As one of the best farms in the Belarusian Polesye reflects the long-term trend of the agricultural industry

MILK and beef: as the choice of one of the best farms in the Belarusian Polesie, JSC "Vulkovsky Rasvet" reflects the long-term trend of the country's agricultural industry.

Balance of interests

When we arrived in the agricultural town of Vulka-2, the office of the agricultural enterprise was being renovated. Vladimir Sots, HEAD of Vulkovsky Dawn OJSC, met us on the doorstep and invited us to a small assembly hall that still smelled of paint - a place for morning planning meetings and a temporary director's office. And started from the top:

– Our economy has not been lagging behind before, and over the past 15 years, production progress has been evident. Many farms have been modernized, new ones have been built - they are all full: not a single empty building. With a capacity of 6200 heads of cattle, we keep 6700, that is, the load is at 110%. We constantly buy efficient energy-saturated equipment, keep the existing one in order. We are working to improve the fertility of the land.

They say about such leaders as Vladimir Sots: a strong business executive, and also an honest, open person.

- For us, the enterprise is the state in a reduced form. The main thing in it is the people to whom we must let them earn their bread and butter, - says Vladimir Ivanovich and immediately clarifies: - We demand strict observance of production discipline from everyone - that's all.

JSC "Vulkovsky dawn" employs 350 people. The team is big. The majority are high-level professionals: machine operators, field farmers, machine milking operators, livestock breeders servicing fattening and rearing cattle. The management of the enterprise takes into account the fact that most often a villager cannot find a job anywhere except in the agricultural sector. So, for the sake of new technologies, people in this JSC are not reduced, although machines could replace them in many areas!

This is how the issue of social justice is solved in the Belarusian hinterland. Otherwise it is impossible. This is the wisdom, the ability to keep balance and the essence of the rural top manager Vladimir Sots, who is well aware of the needs of people and the requirements for increasing the profitability of OJSCs.

- We work profitably, increasing production volumes, - Vladimir Ivanovich notes. – The average salary for 2020 in the household was 860 rubles. Some, for example, livestock breeders, and one and a half thousand came out, others - less ... Who earned how much. At the same time, additional payments and bonuses amounted to 900 - 1.5 thousand rubles a year. Yes, we could pay many times more, but we must work for the future - to develop, moreover, for our own money. And you also need to take into account that last year the Ozernitsa farm with 1820 heads of cattle joined us. It needs to be raised, which is what we are doing!.. There is no other way: we are patriots, we love our country and agriculture, we live in the present and think about the future!

Milk Secrets

The enterprise provides itself with fodder, laying a year and a half annually in time. It has a strong base of machine operators and modern, mostly Belarusian, equipment. It is engaged in independent EXPORT of organic matter and mineral fertilizers. Here the position is fundamental: to cope on your own - do not call anyone for help! But if anyone needs help - please! The potato theme is also interesting for the enterprise: it has its own special storage for it.

Good prospects for "Vulkovsky Dawn" were noted by the Minister of Agriculture Ivan Krupko, who recently visited the dairy complex of OJSC. We asked to show us the facility, which was inspected by the head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. We admit that we were quite surprised! We expected to see a dairy farm, but ended up in an agro-industrial complex of several farms, where the main herd of the enterprise is "registered". Next to it there is a grain drying complex, haylage and silo trenches, a granary, a generator in case of power outages.

A "factory" for the production of milk and raising heifers was built far from residential buildings. People are brought here three times a day by bus from seven settlements, which turned out to be much easier than organizing a farm near each village! Such is the agro-industrial zone, where we visited two farms - "Galy Bor" and "Dovgoe". On them, the second day's milking was just coming to an end.

All cows are of the black-and-white breed. One by one, they enter the narrow, slamming individual barrier of the Westfalia milking complex. Operators wipe the udders of cows with special napkins and connect them to the machine - the German milker gets down to business. And fresh milk poured through the pipes! Immediately - in special tankers, then delivered to the dairy, and from there - to the shops.

- The computer screen displays the amount of milk produced by each cow with an individual number, - Sergey Pavlovich, Deputy DIRECTOR for Livestock, draws attention. - And this is not an idle interest, but an assessment of the potential of a cow! Depending on the milk yield, each will receive its portion of feed. For example, for 50 liters per day, 15 kg of feed is required. The menu includes haylage, silage, concentrates, premixes, meal. At the same time, feeding and milking times are strictly observed. If you start milking a little earlier or later, this will affect the quality of milk and the HEALTH of the animal. Therefore, we strictly adhere to the work schedule!

With special care and trepidation, all dairy farms treat calving. Reception of newborns is entrusted to the most knowledgeable person in this matter - Elena Kuzmich, a livestock breeder for servicing cattle at rearing. She accepts babies, drinks them during the day with colostrum.

All for people

- Maybe someone will say that we live in Polesie, forgotten by God and people, but I want to assure you: this has not been the case for a long time! - says at the end of the meeting Vladimir Sots. - We plan an annual growth in production volumes - at least 6%. Sometimes, it turns out even more than 10%! God forbid we continue to live like this ... The main thing is that people come to work with us with pleasure. And on your legal day off, everyone can relax in our modern cafe. His cuisine is well known. Don't believe? Come and see for yourself!

Callout: The average milk yield at MTF "Galy Bor" for 2020 was 8300 liters per cow. There are also record holders among them: cow number 933 gives up to 60 liters per day - as many as six buckets of milk!

JSC "Vulkovsky dawn" is: about 11 thousand hectares of farmland;

6,700 heads of cattle, of which 2,315 are dairy herds;

meat: 900 - 1000 tons of beef in live weight annually;

milk: 40 tons (94% "extra" grade) daily.

The growth of gross output in 2020 is 114.2%.

Tamara MARKINA,

Photo by Pavel ORLOVSKY