KazBeef saves $40 per hectare with No-Till seeding

Nearly 10,000 hectares of corn on grain planted with no-till technology are planned to be grown in the northern region of Kazakhstan, World of NAN reports.

KazBeef's fields have been planted using No-Till technology, a modern no-till farming system. It is worth mentioning that ordinary seeds are not able of withstanding the conditions of No-Till planting but the KAZSEEDS seeds were specially created for the climatic conditions of the North Kazakhstan region and for this technology. Edward Baumgartner, a seed grower from the U.S. and part-time director of KAZSEEDS, noted that the process of creating the genetic material/parental forms and then the hybrid seeds took about 16 years.

"To breed these hybrids initially you have to develop the genetics, which means these are the parental forms. It's like creating a 'mom and dad' that we make resistant to temperature drops, drought and other extremes. It took us about eight years to create the parental forms. Then the hybrid is already bred, that is, "mom and dad" are crossed. In the process of breeding a new hybrid, there is a lot of crossing of parental forms. It takes a long time to breed a hybrid as well as to test it, on average 6-8 years," added Edward Baumgartner.

Today, the majority of farmers in Kazakhstan are resistant to No-Till technology. Even though it has a positive effect on the soil. That is, over time, soil structure improves and subsequently yields are increased. But the problem is that the farmer will be able to get this benefit only in a few years.

"If the yield does not increase in the first 2 years, any farmer will think - why would I need it, and go back to traditional farming. But yields are not the only benefit. The farmer will also save money on plowing, fuel and lubricants, wages of employees and fertilizers", said Edward Baumgartner.

Thus, according to him, the company KazBeef has saved about $40 per hectare during the sowing works. But before you switch to No-Till, you should understand that you need to buy a special seeder, sprayer to control weeds, combine harvester and of course the seeds.

"Ordinary seeds can't withstand the conditions of No-Till technology. And our seeds are specially bred for this technology and the harsh climate of Northern Kazakhstan. At the same time, the price of seeds does not differ much from all the well-known world brands," Serik Ramazanov, head of the KAZSEEDS company, emphasized.

Representatives of the seed company assure that they train their customers in No-Till technology when selling seeds. And on a question - "Why do they do it?" the expert from the USA answered: "Today our main idea is to transfer the latest technologies in seed genetics and agriculture in general. Kazakhstan has a huge potential in agriculture, and if it is realized, the country could become a major exporter of agricultural products.

According to KAZSEEDS, in the next two or three years they plan to build a seed plant in Kazakhstan. Time will tell how corn will grow in the harsh northern region. The World of NAN editorial staff will be keeping a close eye on this, and passing on the information.