Dairy flagship. How enterprises in the Ivanovo region achieve success in the dairy business

For several years now, Molodovo-Agro has been the leader in the republic in terms of dairy herd productivity. On average, one cow for 2020 accounts for 11,835 kg here. And these figures are not the limit, according to the economy.

The Ivanovo region is famous for its agrarians: it ranks second in terms of MILK herd productivity in the region (second only to the Brest region) and is among the top five in the republic. And each farm has its own recipe for success in the dairy business.

“Our farm has a history,” says Alexander Pavlyukovets, deputy DIRECTOR of UE Molodovo-Agro. “Cultivation began here after the war. After the collapse of the USSR, the enterprise was reorganized several times. Only since 2000 has it acquired its current form. Molodovo-Agro was then headed by Stepan Khalko. It is with his name that the revival and development of the economy is associated.

Molodovo-Agro develops both crop production and animal husbandry. However, it is the latter that provides the lion's share of the revenue.

- The enterprise is small, - says Alexander Pavlyukovets. – The total land area is slightly less than 4 thousand hectares. In general, we can be characterized as a compact company in which every branch is tied to livestock.

In crop production, work is focused primarily on providing cattle with high-quality, high-energy feed. This is mainly corn, perennial grasses. Among the new products is pierced-leaved sylph.

“We are betting on it,” the deputy director emphasizes. - This is a rather promising plant, which is beginning to spread throughout the republic. We have been cultivating it for 8 years, we can say that we have become pioneers in the country. Among the advantages of sylphia is unpretentiousness. It can grow even on unsuitable soils up to 25 - 30 years in one place, it is not damaged by diseases and pests. In addition, it responds well to the application of mineral fertilizers and grows well on poor soils. As a result, we have a green mass yield of more than a thousand centners per hectare for two cuttings.

Sylphia is sown in a wide-row way (step - about 70 cm) on well-aerated soils, which include developed peatlands, sands, and underlying sands. This results in both economic and environmental benefits. In addition, various annual crops are grown. As for cereals, we mainly deal with triticale, rye, peas and rapeseed.

- We provide ourselves with feed completely with a one and a half year supply. This is a great help, - says Alexander Pavlyukovets.

The company employs 126 people. The number is small, but many will envy the efficiency of employees.

– The most important qualities are mutual assistance and interchangeability. Each specialist, if necessary, can replace a colleague. People understand that the team must be united. Only then can we talk about good results. Our economy is firmly on its feet. Therefore, we try to create good conditions for everyone who comes to work with us. However, we demand reciprocity from specialists: sincere diligence, readiness to develop and comprehend new things, - says Alexander Pavlyukovets.

UE "Molodovo-Agro" is distinguished not only by financial stability, but also by its attitude to the revival of spiritual culture in the Brest region. The economy assumed the main obligations to finance the construction of an Orthodox church in Molodovo.

It is not the first time that UE "Molodovo-Agro" wins the title of the leader in terms of dairy herd productivity in the country. This success is the result of many years of consistent work of the team.

There are about 3,800 heads of cattle on the farm, of which about a thousand are a dairy herd.

– In 2020, we achieved a milk yield of 11,835 kg per cow. This year we plan to overcome the mark of 12 thousand kg. Today's indicators show that we can do it. All milk delivered to dairies is of extra grade, - emphasizes Lyudmila Melnik, Deputy Director of UE Molodovo-Agro.

And even 20 years ago, Molodovo-Agro was far from record highs.

In 1999, the average annual milk yield did not even reach 3,000 kg.

“Since then, every year the figures have only grown. For what? We master both foreign and Belarusian technologies. And, of course, we keep the culture of production. We have developed our own technology, which gives results, - says Lyudmila Melnik. - Our wonderful leader Stepan Khalko has assembled an excellent team, created good living conditions and literally ignited with interest in work. He is not afraid to try new approaches, to experiment. In addition, there is a constant updating of the material and technical base.

Callout: UE "Molodovo-Agro" regularly participates in agricultural exhibitions. As part of the event "Belferma-2016", the absolute winner of the competition "Best breeding cow of dairy breed-2016" was a record holder of the Holstein breed named Milashka. During 305 days of the third lactation, she gave 13,086 kg of milk with a fat content of 3.63% and a protein content of 3.25%. Cutie is recognized as the best cow in the fourth lactation.

At Molodovo-Agro, a special TerraLife green manure mixture is grown, the share of the legume component in which is 30%. This results in a high protein content in the feed. The mowed culture is placed in a haylage pit and preserved with a special biological component.

The farm is fully equipped with the necessary equipment: dump trucks, tractors, feeders and loaders. Several combines are used for harvesting grain.

The farm breeds Aberdeen Angus bulls, from which marbled beef is obtained. There are 1200 of them in total.

Alexander NOVOKHROST,

Photo by Pavel Orlovsky.