Information
FROM THE SEED OF SAVO
Itika Farm
Seed production since
1956
Itikan Farm is a farm specializing in seed production, with a cultivated area of approximately 250 hectares and a forest area of approximately 450 hectares.
We use modern machinery and equipment, including GPS crop mapping in the combine harvester and precision control in the fertilizer spreader and crop protection sprayer.
As a demonstration of our advanced production, we have been selected as the winner of the 2007 Farm of the Year competition.


History
Local seed production
Seed production on the Itika farm began in 1956, when the farm's owner at the time, Jaakko Sarvela, returned from the army and began seed production. At that time, the farm still had 15 dairy cows and 80 meat pigs.
A ride in Itika's yard in the 1930s.
In the 1950s and 1960s, there was little seed production elsewhere in North Savo. Savon Siemen is therefore a pioneer in its field in the North Savo region.
In 1959, the farm purchased its own drainage machine and all the fields were drained.
In 1962, our country had a very poor harvest, and we had to import grain from abroad.
The first tractor on the Itika farm, a Farmall M in the 1940s.
This also brought with it the problem of wasted oats, one of the biggest enemies of seed production. We inspect all our farms ourselves, as well as most contract farms, for wasted oats.
In 1962, the first hot air dryer was built. The dryer was branded Jaakko. In 1962, the first machine shop, Peltosalmen Konepaja Oy, was also established. Jaakko Räsänen of the Cooperative Bank gave a loan of 20,000 FIM, which was used to buy, among other things, a welding machine.
Jaakko Sarvela, the co-founder of Peltosalmen Konepaja Oy, delivers the 15,000th winch to a customer in the 1960s.
The first product was a rear loader. This was followed by a rear loader and a winch. The workshop was sold to Normet Oy in 1972, which employed 180 people at the time. (Photos, www.normet.fi )
In 1971, a sprinkler system was built on the farm. It can cover an area of approximately 100 hectares.
- More history at www.collanlied.com
The book “Iisalmen Iso Itikka” describing the history of the farm was completed in March 2004. The book can be ordered from us and is also available from Suomalainen Kirjakaupsta. The price of the book is 25 e/piece, incl. VAT. The ISBN code of the book is 925 - 91 - 6945 - 0.
A Sisu rear loader at an agricultural exhibition in the 1960s.

