The International Potato Tour continues its expedition across key growing regions, recently arriving in the snow-covered village of Borshchevoye, Tambov region. To understand the current climate of the industry, Potatoes News caught up with Yuri Anatolyevich Lesnichenko, head of Goodnessfood Tambov, to discuss the nuances of the new season.
Gearing Up for the Season: Challenges and Discipline
For farmers, the beginning of spring is a time of intense equipment preparation. A major challenge today is the availability of spare parts for their base Challenger tractors, which are no longer in production, leading to extended delivery times.
Despite this, the farm launched its active repair campaign on March 1st. The process is strictly regulated:
- Agronomists and engineers conduct an equipment inspection using checklists and formal acceptance certificates.
- Every machine operator bears personal responsibility for their assigned unit.
- This strict control system has been successfully driving their operations for six consecutive years.
Crop Rotation and Storage Innovations
Operating on 5,890 hectares within a massive 200,000-hectare holding, the enterprise maintains crop rotation by also growing grain crops, brewer’s barley, and corn. Among vegetables, carrots offer the highest profit margin, followed by potatoes in second place, and beets in third.
Storage strategies vary significantly depending on the crop:
- Up to 7,000 tons of carrots are kept in containers within five retrofitted refrigeration units.
- Beets are traditionally stored in bulk, as they are harvested in late September when outside temperatures naturally cool them down.
- Because bulk storage yields only a 65% usable output for beets, the company is introducing an innovation this year.
- 20 out of 40 hectares of beets will be planted in ridges.
- They will be harvested with ridge combines to reduce mechanical damage and placed in containers.
The Secrets of Tambov Potatoes
Tambov’s rich black soil yields potatoes with outstanding flavor, but the heavy earth creates harvesting challenges by forming large clods of dirt.
To overcome this, the farm applies strict technological methods:
- Potatoes are grown exclusively with irrigation, which helps soften the soil.
- Ridge formation must be completed strictly within 3 to 5 days after planting to prevent the earth from drying out.
- To meet these deadlines, planting and ridge preparation are carried out around the clock in two shifts using GPS navigation.
A major focus is growing processing potatoes under contracts with partners like a major processor of potatoes for chips and WEFRY. Unlike table varieties, processing potatoes require mandatory humidification in the storage warehouses. Dropping temperatures to stop sprouting is strictly prohibited, as it causes sugars to rise and creates defects. In winter, when a warehouse compartment is partially empty and cannot maintain its own heat, the farm even uses special heat cannons to warm the crop.
Looking Ahead
Planning for the next 5 to 10 years, Goodnessfood Tambov is focusing on modernization and adapting to climate change. With summers becoming increasingly hot, the company plans to expand its irrigated land from the current 1,300 hectares to 1,800 hectares. This will allow them to plant 600 hectares of potatoes within a three-year rotation cycle.
They are also investing in settling ponds and “jacuzzi” washing systems for carrots, which can be harvested with up to 20% dirt during rainy summers.
A Potato Grower’s Philosophy
For Yuri Anatolyevich, who has been working with the crop for over 20 years and grew up in the Donbas region, the potato is the “second bread” and a product of life. Success in this demanding industry comes down to treating the crop as a living organism. When treated with love and care, the potato will always answer with reciprocity
