L. Batsukh | Voice of Customer

Honored to hear achieved recognition.

Please tell us a bit more about your operations and also farming in Mongolia.

Mongolia borders both Russia and China. Situated inland and in the north, Mongolia faces severe weather – very harsh long winters and very dry summers. We face big challenges to feed our 3 million population and have a very short window to harvest our crops. Given such challenges, I have actively learned and applied various knowledge to ensure my operations are at its most efficiency. My background is in both agriculture and economics but I have also learned the science in soil and crop management, and studied various equipment technology. Combining all aspects have enabled me to grow my business. My father, a prominent agricultural figure back in 1996 when he started his 150-ha business, shared that average productivity was around 35 centners/ha (approx. 3 tons/ha). Today I have grown to cover 2,500 hectares and doubled to 72 centners/ha (approx. 7 tons/ha). I am still learning – even now I am studying for my PH.D. to learn about technology upgrades in agribusiness. It was no easy feat to beat out over 2000 competitors for the award from the Ministry of Agriculture!

How did you adapt your operations that have helped in increasing productivity?

Most important, it is about soil management. The top soil in Mongolia is relatively thinner compared to other countries and as such, it needs to minimize disturbance or keep enriched as much as possible. Much of the crop harvested on my operations are soft wheat, but I am diversifying to include canola and bean, and looking for other alternatives. I have not yet fully used the whole acreage on my farm yet. And that is where I am also looking at proper equipment and technology that would care for the top soil as well as eventually support the crop expansion that I am planning for.

Please share how you came to know John Deere equipment and how has it supported you.

When I took over my father’s business in 2006, we had 2 tractors and 1 combine in operation. In 2007, the Ministry of Agriculture began actively introducing agriculture technology to all the farmers. I began taking interest in what kinds of technology were available and searched for information in many places, including visits to Russia and Germany. As I came to know MSM Group who has greatly advised me, I started adding more equipment from JD such as 8R 410 tractor, air seeder and S760 combine. Particularly the S760 combine has aided myself in breaking the harvest records and earning the “State-honored mechanic of Mongolia” – even my Russian colleagues were impressed with how I achieved this. Compared to other makes, the wheat grain quality is very good. There is less loss of grain, and the cleaning system is very good. With the larger tank size and larger header size, it becomes very efficient and convenient to use in operations. To add, the S760 also has a smart system to track and report on moisture level, loss and field efficiency. Adding science to farming operations has been very advantageous to growth.

How do you see the future of your operations?

I still have unused hectares on my farm and want to maximize its use with better planning. I foresee technology will be important to run the operations and I am seeking a cohesive set of equipment and technology to run the business smoothly. I am considering setting up a separate business entity to revamp my operations where agriculture, technology and equipment can work together. As a start, I have created 2 labs to do more studies on soil and agriculture. At the same time, food is the heart in agriculture, so I also look to better the crop management of wheat, canola, beans and any future crops to complete the picture. I am also willing to offer my farm to be a demo farm for JD where we can start testing equipment and its suitability to the land. I do envision expanding to include self-propelled sprayers and cultivation (tillage) equipment to fulfill future needs. Our farmers still rely on financing to ensure access to JD equipment, so we also need support in this aspect.

Any other comments?

I certainly have to thank MSM for being a great partner since 2020 and looking forward to more cooperation.

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