Irrigated Agriculture in Russia and Ukraine
Bob Wietharn (center) with two Riverscreen customers on a farm in the Mari El Republic area of Russia.
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ob Wietharn is the inventor and manufacturer of the Riverscreen, an innovative floating screen that can pump and filter out debris from running water as shallow as 4 inches. In August 2019, Mr. Wietharn traveled to Russia and Ukraine, where he visited Riverscreen customers and dealers and visited a number of farms. In this interview, Mr. Wietharn shares with Irrigation Leader his impressions of Russia and Ukraine, including details about farming, irrigation, and equipment. Irrigation Leader: How long was your trip to Russia and Ukraine?
Irrigation Leader: How many countries have you sold your screens to? Bob Wietharn: More than 40—and it all started in Clay Center, Kansas, in 1998. When most people come out here,
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Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your impressions of Russia and Ukraine. What did you see over there? Bob Wietharn: We left on August 14, 2019, and flew into Moscow. Then we drove down to visit a large farm in the Tula area, which covered 375,000 hectares (926,645 acres). That farm had ordered one Riverscreen, tried it, and then ordered 36 more in a single shipment. At the time we visited, all the screens were stored inside a locked shed, because their growing season was over. In that region, their biggest concern is theft. If they leave anything out without a guard, it’s taken. We were driven around the farm in an old, beat-up truck. Off the main road, the roads were horrendous, with terrible potholes. We visited sites that pumped out of the river and out of ponds off the river. They were growing carrots and cabbage. All that produce is sold in Moscow. I was amazed by the deep black soil and the erosion that the operators of the farm were causing. Their farming practices reminded me of things we did 30 years irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOB WIETHARN.
Bob Wietharn: We were in Russia for 9 days and in Ukraine for 5. We went over to see two of our dealers, one in Russia and one in Ukraine. They took us to meet with their customers.
they shake their heads and can’t believe that it all happens in this little building.
