Most of Ukraine’s tractor drivers and combine operators are now soldiers, and it is difficult to replace them, even though agriculture work pays very well.
When I was in my senior year of school and got bad grades, my parents would scare me by saying I wouldn’t go to university and would instead become a tractor driver. This was considered a bad way of life, since at the end of the 1990s, agriculture in Ukraine was in decline.
People who grew wheat in the fields were often spoken of with sympathy and even disdain by residents of large cities. The feeling was that only losers could sit in the cab of a tractor all day and smell the stench on farms. That is why most young people from my town ran away, to anywhere, just to avoid working in agriculture.
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Changes
Since those times, Ukrainian agriculture has undergone enormous changes. As our farmers improved and earned more, they bought new machinery, and professions such as agronomist, engineer, tractor driver and combine harvester became more popular.
It became clear that if you buy a tractor or a self-propelled sprayer for US$400,000, you must also find a highly qualified person who will work efficiently with such equipment. This person needs to be paid well so they will stay with your farm.
About 10 years ago, an acute shortage of personnel began to be felt in the agricultural economy of Ukraine. Most young people did not want to study as agronomists or tractor drivers, choosing less tiring professions instead. Of course, everyone wants to be a blogger, publish videos and earn a lot of money…
At the same time, older machine operators were not always willing and able to learn how to effectively operate modern tractors and combines. They were used to working with technology dating back to the Soviet era. Because of this, farmers literally fought for every promising employee, promising them “golden mountains” and the solution to all their problems.
I remember how, seven years ago, I came to a family of farmers to write about their new elevator. These people, after getting to know me, urged me to stay with them and work in any vacancy that I chose. For this, they would buy me a house, give me a work car, solve all the issues with the school for my children and pay a good salary.
I was surprised and said that I was only a journalist, and did not have an agricultural education. How could I work as an agronomist or tractor driver? I was told the shortage of personnel in their region was so significant that there were only a dozen reliable workers on 40,000 acres. They were are ready to take a person “off the street” and teach him a new profession, so long as he did not have bad habits and was willing to work.
This situation was very different from that of my childhood. At that time, each village had at least 100 and often many more people who worked in agriculture, though it was not effective or efficient.
War torn
With the beginning of Russia’s attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians became soldiers. At first, they were volunteers, but later a large-scale mobilization began, which continues to this day. I have been physically examined and am awaiting my notice from the army.
I will be honest: not all men want to fight, so recruiting a certain number of new soldiers to replace those who have been fighting since the beginning of the war is not an easy task. Some have gone abroad, some are hiding from mobilization at home or in another region, and some have a legal reprieve from mobilization.
This is a real problem for the state, since Ukraine must maintain an army of one million soldiers at all times to stand up to the huge Russian army.
It is not surprising that the mobilization most affected the people who live in small villages and towns and work in agriculture. They are easy to find, they do not hide anywhere and are used to difficulties. They know how to operate modern equipment and repair it. These are mostly men aged 35 to 55, brought up on traditional values.
It got to the point where only half the workers remained in many agricultural companies.
Even before the war, we had a shortage of personnel in agriculture. Now that shortage is worse. No wonder farmers are trying to keep their skilled workers on the job and secure them legal reservations. This problem has not gone anywhere. Someone needs to fight and someone needs to grow bread.
On small farms, the owners themselves or members of their families sit in the cab of a tractor or combine more often. Large companies organize special training for women who want to become tractor drivers or truck drivers. In Ukraine, these professions were traditionally considered men’s work, but women perform it at least as well or even better.
However, this is not the full solution, since millions of women and children left for European countries as refugees from the war. Mostly are young, active people. I would like to be wrong, but I suspect most will never return to Ukraine, and this is a huge problem.
Personal risk
My 16-year-old son, Petro, lives with me in Ukraine and some of my friends call me a fool because I didn’t take him abroad. They said he has no future in Ukraine, and in a few years he may be mobilized for war.
Yes, this thought gnaws at me sometimes, and above all, I would like my children to never see war. I have several times offered my son the chance to go abroad, while he is still considered a child and has the right to leave without hindrance.
Petro refused each time. He says this is his country, his parents live here, his sisters live here and he does not want to run away, especially if his father could become a soldier in a year, and he will be needed at home.
I really like a proverb that goes like this: “The darkest night is before the dawn.”
Yes, it is very difficult for all Ukrainians today. Sometimes when you read bad news, you want to give up and run away. But at the same time, I feel how much stronger we have become in these two and a half years. Despite all the destruction, blood and tears, we hold our heads high and fight back.
Such a country, such a people will never give up and never lose. Therefore, I believe everything will be fine with my son and my daughters right here in Ukraine.
When my time comes, I will be a soldier, but I will not run away. You cannot escape from yourself.
And I also see tractors, harvesters, sprayers and trucks full of grain going back and forth in the fields all over Ukraine. The weather has not been kind to farmers this year, but they have once again grown a good crop. We had no rain for two months and our crops survived terrible heat, but we persevered.
And I know that we will stand at the front. People are the most valuable resource.
