Terenty Maltsev

Terenty Maltsev

Terenty Maltsev was a famous scientist, a field crop agronomist. He was born in 1895 in a poor peasant family beyond the Ural Mountains. His mother died when he was three. He worked on the farm together with his father and stepmother. Although father didn’t let Terenty go to school the boy learned to read and write himself. He was very persevering.

In 1916 -1917 Maltsev took part in WWI. He was taken a prisoner-of war in Germany in 1917-1921. He did not waste time there: he mastered German and studied the German system of soil tillage. The year when he returned home was very hard. Many people died from hunger. Terenty Maltsev was a kind man. He loved his native land and people. He wanted to reap rich harvests to feed all people. It was a very difficult task to do in Siberia with its short and hot summers, long and frost winters, strong spring winds that destroyed the upper fertile layer of the ground.

Maltsev never studied in any college or university. He educated himself: read much and did a lot of experiments. He worked very hard all his long life (1895 -1994) without giving himself a minute rest. When asked, “Have you ever taken a holiday?” Maltsev answered, “Never.”

Terenty Maltsev developed a new system of soil tillage. He developed a system of subsurface soil treatment, which included the plough of his own design. Combined with optimal planting times he succeeded in securing high and consistent harvests.

Terenty and his tomatoes

Terenty Maltsev was the director of the testing station in the Kurgan Region. He was a famous scientist, honorary academician of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, a member of the Soviet Parliament. At the same time he was a very modest man. He lived with his big family: a wife and nine children in a simple wooden village house. His children went to school in winter and worked on the farm in summer. One of his sons took part in WWII and was killed. Some of his children became agronomists like their father.

What attracts us to Terenty Maltsev is that he never expected a miracle. He did everything himself, thought up everything himself. He always said the truth, what he thought, irrespective of whom he talked – be it the leader of the country or a village neighbour. He was responsive, dependable, responsible and infinitely honest. The Kurgan Region is proud of Terenty Maltsev a true son of his native land.

His deeds were never at variance with his words. This is important now and for future, everywhere and always, but today Russia needs it perhaps more than in the past.

Bukreev A.