Nedko is in transition stage: he experiments with direct seeding in some fields, selects cash crops and cover crops, attends different trainings (he attended “NTLab Field practice at Agro-Soyuz in May). This summer he purchased Turbosem drill manufactured by Agro-Soyuz (single-disc opener) and he had enough time to drill sunflower as his cash crop and oilseed radish as a cover crop. Nedko is very positive about cover crops as he personally observed their efficiency for both soil and profitability improvement.

The farmer has been drilling cover crops after wheat harvest for 4 years now. He incorporates them into soil late in fall and plants corn in these fields in spring.

Cover crops bring him 1-2 additional tons of yield (10 tons/ha with CC as opposed to 8 tons/ha without CC).

Last week Agro-Soyuz Project’s staff conducted diagnostics of his farm (analysis of financial, technical and technological systems) and surveyed his fields (around 700 hectares in total). The outcomes will be converted to a plan with recommendations on how to convert to continuous No-Till.