What is Yavir Agroservice focused on?

Yavir Agroservice focuses on sugar beet production on a family‑run farm in Bershad, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine.

How many generations work at the farm?

Three generations work together at the family farm.

Who is Ievhenii Bondarchuk?

Ievhenii Bondarchuk is the head of Yavir Agroservice in Bershad, Ukraine.

What are some of Ievhenii’s interests outside farming?

He is passionate about landscaping and garden design, has transformed a neighboring wasteland into a botanical garden, and raises Dorper sheep.

Close to farmers:
#ThinkingInGenerations

Farming Insider: Ievhenii Bondarchuk

About Mykhailo, Ievhenii, and Vitalii Bondarchuk

It was back in the 1960s that Mykhailo Bondarchuk sowed the seeds for the family business in agriculture. His son Ievhenii developed Yavir Agroservice in Bershad, central Ukraine, into a prosperous agricultural business that now focuses on sugar beet production. Ievhenii’s son Vitalii joined the company after completing his studies and now assists his father with legal administrative matters.

Farm facts

Family-run farm where three generations work together.

Location: Bershad, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine

Crops cultivated: Sugar beet

Special features: In addition to farming, Ievhenii Bondarchuk is passionate about landscaping as well as sheep breeding. He transformed a neighboring piece of wasteland into a botanical garden within a period of twelve years. The farmer also raises Dorper sheep, which are a fast-growing, meat-producing breed. Bondarchuk crosses the Dorper sheep with his native sheep to improve meat quality.

The most important qualities that parents can
pass on to their children are a love for people, respect,
and doing what you love.

Ievhenii Bondarchuk, Ukraine

Question time

Ievhenii, before we talk about your work, let’s take a look at the beautiful spot that has taken shape next to your house. You have given your little town of Bershad the gift of a beautiful idyll.

Ievhenii: Alongside agriculture, landscaping and garden design is something that gives me great pleasure. And next to the house where I live there used to be a patch of fallow land, so I decided to purchase the land and plant a few lime and birch trees there to turn it into a nicer spot. Over the course of twelve years, the site has transformed into a beautiful arboretum, I think. Bershad is a small town, and people love to cycle or walk here to enjoy the beauty.

Three generations work in the family business Yavir Agroservice. Mykhailo, Vitalii and Ievhenii Bondarchuk (from left to right).

It sounds like you’re really passionate about the things you work on. Where did you get that from?

Ievhenii: It’s something you have to be born with. I think that if you want to be a farmer, you probably can’t learn that in an institute.

The special thing about your family business is that three generations have been working there. A new generation also always means a different perspective on the profession. What’s your take on your beginnings in agriculture and your passion for your job?

Mykhailo: I started working back in 1969, and during the first 16 years I taught myself everything. Gradually, new technologies came about, which are helpful for cultivating our kind of sugar beet. These days, when I see the farm and the work my son is doing, I am very happy that it’s going so well for him.

Ievhenii: My first memories go back to summer holidays on the farm. As the head agronomist, my father used to take me to work on a T-72 tractor. So I was always close to the field while I was growing up. I saw how sugar beet was cultivated and I saw how wheat was sown. That’s what sparked my love of machines, nature, and farming.

Vitalii, can you share these early farming experiences as the youngest member on the Bondarchuk family farm?

Vitalii: Yes, I can actually. I remember some moments going back to my early childhood. When the sowing was going on, for example, we children asked my parents for two square meters of land to take care of independently, so we could grow something of our own ...

… and harvest it?

Vitalii: Well, we were typical kids, when the summer came around we had forgotten our two square meters of course. Nevertheless, every year these moments of sowing and harvesting left their mark on us. It got us children thinking that we could work in agriculture in the future, too.

What values are you passing on to your son, Ievhenii? What qualities does Vitalii need to make the legacy of your farm fit for the future?

Ievhenii: Overall, I believe that everyone has to find their own way in life. We are born with our own personalities and everyone has their own preferences. As the saying goes, “You reap what you sow.” The most important qualities that parents can pass on to their children are – in my opinion – a love for people, respect, love for your work, not slacking off, working hard, doing what you love, and living your life in such a way that people speak well of you.

Paving the way. For a fruitful tomorrow.

Farm life is often characterized by family cohesion and traditions that have grown over decades. Around the world, many generations live and work on farms under one roof, and at some point the question of farm succession comes up. Our new Farmer Portraits focus on this generational change that many farmers are facing. Young and old alike - we visited farmers on their farms to have them tell us about their stories, their challenges and their hopes.

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Todd, Jared and Cole Vis, USA

“My wish for the future of the family farm is that it will still be run well in the fifth, sixth, and seventh generation.”

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Arco Van Triest, Netherlands

“This farm has been running since 1900, and now my children are here.“

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Adem Biçici, Turkey

“When I go out into the fields with my grandson, I see myself reflected in his curiosity.“

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Brian Ryberg, USA

“I think the feeling of being part of something greater has always been important to me.“

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Šandor Sabo junior, Croatia

“Whatever problems we are facing, we solve them together. For me, family is all about cohesion.“

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Atila Sabo, Croatia

“Every morning, my brother and I agree what we want to do during the day, what our duties are. So we share the work and have passed on this structure to our children in the same way.“

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Carla, Fábio and José Rossato, Brazil

“I never had any doubts; I never wanted to be anything but a farmer.”

Dimitar sits in an office chair, smiling while wearing a white shirt and green overalls. Papers and a calculator are on the desk.

Dimitar Vukudinov, Bulgaria

”Working with your own father means that you always have a wiser man with you to support you and look up to.”

Portrait of a middle-aged man with short hair, wearing a black shirt, smiling softly against a softly lit background.

Rodolfo Cura, Argentina

“The farm is everything to me. Working in agriculture is the greatest way to do what I love. For me, the farm means freedom.”

Heidi, a farmer from Belgium, sits in a bright room with a bouquet of roses on the table behind her.

Heidi Verschelde, Belgium

"I think the next generation is showing a keen sense for the importance of nature."

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Ievhenii Bondarchuk, Ukraine

"If you want to be a farmer, you can’t learn that in an institute. It’s something you have to be born with."

A man and a woman smile at each other while holding tomatoes in a greenhouse filled with plants. They appear to be enjoying their time together.

Luigi Torri, Italy

“I hope my sons will pass on the love and respect for the earth and all the values I taught them.”

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Paweł Strzemiecki, Poland

“This love of farming, of the farming tradition, goes back generations in our family.”

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Emma F., UK

“It would be great if one day the sixth or seventh generation of our family runs the farm.“

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Peter Carlisle, UK

“Teamwork is the most important thing on our farm. Everyone does a little bit of everything. If we weren't a team, our business wouldn't be as successful as it is today.“

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Henning & Arne Beecken, Germany

“The feeling of wanting to continue the work on the farm has grown day by day since childhood.“

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Emanuele Bortoli, Italy

“Reliability and respect form the foundation for how we deal with one another. These are values I`ve always held in high esteem.“

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Francis Bapst, Switzerland

“For me, the most important values are respect for nature, understanding our consumers and food production.”

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Toni & Daniel Peterhans, Switzerland

”Spirit and passion are what leads to success, whether it's in farming or on the football pitch.”

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Riccardo Casarotto, Italy

”Independence is a dream that we should all cultivate and pursue. Dreams are there to come true and to help you progress.”

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Stephan Jansen, Belgium

”I look forward to waking up every day and being able to work with nature.”

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Gizem Anar, Turkey

”People should love what they do, and I love farming. I enjoy looking after animals, plants and nature and try to feel connected to them!.”

A close-up of a calf with an ear tag, surrounded by other cows in a pasture. The calf has a calm expression.

Adrian Knuchel, Switzerland

”For me, team spirit means being able to live and work together. It means ongoing exchange, taking each other, mutual ideas and suggestions seriously.”

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Gürkan Ilhan, Turkey

”People who work in agriculture, cultivating crops, rearing livestock and working on the land, accumulate positive memories day after day.”

Aerial view of a farmhouse surrounded by neatly trimmed hedges and a garden, with a driveway leading to the property.

René Vermue, Netherlands

”Team spirit and reliability are hugely important in both my personal life and my working life – be it with colleagues, employees, or in dealings with other farmers.”