There's even an 8,000-person team! What helps Kukhchitsy employees achieve high results every year?

By August 26, Pavel Shutilo, a grain harvester at the enterprise, had harvested over 8,000 tons of grain using a GOMSELMASH GS-2124 combine. Of this, approximately 6,000 tons were harvested on his own farm, and another 2,000 tons were used to assist farmers in the Kletsk and Slutsk districts. 7 Days correspondents visited Pavel Mikhailovich's hometown to learn how grain harvesters become leaders.

A friendly get-together

The Kukhchitsy greet visitors with high-quality roads, neatly painted houses, and manicured fields. A flag has been raised in front of the two-story office building in honor of the farm's best result.

"Pavel Shutilo is a unique individual and a true professional. He loves what he does and approaches tasks calmly and thoughtfully. If necessary, he'll work day and night, using any equipment," says Sergey Zdrok, DIRECTOR of Kukhchitsy OJSC, praising his subordinate. "When he came to work for us 16 years ago, he was given a Lida-1300 combine harvester. I taught him how to thresh several times myself. In some ways, he's my student, who managed to surpass his teacher. Now Pavel shares his experience with young people, and most importantly, he has the patience to show the next generation how to work properly. Many of his students are already showing quite good results. Much can be said about Pavel Shutilo, but it's better to see him in the field once." I'm doubly pleased that domestic equipment, driven by a Belarusian machine operator, a true fighter, is capable of achieving such results. Sergei Zdrok immediately reminds us that the flag was raised in honor not only of the "eight-thousander" but also of his partner, driver Andrei Alekseychik, who transported over 7,000 tons of grain. Shutilo and Alekseychik worked in tandem throughout the harvest. Now, together, they've set out to help a farm in the Slutsk district. In addition, machine operator Andrei Popok was also working on an MTZ-3522 tractor with a BZ-3 hopper. 

"This outstanding result is a credit to our entire team and our teamwork," notes the director of OJSC Kukhchitsy. "First and foremost, to those who plowed the land thoroughly. I'd like to especially mention Alexander Chivel. Machine operators Anatoly Shkutko and Nikolai Sitko prepared the soil. Viktor Sitko sowed it. The technical and agronomic specialists made significant contributions. Their work contributed to the selection and preparation of the right seed varieties, as well as the provision of mineral fertilizers and plant protection products. The field workers who collected stones deserve special mention. The entire administrative team deserves credit for issuing permits and reviewing the work results on a daily basis. The livestock breeders' contribution is also significant—thanks to their hard work, funds are regularly deposited into the company's special account, which is used to purchase fuel and spare parts. This is our shared achievement. We have no bad workers—our employees are professionals, patriots of both their small homeland and the entire country."

Besides the first, there are the second and third

Sergei Zdrok doesn't hide his pride in his top performers, but also notes that there are also those who, working seven days a week, took second and third place. These are no less prestigious than first place. For example, machine operator Sergei Kostyukevich threshed nearly 4,000 tons. He is currently assisting an agricultural enterprise in the MINSK region. Third place in threshing went to Nikolai Sitko, who worked alongside his eldest son during the summer.

"This year, I saw how professional his son is, even when his father isn't around," emphasizes the director of Kukhchitsy. "I'm incredibly grateful to his parents for instilling in their son a passion for business and a desire to become a machine operator. We also have a young crew led by Ilya Pishchuk and Alexander Vasilevsky, who have also demonstrated high levels of skill."

 Drivers Vitaly Kishko, who transported nearly 5,000 tons of grain, and Ruslan Karsyuk excelled during the harvest. The farm manager also praised the dedicated work of the workers at the drying units:

"I'd like to recognize every single operator of the two drying complexes. Special thanks go to the team at the Kukhchitsky Grain Drying Complex, including Mikhail Kaminsky and Sergey Lobko, who between them dried nearly 10,000 tons of grain. Andrey Komarov, Alexander Vasilets, and Vadim Ivanovsky dried just over 5,000 tons at the Zaleshansky Complex. This result would also have been impossible without the contributions of the storekeepers who received the grain: Elena Semashkevich and Marina Krepchuk."

Sergei Zdrok also thanks his deputy for ideological work, Natalia Timovets, chief agronomist, Alexander Khvat, and the engineering service, headed by Artur Konan:

Alexander and Artur are two young professionals who started working at the busiest time of year, and I understand it was very challenging for them. Nevertheless, they rose to the challenge.

Forage harvesting was underway in parallel with the harvest, where machine operator Ivan Zhurik excelled. The director also notes the contributions of Viktor Slauta, who has been selflessly operating an Amkodor loader for over 25 years, as well as Ivan Cherepovitsky and Sergey Karneichik, who handle all aspects of forage loading and compaction.

Dispatcher Svetlana Zhdanenya, for her part, submitted information to the district in a timely and accurate manner. Chief Economist Diana Mukha calculated wages and bonuses for workers. Chief Accountant Natalia Borisevich and Financial Accountant Ekaterina Kutsko ensured timely payment for spare parts and materials. Words of gratitude go to the canteen staff, who provided the field workers with hot meals twice a day on time and with high quality.

"Many people on the team demonstrated their best side," notes Sergei Zdrok. "But words are just words. It's better to see them at work, harvesting the crops and laying the foundation for 2026. May God grant every manager a team like mine. I've never seen such unanimity as this year in 23 years of working at OJSC Kukhchitsy. Therefore, I wish everyone good HEALTH, family well-being, warmth, comfort, kindness, and love, so that all families live in prosperity, and that our workers want to go to work every day in a good mood."

People of labor

"We're working practically seven days a week. There's plenty to do. We still have beet, potato, and corn harvesting to do , and fallow land to be ploughed." 

The tractor driver proudly talks about his son, who's still in college but helped his father this harvest, personally threshing 300 tons. In the field, we also spoke with Nikolai's brother, Viktor Sitko, who covers all the fields on the farm during sowing. After all, the final result depends on this work—timeliness, seed placement depth, and planting accuracy.

"I don't like working with a combine," Viktor Leonidovich admits straight away. "A tractor is enough for me when sowing. Right now it's winter rapeseed, then there will be wheat and barley. Next year, I've already sowed almost a thousand hectares." Next to the machine operators stands chief agronomist Alexander Khvat. He's only 26 years old. He admits that his job involves many nuances and organizational issues, but he enjoys it:

"I'm proud of the farm and the people who worked from morning until night. 2025 was a bumper harvest, but we're currently preparing for next year to maintain the high level achieved in 2026. We're currently finishing sowing winter rapeseed for green fodder, and we're planning to plant winter barley."

Maxim Dykanets, a seed agronomist and production site foreman who recently graduated from the Gorky State Agricultural University, is currently working on next year's harvest: 

- For rapeseed, we always use hybrids, they produce higher yields, and for potatoes, we only use Belarusian varieties. 

"This year, the forage situation is relatively good. We're laying the groundwork," Vadim Peshkan, a forage agronomist, chimes in. "There have been some weather challenges, but we're making do. We're digging trenches as quickly as possible to meet our haylage and silage production targets."

Incidentally, Vadim Peshkan is originally from Kukhchitsy. He completed his studies at the Gorky State Agricultural University on a targeted scholarship and returned to the farm.

We're heading to the mechanical workshops. As we drive, Deputy Director of Mechanization Artur Konan continues to praise the agronomy department:

"I'd like to recognize the work of everyone this year, without exception. Their contribution to the overall effort is difficult to overestimate, as is the contribution of other specialists and machine operators to the farm's excellent results. The efforts of each individual contribute to the overall achievement."

While the field is bustling with activity , the mechanic shops are quieter—almost all the machines are in the field. During our visit, tractor driver Alexander Chivel is repairing a John Deere 8370R. "Nothing lasts forever—not every piece of hardware can withstand the work, but we'll fix it," he explains. "If minor breakdowns occur, we repair them in the field. When we need to use a crane, we bring the equipment to the shop. We can fix any problem today. We regularly service the machines every 250 hours." 

A few kilometers from the machine shops is the Iskra dairy farm, built a couple of years ago. There are about two hundred first-calf heifers in the stalls. Young livestock specialist Denis Batyai works there. We wondered why the young specialist stayed on the farm after his assignment.

"When I was studying at the Gorky State Agricultural University, the director came to us and invited me to work as a plant breeder. I liked everything here – the conditions, the salary. I've been working on the farm for three years now. Now I even have my own apartment," notes Denis Batyai.

Pride for the director

"Despite the heavy workload during the harvest, we didn't forget that Belarus is celebrating the Year of Improvement," emphasizes Sergei Zdrok. "Therefore, we carried out work both in the agro-town and at the agricultural enterprise. The builders painted the walls of the buildings and carried out necessary repairs. During the harvest, the entire farm was transformed: the machine shops, the farms, the courtyards. And although a colossal amount of work had been accomplished by the end of the summer, we continue to work on it."

According to the director, the current harvest has proven to be both challenging and easy at the same time.

"When a manager sees how skillfully people work, it's worth a lot. Even the final grain figures, which are almost 1,200 tons higher than last year, have faded a bit. The main thing is that everyone worked hard in the fields to achieve this result." 

The task is to raise a successor

"Our team is getting younger every year," says the director of OJSC Kukhchitsy. "I'm grateful to the people who, after being assigned, decide to stay with the company and start families here."

Sergey Zdrok notes that even the workers' children work in the fields during the harvest . Incidentally, their wages are paid not by card but through a cash register, so the young people can hold their earnings in their hands and experience their value. 

"A manager should always provide a platform for the development and training of the younger generation," the director asserts. "Future specialists need to be trained from an early age. I allow parents to bring their children to work with them from the age of 5 or 6. What's wrong with a child visiting a farm, petting a calf, and learning where MILK comes from? That's how future veterinarians, machine operators, and engineers are born—it depends on your preference."

Machine operator Nikolai Sitko took his son Artem to work with him from the age of five. The boy rode the combine harvester with his father, and when he grew up, he drove it himself. Generous bonuses are also provided for the younger generation if they sign a targeted contract with the farm. When a student earns 8 credits or higher in their studies, JSC "Kukhchitsy" pays them an additional 10 basic units monthly. If a person is studying to become a veterinarian, they only need 7 or more credits on their certificate to receive 15 basic units monthly.

“We currently have five people receiving such additional payments,” he says.

Sergey Zdrok: "The farm also has an active mentoring system. I have four people assigned to me, training future managers. Mentoring is widespread among both specialists and machine operators. Most importantly, the young people joining the farm today strive to keep up with the best, to be on par with them, and to surpass their teachers. This means we're being replaced by a strong generation."

OJSC "Kukhchitsy" provides housing to almost every specialist.

"We speak with each employee individually, but all issues are solvable. Some need an apartment, others a house," the manager explains.

Today, the farm is actively attracting people from all over Belarus. Meanwhile, the management of JSC "Kukhchitsy" is visiting relevant universities to recruit future employees:

"I have a specific set of criteria by which I select specialists. We immediately discuss whether a person is prepared for future management. I don't rely on questionnaires; I look for personal qualities. That's why I'm confident in my team. They'll do the job—they're young, fearless, and ambitious."

At the same time, the farm is looking for masters of their craft, professionals who are ready to prove themselves, work towards a common goal, and be leaders. 

In 2025, OJSC Kukhchitsy harvested almost 13.8 thousand tons of grain with an average yield of 90 c/ha, rapeseed - 2,245 tons, 40.8 c/ha.

Today, OJSC "Kukhchitsy" employs 220 people. One-fifth of them are young people under 30.

Based on the results of the first seven months of this year, the average salary at OJSC "Kukhchitsy" was 2,625 rubles. By the fall, this figure will be significantly higher. 

Alexey GORBUNOV, photo by the author and Vitaly PIVOVARCHIK