Official Field Crop Rotation Record

in the USSR, an accounting document facilitating the planning of cropping procedures, depending on the specific conditions encountered in a given field. The document also assures control of compliance with established farming practices. Kolkhozes and sovkhozes keep field crop rotation records in any form convenient to them, being guided, however, by recommendations prepared by the agriculture ministries of the Union republics, which stipulate that the record be compiled annually for each field and for all rotations of the sovkhoz or kolkhoz.

The field crop rotation record consists of two parts. The first part (compiled by the agronomist of the kolkhoz or sovkhoz) gives the area of the field, its relief, a brief description of the soil, the preceding crops (showing identity of the crops, field tillage for those crops, what fertilizers were used, weed considerations, past yield, etc.), and other peculiarities of the given crop rotation field; it also gives the name of the prospective crop to be sown in the field, the variety of that crop, the planned yield, the plan of ag-rotechnical measures to be taken (with indication of work schedules), the quota for fertilization and seed sowing, and so forth. This portion of the record, executed by the agronomist, is sent to the appropriate section (brigade) of the sovkhoz or kolkhoz. The second portion, executed by the brigade leader or by the section agronomist, includes factual information on fulfillment of measures taken, with indication of type of work, quotas of fertilizer distribution and seeding, plowing depth, operation completion dates, quality of work, and names of workers. At the end of the year the field crop rotation records are turned over to the agronomist of the kolkhoz or sovkhoz, and the basic data which they contain are entered in the register of the history of crop rotation fields.