A Tomsk milkmaid took part in the All-Russian skills competition.

From August 27th to 29th, the 29th All-Russian competition for the title of Best Machine Milking Operator was held in Suzdal, Vladimir Region.
Fifty-eight operators from 50 regions of RUSSIA participated in the competition. Tatyana Gorbovskaya, a machine milking operator at the Nelyubino agricultural production cooperative, represented the Tomsk Region. Tatyana Vladimirovna has worked for 26 years at the Kudrinskaya dairy farm, where all cows are classified as "elite-record."
Gorbovskaya was one of the winners of the regional stage of the competition, which took place in July in the Tomsk Region. Her results demonstrated her intimate knowledge of the profession and her ability to find a common language with even the most demanding animals, earning her the title of "First Class Master of Livestock Breeding."
The All-Russian competition included four stages: theoretical knowledge, sanitary preparation, disassembly and assembly of the milking machine, and milking cows in the milking parlor. The competitors' work was assessed by 50 judges and five jury members.
"I was impressed by the scale of the competition and the level of organization. Of course, I was nervous, as this was my first all-Russian competition. But overall, I think I performed well, even though I didn't place among the top three," said Tatyana Vladimirovna.
It's worth noting that in 2024 , the MILK yield per forage-fed cow in Tatyana Gorbovskaya's group was 7,456 kilograms, almost 2,000 kg higher than usual.
"Tatyana Gorbovskaya demonstrated strong professional skills in disciplines such as sanitary preparation and milking equipment preparation, scoring 4.8 points out of 5 and 11.71 points out of a maximum of 15, respectively. Our milkmaid also performed well, scoring 61.05 points out of 70 in the most important stage—milking the cows." Of course, the level of competition was very high. Machine milking operators from very large farms participated, so the trip to the competition was also useful for sharing experiences with other businesses. "After all, everyone has their own approach and techniques," adds Nadezhda Mazurova, a livestock specialist at the Nelyubino agricultural production cooperative and a participant in the competition.
The overall champion was Maria Zubova from the Vologda Region, who scored the highest points in four disciplines, earning the maximum overall score of 100 points.
In addition to the competition, the competition included a plenary session dedicated to discussing current issues related to the development of modern machine milking and increasing the investment attractiveness of dairy farming.