An experience in Ukraine
One highlight from our stay in Ukraine was a two day visit in the village of Fedorovka. Last year we visited our friend, Maria for lunch but
this time we had the privilege of staying with her and sharing in the Harvest Holiday. We arrived on the Friday night and the translator did
not arrive until the next morning so we communicated with smiles and a Russian /English dictionary. It was not very effective as Maria had
to borrow my glasses to read the word I wanted to communicate! As we watched the evening meal preparation, we thought that is a lot of
corn for the two of us? It did not take long to see why. Maria was providing the evening meal for 13 header and truck drivers as well as us.
Harvest was on the verge of finishing for the Company, the men were about to move further north for contracting harvesting. I felt myself
simpathasing with Maria - meals in relays, late nights, hungry men. Although our worlds were far apart, myself with every mod con in the
kitchen and Maria without running water, a proper kitchen, having a wood stove in the yard and very few utensils and yet as our eyes met
and smiled as she threw her arms up at 9.30PM `Is that the last of them?’ I knew that as farming women we have much in common.
Maria is 65 years old and the widow of the former collective farm manager. A lady in the village who is greatly loved and respected. The
next day, I watched her prepare a party for thirty to celebrate the end of harvest. 4 o’clock was the time the men would gather. At half past
3, an urgent message, the meal is to be delayed until 9 o’clock. I lay on the bed at 10.00PM hungry, also I feeling `edgy’ - men not
considering the hostess - a world that centers on the male. Half an hour later the party started, the manager had arrived and served the
drinks, vodka for the toast. A strict protocol of toasts, vodka and food between is observed. We were toasted as well and even the lady
guest had to reply. As we danced, the ladies being popular as they were in short supply, Ian and I had to pinch ourselves, were we really
experiencing a truly Ukrainian custom, traditional singing with its plaintiff tunes, while the ducks and other farmyard animals were asleep
just feet from us. During the long wait for the party to begin, we had talked and talked, the translator being as interested in us as we were
in them. They asked if Ukraine was ever on Australian T.V. I explained that once an hour program had featured the death of a Ukraine
journalist, who it was alleged had been killed for his questioning of the President. The people are aware of their corrupt government
officials but feel powerless to change the situation. Much of this is due to a regime where problem solving skills for the day to day people
were not developed. Ian found this in the farming and other scenes. He writes of the difficulties.
The agriculture situation is that Ukraine had a very good season and most of the crop was fertilized and sprayed resulting in excellent
crops throughout the country. The Company we’re involved with averaged 4 tonne to the hectare or 20 bags in our scale. This is a great
result considering the difficulty in getting anything positive done. For instance,
waiting in line at the airport to get through customs. It was hot and no air conditioning.
Waiting for a car at the apartment, waiting for a tractor to be released from the Port, all day. Waiting at the farm for the key lady to open a
store or pump some fuel. The women in this country seem to get all the security jobs as they are less prone to have an alcohol problem
and so are more trustworthy and reliable. Waiting to get out to the canola crop. Finally, after about a week we were taken to a paddock of
windrowed canola. No, this was not a windrow, this material had been through a header but I estimated at least half tonne to the hectare
of unthrashed heads were left in the straw. Apparently, it was decided to direct head the 5 ft high crop and because of the bulk of material,
the headers were opened up and so half the crop went through unthrashed. I tried to advise picking up the material again. They were
reluctant to do that as they had only just started the wheat harvest and that was the priority. Returning to this paddock some days later, I
found it had been burnt and was being ripped up for a wheat crop that will be sown in the next few weeks .
My advice had been to windrow this crop and a swather had been shipped from the US for this job. No one seemed to know where the
swather was and I did notice the pickup belts were in a store but I never did see the pickup front. Harvest hassles are part of the game but
picture trying to keep 10 headers going over a 250 kilometre radius. With lack of belts and parts and fuzzy requests over unreliable
telephones, mobiles only work in ten kms off the highway.
It is to be admired that the harvest was so good in light of the extensive difficulties, the distances, lack of services and phone contact and
the rough roads.
The question was asked `Why are they harvesting weed infested crop when there are paddocks of clean high yielding crop waiting for a
hail storm’.
Answer: ` Maybe the crop is high value seed quality’.
The weather is stormy and humid so grain is damp and can only be stored in long narrow strips for drying and cleaning. The grain has to
be stored near a power source as the loaders are all electric. No augers or shifters for thousands of hectares of crop.
The LPG dryer shipped last year is not being used as LPG is apparently too difficult to source, although there are LPG Tankers on the
road.
Another cultural difference that is difficult to observe is the poor allocation of staff. Two men assigned to each header do nothing else but
drive and maintain that header. A truck driver drives his truck and nothing else. Women do most of the shoveling. Each Saturday below
our apartment, a tractor would pull up with a trailer and used cardboard for recycling was loaded in the trailer, I watched for 2 hours as the
driver dozed in the cabin or wandered around and talked to whoever.
Yet despite the frustrations, the future looks promising as each year sees an improvement in methods compared to only three years ago.
When the farms were just an infestation of weeds. The opportunity to invest and be part of the development of this exotic land which is
rich in resources and yet slowly emerging from an antiquated, and rigid economic system is still there. The value of western investment
in the enterprises is not only in finances but being present to encourage appropriate management practices and model a work ethic but
as our guidebook says `Ukraine is not for the fainthearted’
* You may help see advertisement
One highlight from our stay in Ukraine was a two day visit in the village of Fedorovka. Last year we visited our friend, Maria for lunch but
this time we had the privilege of staying with her and sharing in the Harvest Holiday. We arrived on the Friday night and the translator did
not arrive until the next morning so we communicated with smiles and a Russian /English dictionary. It was not very effective as Maria had
to borrow my glasses to read the word I wanted to communicate! As we watched the evening meal preparation, we thought that is a lot of
corn for the two of us? It did not take long to see why. Maria was providing the evening meal for 13 header and truck drivers as well as us.
Harvest was on the verge of finishing for the Company, the men were about to move further north for contracting harvesting. I felt myself
simpathasing with Maria - meals in relays, late nights, hungry men. Although our worlds were far apart, myself with every mod con in the
kitchen and Maria without running water, a proper kitchen, having a wood stove in the yard and very few utensils and yet as our eyes met
and smiled as she threw her arms up at 9.30PM `Is that the last of them?’ I knew that as farming women we have much in common.
Maria is 65 years old and the widow of the former collective farm manager. A lady in the village who is greatly loved and respected. The
next day, I watched her prepare a party for thirty to celebrate the end of harvest. 4 o’clock was the time the men would gather. At half past
3, an urgent message, the meal is to be delayed until 9 o’clock. I lay on the bed at 10.00PM hungry, also I feeling `edgy’ - men not
considering the hostess - a world that centers on the male. Half an hour later the party started, the manager had arrived and served the
drinks, vodka for the toast. A strict protocol of toasts, vodka and food between is observed. We were toasted as well and even the lady
guest had to reply. As we danced, the ladies being popular as they were in short supply, Ian and I had to pinch ourselves, were we really
experiencing a truly Ukrainian custom, traditional singing with its plaintiff tunes, while the ducks and other farmyard animals were asleep
just feet from us. During the long wait for the party to begin, we had talked and talked, the translator being as interested in us as we were
in them. They asked if Ukraine was ever on Australian T.V. I explained that once an hour program had featured the death of a Ukraine
journalist, who it was alleged had been killed for his questioning of the President. The people are aware of their corrupt government
officials but feel powerless to change the situation. Much of this is due to a regime where problem solving skills for the day to day people
were not developed. Ian found this in the farming and other scenes. He writes of the difficulties.
The agriculture situation is that Ukraine had a very good season and most of the crop was fertilized and sprayed resulting in excellent
crops throughout the country. The Company we’re involved with averaged 4 tonne to the hectare or 20 bags in our scale. This is a great
result considering the difficulty in getting anything positive done. For instance,
waiting in line at the airport to get through customs. It was hot and no air conditioning.
Waiting for a car at the apartment, waiting for a tractor to be released from the Port, all day. Waiting at the farm for the key lady to open a
store or pump some fuel. The women in this country seem to get all the security jobs as they are less prone to have an alcohol problem
and so are more trustworthy and reliable. Waiting to get out to the canola crop. Finally, after about a week we were taken to a paddock of
windrowed canola. No, this was not a windrow, this material had been through a header but I estimated at least half tonne to the hectare
of unthrashed heads were left in the straw. Apparently, it was decided to direct head the 5 ft high crop and because of the bulk of material,
the headers were opened up and so half the crop went through unthrashed. I tried to advise picking up the material again. They were
reluctant to do that as they had only just started the wheat harvest and that was the priority. Returning to this paddock some days later, I
found it had been burnt and was being ripped up for a wheat crop that will be sown in the next few weeks .
My advice had been to windrow this crop and a swather had been shipped from the US for this job. No one seemed to know where the
swather was and I did notice the pickup belts were in a store but I never did see the pickup front. Harvest hassles are part of the game but
picture trying to keep 10 headers going over a 250 kilometre radius. With lack of belts and parts and fuzzy requests over unreliable
telephones, mobiles only work in ten kms off the highway.
It is to be admired that the harvest was so good in light of the extensive difficulties, the distances, lack of services and phone contact and
the rough roads.
The question was asked `Why are they harvesting weed infested crop when there are paddocks of clean high yielding crop waiting for a
hail storm’.
Answer: ` Maybe the crop is high value seed quality’.
The weather is stormy and humid so grain is damp and can only be stored in long narrow strips for drying and cleaning. The grain has to
be stored near a power source as the loaders are all electric. No augers or shifters for thousands of hectares of crop.
The LPG dryer shipped last year is not being used as LPG is apparently too difficult to source, although there are LPG Tankers on the
road.
Another cultural difference that is difficult to observe is the poor allocation of staff. Two men assigned to each header do nothing else but
drive and maintain that header. A truck driver drives his truck and nothing else. Women do most of the shoveling. Each Saturday below
our apartment, a tractor would pull up with a trailer and used cardboard for recycling was loaded in the trailer, I watched for 2 hours as the
driver dozed in the cabin or wandered around and talked to whoever.
Yet despite the frustrations, the future looks promising as each year sees an improvement in methods compared to only three years ago.
When the farms were just an infestation of weeds. The opportunity to invest and be part of the development of this exotic land which is
rich in resources and yet slowly emerging from an antiquated, and rigid economic system is still there. The value of western investment
in the enterprises is not only in finances but being present to encourage appropriate management practices and model a work ethic but
as our guidebook says `Ukraine is not for the fainthearted’
* You may help see advertisement
Small Group
Student support Masha's Family
Loading container good used clothing toys
Bikes etc for Ukraine aid
Bikes etc for Ukraine aid
Odessa Railway Station
Map of Ukraine
and places we
have visited in
the four trips
we have made
to this
beautiful land
and on the
right is a
picture of
Tanya one of
out translators
with some
children at an
orphanage in
Vinnitsa City in
Central
Ukraine
and places we
have visited in
the four trips
we have made
to this
beautiful land
and on the
right is a
picture of
Tanya one of
out translators
with some
children at an
orphanage in
Vinnitsa City in
Central
Ukraine
Our Friend Maria preparing the harvest Picnic
in 2003 as in the story above .
Maria has since passed away but we will
always remember her hospitality and what a
dynamic and hard working Lady she was.
in 2003 as in the story above .
Maria has since passed away but we will
always remember her hospitality and what a
dynamic and hard working Lady she was.
It happens in the best of Countries
Harvest July 09 in Central Ukraine
Harvest July 09 in Central Ukraine