The corn harvest in the southern part of the country will decrease by a third due to the drought. Farmers are sounding the alarm, but they do not lose hope.

Suffering from a lack of moisture, this year promises not the most favorable results for the corn harvest in the southern part of the country. According to analysts, it may be a third smaller than last year. However, despite the challenges, the Volgograd region continues to harvest grain and oilseeds. Our film crew visited one of the agricultural enterprises in the Zhirnovsky district to find out if this "queen of fields" pleases with its harvest.

Usually, corn harvesting starts between October 15-21, but this year, due to drought, it began as early as October 4 when the grain moisture reached the required level.

The readiness of the crop for harvesting can be determined by the condition of the cobs.

"If the grain easily comes out of the cob, it means it's already ripe. Then we check the moisture content in the lab using a moisture meter. If the values are suitable, we start harvesting," the specialist explains.

Growing corn plants are moisture-loving. To get a good harvest, it is necessary to maintain a sufficient level of moisture in the soil throughout the growing period. Irrigation system is essential here.

"In 2018, the decision was made to build an irrigation system. It started with the installation of four sprinklers. In 2019, another four were added, and in 2022, six more. However, despite irrigation, due to the dryness of the current year, the yield has slightly decreased. At the moment, we are harvesting about 98 centners per hectare," says the manager of the agricultural enterprise Nikolay Pinashkin.

In previous years, it was possible to harvest 10% more. A similar situation is observed throughout the district.

"Corn has not ripened uniformly in all fields. If harvesting at a particular enterprise will be completed within five days, then in the northern fields of the district, it has not yet begun as the humidity there is above the base level. It is expected that corn harvesting will be completed within 20 days," explains the head of the agriculture department of the administration of the Zhirnovsky district, Konstantin Porubay.

The agricultural enterprise in the Zhirnovsky district has been operating for about 20 years. They are engaged in the cultivation of grain and oilseeds, with corn occupying the largest share of the fields.

Vladimir Anashkin has been working as a machine operator for about seven years. He says that the work is not difficult but responsible. The harvest must be collected before the rains, otherwise, the process will stop, and the corn will absorb excess moisture.

"The bunker holds about six tons. There is nothing complicated in the work. The machinery facilitates our work," says machine operator Vladimir Anashkin.

There are more than ten thousand hectares of land sown. Along with corn harvesting, sunflower harvesting is also taking place. As long as the weather permits, plowing and preparing fields for the new season are also being carried out. The produce is sent to various regions of the country and for export.

"Now we are more focused on the development of our farm. We are updating our fleet of machinery, tractors, implements, and also building a grain drying complex," says the manager of the agricultural enterprise Nikolay Pinashkin.

The farmers do not plan to stop at what has been achieved and intend to use the harvested crop effectively and increase yields in the next season.