Rostov Region, conditions in the winter and spring fields developed favorably in the fall and winter for this year's harvest:
"Last year's fall sowing campaign was conducted under favorable conditions. The winter crops were planted over an area of ​​approximately 3 million hectares. The winter crops overwintered successfully, with 100% germination. Weather conditions during the 2023-2024 fall-winter period contributed to the replenishment of soil moisture. A full range of agronomic and agrochemical measures was carried out to ensure a successful harvest. The winter crops were fertilized with mineral fertilizers across the entire area. As for the spring sowing campaign, spring crops have been sown to date across an area of ​​over 1.6 million hectares. The area under early grains and legumes increased by 11% to 473,000 hectares. However, as Vasily Yuryevich noted, spring brought us some unpleasant surprises," said Konstantin Rachalovsky.
The Deputy Governor noted that the updated area of ​​crops damaged and killed by frost in the Rostov Region amounted to approximately 860,000 hectares, of which 230,000 hectares were lost, or 5% of the sown area. The total damage incurred amounted to over 4 billion rubles. The damage from the soil drought is still being calculated, and documents from agricultural producers are being collected.
"Despite the fact that we are entering the harvest season in such a challenging situation, all the prerequisites are currently in place for an organized harvest, which is already beginning in some places on a trial basis. The full-scale harvesting campaign will likely begin by June 20," emphasized the HEAD of the Don Ministry of Agriculture. "The technical readiness of the entire agricultural machinery fleet and the smooth organization of its operation are crucial for a timely and efficient harvest. I would like to point out that the active renewal of the combine harvester fleet is having a positive impact on the technical support of the harvesting campaign. Thus, the harvesting capacity of one combine has reached 280 hectares, which is 1.6 times lower than the Russian average. To encourage the acquisition of agricultural machinery, this year farmers will receive 818.5 million rubles in regional support under the governor's agricultural machinery program."
The pre-harvest meeting concluded with an awards ceremony for leading agricultural workers.
Additionally, on the same day of the agroforum, participants were able to evaluate new tractors and tillage equipment in the field, as well as visit demonstration crops from agricultural research centers.