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"There was a wild excitement": 24-year-old farmer rushed to the village and took over his grandfather's farm - he works the fields himself
Poltoranin Sr. lived in Novoshilov for over 45 years and was not officially a farmer. Having received a diploma in agronomy, he was sent to the local state farm, and four years later became the farm manager. Then came privatization and various reorganizations of what was left of the state farms. As a result, the private company Niva appeared. It does not have farmer status, but what else can you call the owner of an agricultural enterprise? A farmer.
In 2022, Viktor Poltoranin decided to end his career. His age was already visible. He invited his grandson Roman to head Niva, whom he had tried to prepare for this role since childhood. Viktor Fedorovich's two children, both girls, grew up and moved to the city. No other options for succession were considered.
At first, Roman, like other boys, was simply fascinated by another life when he was still a little boy. We will tell you the story of a real tractor that you can ride with your grandfather, as well as the crops and seeds that come with it. So when the time came, Roman said that he already "knew". Moreover, even before taking up the position, he was engaged in individual "projects" on the farm, for example, organizing roof repairs.
But then autumn comes, and here and there things start to affect this imaginary benefit. Was it raining too much and the grains are wet? You can safely subtract 10% from the amount due to the lower grade of grain. Another minus 10% if the wet cobs are blown about by the wind and some are starting to sprout.
However, the harvested grain still has to be transported by elevator. If you have enough of your own equipment, that's great. Renting a dump truck or tractor (after rain, you might not get to a distant field without a tractor) can cost tens of thousands of dollars more.
Each crop is its own equation and must be solved independently. Of course, you can also ask for advice. There are old experts and colleagues who can tell you a thing or two about fertilizer companies. However, the responsibility is still yours and no one gives any guarantees.
That's why he's often in the fields during harvest time. He's been shown working as a driver himself. City dwellers and office workers may be a bit skeptical about such projects. But Roman says that almost all of his peers work somewhere, earn money, and respect agricultural products. They say someone has to produce food. In fact, they're also skeptical about their financial prospects.
"I have a friend. He's been in business since he was 16," says Roman. "Now he already has 10 tractors that he rents out. When I told him about our problem, he said, "It would be better to sell everything and buy another 10 KAMAZ trucks."