It has been two decades since the collapse of the Soviet collective system has made way for a ‘new’ way of farming in Eastern Europe. In many cases, entrepreneurs and oligarchs have aggregated small holdings from the former Soviet collectives into farms of astounding size and scale and with improved productivity. We are planning a 2010 study tour to check-out this new wave of agriculture which is sweeping the magnificently fertile steppes of countries like Russia, Ukraine and Romania. And the best time to do this will be during the northern hemisphere winter crop harvest period (July–August).

There are privately operated farms in southern Russia in excess of one million hectares – and all of this area is being cropped. Farms of an enormous scale can also be found in the Dnipro Valley of Ukraine. This is a region with one of the world’s most fertile soils. The steppes (plains) of central and southern Ukraine lay claim to around a third of the world’s total area of humus-rich black soil (Chernozems). The soil is so good that in past conflicts, invading armies would return home with truck-loads of Ukraine’s prized topsoil.

Romanian farmland is also very fertile enabling production of high-quality crops in a very favourable climatic area. Romania is a recent entrant to the European Union and farming is subject to considerable political (subsidy) attention. Together with the comparatively low wages and generally low production costs, this provides excellent opportunities for professional farm projects in Romania. One irrigation farm has been developed, literally on an island in the middle of the Danube River, and has 200,000 hectares of irrigated crops.

Our Eastern European Big Farms Tour will visit all of these areas plus other ‘must see’ sights including:
• Bucharest and the Danube Delta;
• Moscow and St Petersburg;
• Magnificent, medieval Transylvania – the home of Dracula.

Plus there are also some great add-on (or before the main tour) opportunities such as Gallipoli and Istanbul or the romantic charm of
Vienna and a cruise on the Danube.

Over the past 16 years, Greenmount Travel has established excellent farming and agribusiness contacts around the world. This ensures our tours are well organised and are expertly guided by local trusted operators and our own experienced Greenmount Travel personnel.
Passenger numbers are limited to a comfortable busful.

Itinerary and bookings

Our previous tours to Eastern Europe have given us the necessary experience to tackle the logistical and financial challenges involved with group travel to this part of the world. We know it is difficult, particularly with the erratic exchange rates, but the rewards of careful planning are great.

The cost of this itinerary is $AUD13,450.

The full itinerary can be viewed below or downloaded as a pdf. If you would like to join the tour, please fill in the booking form. Alternatively, if you haven’t made your mind up just yet, you can express your interest on the same form or through the website, and we will send you itinerary updates.

Hope to hear from you soon. Please don’t hesitate to call (07 4659 3555) with any questions you might have.

Kind regards...
Lloyd and Catherine O’Connell, Dave Dowling



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