
In 1953, Nikita Khrushchev was in a bit of a pickle. On one hand, the agricultural reforms that Malenkov had put into play had been greatly popular and seemed destined for success. On the other hand, Khrushchev felt bitter that Malenkov was getting credit for agricultural reforms, something he had been working to produce. The solution? Enter the Virgin Lands Campaign, a massively audacious and risky plan that made the Kazakhs wary, party members concerned, and tractor producers ecstatic. Yes, it was a glorious time to be in charge of tractor production. Never before had a country attempted such a grand expansion of its agricultural production sector and to do so they would need a massive amount of tractors. In just the first quarter of 1955, the Kharkov factories were set to produce over 3000 glistening, new DT-54 tractors; the sturdy and reliable beast needed to tame the new lands. Adding to this the khTZ-7 tractor with a new diesel engine would allow the pioneers of this new endeavor to work with less fuel and produce far more for the Mother Land. The factories in Kharkov were pressed to optimize its production to create more replacement parts and new tractors at a higher rate. In 1955, the tractor portion of the plant anticipated a 63% increase in productivity over the last year. The people needed it’s workhorses to continue Comrade Khrushchev’s plan. Work was slow but steady and the amount of cultivated land would skyrocket under this new plan with 300,000 sq. km. would be put to the plow in the first year alone. Within the first 2 years, the grain shortage of the Soviet Union was abated and the people seemed encouraged by the record output of 1956 (180% higher than the 1949-53 average). Unfortunately, all of the glistening tractors in all of Russia could not stop the decline after the record harvests of 1956-58. Khrushchev would eventually attempt to revamp the plan by expanding fertilizer production and open up new fertilizer factories in the early 60’s but nothing could bring the virgin lands back to the much needed records of the middle of the 50’s. While Comrade Khrushchev’s plan may not have worked as a long term solution, it was not without its benefits. The Virgin Land’s reform may have saved the Soviet Union from a total agricultural disaster by buying time to revamp the previously established agricultural systems in place. The plan also succeeded in enhancing the industrial output of the USSR as a direct byproduct of the Virgin Land’s expansion campaign. Today you can still see working examples of the DT-54 in use in the former Soviet states with onlookers staring as they’re “tillin’ up the land”. Please enjoy this vintage footage of grain harvesting in Kazakhstan in 1955 featuring the lovably ugly DT-54.
https://dlib-eastview-com.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu/browse/doc/13846985