Harvesting in 40-degree heat: How Belarusian farmers are saving their crops

The abnormal heat has forced farmers in Belarus to go to the fields ahead of schedule. Harvesting is already underway in the southwestern region, with a focus on grain and winter barley. The Brest district, followed by the Kamenets district, set the pace, as minimal crop losses are paramount.

In the former region, winter barley alone is planned to be harvested from over 30,000 hectares. Additional resources have been deployed.

"It feels like the weather is putting us under extreme conditions. I'm harvesting 70 tons," shared Sergei Shumik, a machine operator at the Agro-Zarechye farm.

This is already the 10th harvesting campaign for Sergei Shumik, a machine operator at the Agro-Zarechye farm. He says the equipment is primarily used in areas affected by drought. There has been no precipitation in the Kamenets district for several weeks, and the heat is putting the grain at risk of shattering. On June 30th, for example, the thermometer showed 35 degrees Celsius.

The threshing is getting heavier; winter barley season is in full swing. The unusual heat played a role – they started harvesting earlier than usual. In the Kamenets district, farmers were among the first to begin harvesting, with more than 800 hectares already harvested. Farmers are working in extreme conditions this summer.

Temperature anomalies in the area reached 40-42 degrees Celsius. Drought set in during the formation of the grain, and losses were unavoidable. However, the forecasts are still promising: winter barley will be harvested from Agro-Zarechye fields by July 1st. Rapeseed is also on the way.

"Crops were burned everywhere, including 2,800 hectares of grain crops in our area. We had 70% of our crops burned. Nevertheless, today, the first 110 hectares of fields were harvested, but we see that the harvest has been preserved, and we will do everything on the farm to harvest every grain," noted Sergei Murin, Deputy Director of Crop Production at Agro-Zarechye.

The start was active and festive. The summer heat is only additional motivation for the professionals: getting everything done without compromising quality is the most important thing. In the Kamenets District, there are 2,500 hectares of winter barley, a third of which has already been harvested. The unprecedented heat has accelerated the ripening of other crops, but the equipment is in good working order – everything is ready for harvest. The Kamenets District has replenished its fleet of vehicles for the harvest.

"The machine and tractor fleet was updated, and new combines were purchased. We have plenty of work to do; all the equipment in the district has been updated. We need to harvest the barley more quickly, as we already have spring barley and winter rapeseed plantings coming up," said Pavel Kipen, Head of the Production Organization Department of the Kamenets District Executive Committee's Agriculture Department.

In the Mogilev Region, emergency workers are traditionally assisting farmers. Emergency Ministry drivers and firefighters will become grain harvesters during the harvest season. A convoy of combine harvesters departed for the Glussky and Osipovichsky districts on June 30th. The region is to harvest 320,000 hectares of grain crops, almost 70% of which are high-yielding winter crops.

"This is my second year working here; my first was in the Mstislavsky district. We've harvested a thousand tons. We're in high spirits, and we'll try to harvest more this year," said Nikita Gorbatyuk, a driver for the Shklov District Emergency Situations Department.

Yevgeny Simankov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Food of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee:

"The Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Ministry of Internal Affairs have formed teams. We began this experiment in 2025, and it's proven very successful. This is a tremendous help to agriculture. All the necessary living conditions have been created for the people—both accommodation and food."

More than 5,500 grain harvesters are ready for harvesting across the country. At the same time, preparations are underway for grain cleaning and drying systems.