Specialists from the Russian space agency Roscosmos traveled to the farm in the Altai Republic, "cut the fragment into parts and loaded it on a Mi-8 helicopter," a spokesman for the local administration said.
The specialists also spoke to the shepherd, who is demanding compensation of 500,000 rubles ($21,000). The man had earlier asked for double that sum.
The incident occurred after the launch of a Proton-M carrier rocket from the Baikonur space center leased by Russia in nearby Kazakhstan on February 5.
The three-and-a-half-meter (11 foot) long fragment landed a few meters from the shepherd's door. Although he was not injured, he said the incident gave him and his children a huge fright, and is seeking moral damages.
No toxic traces have been found at the site of the fall.
The local administration said it would back up his claim as the fragment fell outside the designated area for rocket debris. A few years ago another resident of the region sought damages from Roscosmos in similar circumstances. A court awarded him a mere $400 in compensation.
The Altai Republic has been used as a "cemetery" for the fallen fragments of carrier rockets launched from the Baikonur space center for more than 40 years. Experts estimate that about 2.5 metric tons of "space waste" have fallen in unpopulated areas of the republic during this period.
