Ukrainian farmers take break from war to visit UK machinery maker
A four-day research trip gave farmers a first-hand look at new arable equipment despite ongoing conflict at home.
UKRAINE – A group of Ukrainian farmers farming over one million hectares left the war behind briefly to visit one of the United Kingdom’s leading agricultural machinery manufacturers.
The group, which included agri-business owners, spent four days in Suffolk touring the Claydon factory and farm to study its Opti-Till crop establishment system.
The trip marked the first visit by Ukrainian customers to the manufacturer. The farmers watched machinery being built, toured the Claydon family’s arable farm, and met other businesses already applying the Opti-Till approach.
Volodymyr Husiev, key account manager for Technotorg LLC, Claydon’s distributor in Ukraine, joined the delegation. Technotorg, owned by Yuriy Kalyuzhnyy, is the country’s largest agricultural machinery sales company.
Claydon’s national territory manager for Ukraine and Kazakhstan, Anatoliy Penzin, also attended. He had not been able to visit his employer since his appointment in August 2020 because of the conflict.
Farm director at Viktoriya Farm in Ukraine, Viktor Serhiyovych, said reliable sowing methods are critical for food production. “High-quality crop establishment is the key to farming successfully. Without it you cannot expect to achieve high yields,” he explained.
Viktor added that limited rainfall in his region forces farmers to rethink how they use seed. “Sowing seed at the correct depth, rate and distribution are vital. With our previous drill we had to compensate for low germination due to the lack of seedbed moisture by increasing the standard seed rate for winter wheat from 160kg/ha to 250kg/ha, wasting tonnes of seed every season. That made us reconsider our approach.”
The Opti-Till system allows farmers to sow a wide range of crops, including herbs, grasses, cereals, and maize, at the right depth and timing. According to Claydon, the method lowers costs and reduces the machinery and labour needed, while also conserving soil and water.
Claydon’s perspective on the visit
Claydon’s export sales manager, Simon Revell, said arranging the visit took months due to strict travel rules in Ukraine. “The onerous travel restrictions which apply in Ukraine meant that this visit took months to organise but was highly successful,” he said.
He noted that farmers in Ukraine face multiple pressures. “Farmers and supply chain businesses there face significant challenges but are keen to learn more about new developments in crop establishment and production technologies. Like their counterparts throughout the world, they are also having to deal with the agronomic and fiscal impact of increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and more stringent environmental legislation, together with greater economic pressures due to rising input costs and static commodity prices.”
Ukraine’s climate, with fertile soil and steady rainfall, makes it one of the top producers of arable crops worldwide.
The visit to Suffolk highlights how farmers are looking for practical methods to keep food production stable despite the challenges of war and climate change.
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