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ZS"Vaidelotes"
Vaidelotes, Codes pagasts, LV-3901, Latvia
Mob:+371 29 389 993
Epasts: vaidelotes@gmail.com
Our contacts
ZS "Vaidelotes"
Vaidelotes, Codes parish, LV-3901, Latvia
Mobile:+371 29 389 993
Email: vaidelotes@gmail.com
Home is a place where the heart feels peace and love finds blessings for loved ones.
Latvian life advice
Agriculture and the Latvian way of life – these two things coexist well on the farm “Vaidelotes” in Codes parish, run by Arnolds Jātnieks. The two, together with the owner Daira, promote the Latvian way of life and consider it the future of the farm.
They started with 16 ha, but now “Vaidelotes” manages 365 ha of land , located in four parishes – Code, Rundāle, Mežotne and Vecsaule. There are five sons in the family – the middle son Mārtiņš has already chosen to continue what his parents started – he graduated from the LLU in agronomy and is a direct assistant in all work.
All the sons know how to use machinery – when it’s time to harvest, the older sons take a leave of absence and help out on the farm. “Vaidelotes” is a family farm, there are no paid employees, so the work has to be planned in such a way that they can handle everything themselves. “It’s the most economical model possible,” adds the owner.
Arnolds Jātnieks is especially proud of the oak tree in the yard of the farmstead, which, according to experts, could be about eight hundred years old. The oak tree is bearing a lot of acorns, which could be a sign that severe frosts and a lot of snow are expected in the winter, because “acorns are never for nothing.” A willow tree also grows nearby, and it has been discovered that the Māra tree in the yard – a willow – can also be classified as a tree of the same name.
“Vaidelotes” grows winter and summer wheat, rapeseed, beans, gray peas, naked oats and barley, as well as other crops. The owner says that this is good, because when circumstances change, one crop can save another. In the past, they grew sugar beets, which they handed over to the Jēkabpils sugar factory. When it ceased its operations, the Jātnieki decided to stop this business.
Currently, the most profitable of all crops are beans and malting barley. The farmers sell what they grow thanks to the cooperative "Latraps", of which "Vaidelotes" is a member.
The development of the farm has taken place thanks to new equipment, which has made it possible to work more productively. Namely, several European projects have been implemented – a tractor, a sprayer, a milling cutter and a seed drill were purchased, later a combine was purchased, then the seed drill was replaced with a newer one. The fourth project has allowed the creation of a wind generator, which allows the production of half of the energy needed for the house. The generator was created with the support of the Environmental Investment Fund and allows the production of green energy.
What is that great estate In the valley below the hill?
That estate has three gates,
All three made of silver.
Through the first gate entered God,
Through the second entered beloved Māra,
Through the third rode the Sun
With two golden colts.
The farm also grows various herbs and teas, which are under the care of the owner Daira. The owners promote Latvian dishes – Daira bakes whole wheat pies and muffins, cooks porridge, which is the special taste of the Jātnieku house. “We try to live according to ancient Latvian customs and also work according to them, observing the rhythm of the moon.”
More than 10 years ago, both of them got involved in hosting tourists , and this activity is only expanding. When they opened the farm for viewing, they never even thought about how many people would visit it. Last summer, over 2,000 people visited “Vaidelotes” not only from Latvia, but also from Lithuania and many European and world countries. “It’s an opportunity to show foreigners what we do. We already know two years in advance who will visit our farm. All interested parties can apply online and we already know who will come, how many people, so we can know what to offer. We do not offer accommodation.”
The owner serves on the Bauska Regional Council, the boards of the Latvian Agronomists' Association and the Farmers' Saeima, so there is a lot to do. "Many people asked why I ran for deputy. But if you don't run and don't do anything, who else will? I would say - be more involved in politics, run in the Saeima elections, so that you can change economic life in Latvia, not just on your own farm," says Arnolds Jātnieks.
Preserving family traditions and honoring Latvia's nature
For three hundred years, the greatest tree in Latvia, the Oak, has been protected and honored in the Jātnieku family. The Oak is energetically very powerful tree that helps the strong and those who wholeheartedly want to be strong.
Can intensive agriculture be combined with the Latvian way of life?
"Very good. The first thing my grandmother taught me is to thank my ancestors. This should be done in every family, in every homestead – thank your parents. Also in the fire ritual, you first thank your gods, your ancestors, and only then can you ask for more. Our ancestors knew how to work according to the stars, the phases of the moon. They knew how to plan all their work at the right time and put everything on the shelves. We also try to do this by sowing in the right phase of the moon – a growing moon, or by working the land when it is old. During the new moon, big, thick ears of grain come, heavy grains. When you sow during the old moon, there will be nothing there. I follow what my father and grandmother taught me. It is an unwritten law that our ancestors pass on to future generations."
The landlady adds that the farmers, when plowing the fields at the solstice, already programmed a good harvest. Namely, they created a thought so that it could materialize. “As you think, so you will live. If I go to the field and sow grain, but I think – this year will not be as good as last year, then it is better not to go to the field with such thoughts. Or – look, where is the cool field for the neighbor, but it does not look good for me. This means that at that moment I already programmed the future. If only a person would think about what he is doing with the power of his thoughts,” reveals the landlady. One of the main laws that the farmers follow – what you sow, you will reap.
When there is a new moon in the sky, a ritual bonfire is lit on the farm and thanks are given for what was received in the previous month. Thanks are given to Mother Earth, Mother of the Wind, Laima, our Latvian God. Then wishes are expressed for the next month. Daira Jātniece: “We came into the world to live joyfully and happily, not to be grumpy and tired. And the holidays were created so that at the right time we would receive energy from the stars and it would be easy for us, so that we could work joyfully.”
AGRICULTURE is our way of life
