Northwest Iowa Soybeans 101

University of Wisconsin Extension's Martin Havlovic, interpreter Yuriy Petetsky Oleksander Kulikov, Ryan Rusk, ISU's Northwest Iowa Research Farm manager, Volodymyr Ros and Yuriy Lysenko pose in a recently combined field at the research farm.

After nearly half a day spent on airplanes, a trio of Ukrainian agronomists landed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, stepping onto U.S. soil for the first time in their lives Sunday. That's when their real adventure began.

Volodymyr Ros, Yuriy Lysenko and Oleksander Kulikov, along with translator, Yuriy Petetsky, traveled to Spencer late Sunday after arriving in the states; and Monday morning began a weeklong process of discovery and fact finding with regards to the region's soybean production.

"We've seen a very high level of technology and equipment," Ros said Wednesday, regarding their visits through midweek. "They are very well educated farmers and specialists."

Ros pointed out that like in the Ukraine, "Most of the crops here are sprinkle irrigated. So far what we have seen here is very interesting. We had a number of questions on our list, the maturity of systems grown here. The maturity criteria scale is different than at home. We've asked a lot of questions."

The three agronomists, none of whom speak English, work on a large corporate farm consisting of approximately 70,000 acres, housing mostly grains in the form of wheat, barley and alfalfa. There is also space dedicated to vegetables, livestock and of course, soybeans. The rural area they serve is located over five hours south of Kiev.

Their visit is part of a program between the Ukrainian government and an organization called Bridges, which provides agriculture related exchange visits.

"They get a better idea of how they can improve agricultural procedures," said Martin Havlovic, Community Resource & Economic Development educator with the University of Wisconsin Extension. Havlovic is serving as the group's "tour guide" for the week. "We work with local organizations, primarily extensions, to get contacts with farmers and groups that can give assistance."

Gary Cuttell unloads corn from a grain cart into a wagon at the Richard and Kent Thiessen farm near Spencer.

When Havlovic learned that the Ukrainian group was interested in learning about the soybean industry, "My first thought was Iowa."

He contacted ISU Extension Field Agronomist Paul Kassel in the Spencer office and set a full week of activities, visiting local farm sites, elevators, seed dealers and implement dealerships. The local office is serving as hosts to the traveling party through the week.

Ros said that the difference between soybeans in the Ukraine and America is evident in size. "In the Ukraine, ours are more tall and later in maturity. The tendency here is to use the shorter varieties. It doesn't jam the combine and makes harvesting easier."

Ros also commented on the diverse soybean seed options, suggesting that the Ukrainian farms are "lagging behind in variety."

One similarity in both regions however is the move from the more rural areas to more urban centers, reducing the number of farm operators.

In the Ukraine, farms are operated as small plots, nine to 12 acres; family farms, 120 to 1,000 acres; or big corporate farms, 4,000-plus acres -- but the government does not allow farmers to hold the titles to the land. This prevents the farm operators from using property as collateral for farm loans.

"We have some agricultural credit unions, but they are small. Usually you work with big banks. The loan interest rates range from 17 to 19 percent," explained Ros who noted that their company, Agro Product Ltd., has been in business since 1994 and has good credit. "They trust us or rates would be higher."

The group has visited farm operations belonging to Kent and Richard Thiesen, Steve King and Stewart Lewis locally. They also toured Northwest Equipment, Grain Plains Renewable Energy in Everly, ISU's Northwest Iowa Research Farm and Sands of Iowa in Marcus. On Monday, they spent the morning meeting with Kassel, discussing the soil in Clay County, and looking at production numbers and cost in northwest Iowa.

In addition to visits to Emmetsburg's ethanol plant, Ruthven's grain elevator and Bomgaars store in Spencer; the Ukrainian visitors, escorted by Havlovic, will travel to Carroll Thursday and then on to Ames for a day at Iowa State University on Friday. They will board a plane in Chicago to return to the Ukraine on Sunday, completing their week of research.

(Photo by Randy M. Cauthron) Ukrainian agronomists Volodymyr Ros, Yuriy Lysenko and Oleksander Kulikov and translator, Yuriy Petetsky take notes as Eldon Goff, with Farm Credit Services of America, discusses farm lending practices in Iowa at the ISU Extension office in Spencer Wednesday morning. The visit was just one component of their five-day tour, researching soybean production in northwest Iowa. [Order this photo]

First Time in America

Volodymyr Ros, Yuriy Lysenko and Oleksander Kulikov, Ukrainian agronomists representing Agro Products Ltd. in the Ukraine, made their first visit to America this week. Both Ros and Kulikov were raised around agriculture as Ukrainian children, while Lysenko is a "city boy" whose mother was a teacher and father was a lawyer. Speaking through their translator, Yuriy Petetsky, the three visitors shared some thoughts on their trip to northwest Iowa.

Favorite foods?

Coca-Cola said Ros. Steak for Kulikov. Fresh squeezed orange juice for Lysenko.

Biggest differences from home?

Good roads and the fact that most farmers live on their farms said Kulikov.

How did you spend the down time?

Sleep said Ros, noting that there is a bit of a time difference. Lysenko said shopping.

Ever heard of Dewey the cat?

"Yes this is a world famous cat. Back in Soviet times we heard of Dewey. We had a cartoon about the library cat," said Ros.

Impression of northwest Iowa?

"The best impression. We like it. We were hosted very well. Things were very well organized. Very hospitable people. They are very busy during harvest time, but they put all their problems aside and treated us well. They stopped and talked to us. Sometimes they gave us beer," said Ros.