"We started with 25 hectares of sugar beet, today we are sowing 400." What is the SPK for? 

News of the topic "Svityazyanka-2003" was included in the Republican Board of Honor six times
SPK "Svityazyanka-2003" was included in the Republican Board of Honor six times. The farm uses the most modern technologies and does not intend to stop at the achieved results. What is the life of the production cooperative today?
All plans will be fulfilled
 - All plans that we set for the farm and the team will be fulfilled this year, - the chairman Alexander Metelitsa is confident. - Thus, the gross grain harvest is 800 tons more than last year, although the harvesting areas remained the same. Corn was threshed amounted to 1800 tons, all of it was harvested in the optimal time.

Rapeseed showed a yield of 54 c/ha. The obtained result allowed to provide the own seed processing shop with work for a year. Rapeseed is a profitable crop, the farm believes, it brings in 200 thousand rubles a month, in addition, the prices for its oil have recently increased.
- When you see how rapeseed cake is produced, there are fewer questions about the quality, - the director is sure. - In addition to rapeseed and grains, sugar beet showed a good result of 800 c/ha this year . The crop is also profitable. We sow it 50% using the Conviso Smart system and 50% using traditional technology. The seeds are more expensive, but if the traditional scheme requires 3-4 herbicide treatments, we use two. So penny by penny - and at the end of the year there is savings.

In 2002, they started here with 25 hectares of sugar beet, today they sow 400 hectares and, having harvested their crop, they go to help their neighbors. In the SPK "Svityazyanka-2003" there are also 944 hectares of perennial grasses on arable land, of which 550 hectares are under alfalfa, the rest is clover and clover-cereal mixtures.
- The situation with feed is encouraging, - admits Alexander Metelitsa. - Hay has been prepared at 107% of the plan, haylage at 112%, silage at 104%. There are 35.78 feed units per head, but the preparation is still ongoing. Now the fifth grass cutting is underway, and the plan is to get 36 units per head, which is 4 units more than last year. 

The farm already has a reserve for the future harvest - winter crops were sown on time, organic matter was added, and autumn soil preparation was carried out.

- In the last few years, there has been progress in winter crops, - says the chairman of the cooperative. - The area of ​​their sowing was increased due to recurring droughts. Having analyzed the situation, we came to the conclusion that winter crops have a higher yield. Thus, in 2023, spring crops were sown on time, but the weather was such that the tillering phase did not even begin in some fields. And winter crops have been overwintering well lately - there are no severe frosts. Plus they provide early straw for bedding and cattle feed. Last year, 1,500 hectares were sown with winter crops. 

Today the cooperative has 6,200 hectares of agricultural land, of which 4,900 hectares are arable land. There is all the necessary equipment for cultivation and spraying, seeders, powerful combines.  There is enough work We go to the fields with Alexander Metelitsa. By the time we visit the SPK "Svityazyanka-2003", the main battle for the harvest has already died down, but there is still plenty of work. Viktor Chubrik, who has been working on sugar beet harvesters for more than 10 years, including the last nine seasons on a Grimme, finishes harvesting sweet root crops. - I think there is no better machine than this, before this I had a Franz Kleine SF 10. If you compare - now I have a "Volga", and before that I had a "Zaporozhets", - the machine operator smiles. - I am happy with the work. The salary depends on the output, sometimes 3-3.5 thousand, but we also work 12-14 hours a day. I am harvesting sugar beets and pressing straw into the harvesting press. In another field, Nikolai Karpeichik is applying potassium chloride on a Belarus-1523 tractor. - I fertilized about 65 hectares in a day. I have been with the cooperative for 20 years. I live nearby, the tractor is reliable, we installed an air conditioner - very convenient, especially this year, when the heat reached +35. Lunches and dinners are brought to the field, - the man says. Sergei Sirotin stops next to us on a huge Rostselmash tractor with a disc harrow. - This year I worked both in sowing and harvesting. We threshed 2,360 tons of grain with rapeseed. We were awarded both at the farm and at Dozhynki, we were given bonuses. If you work hard, you will earn money, - the machine operator believes. - I don’t have any special secrets. Probably, my experience working on one combine and my responsible attitude to what I do have an effect. After talking to the people, we head back to the office. - We update the equipment regularly, it is more difficult with the machine operators. Experience comes with age. In order to master a new tractor, where navigation systems and steering devices are installed, a technical education is necessary. But if a person has a desire to work, we will definitely teach him, - the chairman of the SPK "Svityazyanka-2003" is sure. - Young people today are drawn to the city - it is easier at the plant. Work five days - then two days off. Therefore, we also meet the machine operators halfway: during sowing and forage harvesting, everyone had a stable day off once a week. When we switch to winter mode, there will be two. The average number of employees in the SPK "Svityazyanka-2003" is 320 people. The average salary in the farm for 9 months was 2157 rubles. - We are always open to young specialists. Recently, three guys from college asked for an internship, and then for a job, - says Alexander Metelitsa. - We took them. We create all conditions, provide housing. Work

















We work with young people on an ongoing basis. We pay stipends to those studying on a targeted referral from the farm, both in higher and secondary specialized institutions. At the moment, the cooperative is building a 12-apartment building, which will provide housing, including for young specialists. There are also newlyweds on the farm - they have had two weddings in the last month alone.
- I think that these families will continue to work for us, - says Alexander Metelitsa. - We have all the incentives for this.
Up to 80% of profit
The results in animal husbandry this year are also good. The average daily gain for 9 months was 876 grams. The milk yield per cow last year was 11,689 kg, this year the bar is set at 12 thousand. In nine months, 9,195 kg have already been milked, so the plan is quite feasible. The average daily milk yield per cow is 31.4 liters, compared to last year an increase of 300 grams. 

Today, the farm has over 6,000 heads of cattle , including 1,950 in the dairy herd. The cows are kept loose, on the same type of feed - silage, haylage, straw, concentrates. And at the Litarovshchina farm, four robots are used for milking. Each has about 65 heads - everything is computerized.
- The livestock is gradually growing, - notes the chairman of the cooperative. - There is already not enough space, we decided to expand. The plans include building two farms to increase the dairy herd by 250 heads. The investments are justified - the livestock industry brings in about 80% of the revenue. In fact, we live from the sale of milk and meat.

So far, the farm has two dairy complexes - Raitsa-1 (600 heads) and Raitsa-2 (777), as well as four farms. On the basis of one of them, two more cowsheds and a milking block are being built, which will allow for a closed cycle of keeping - from young animals to heifers and cows.
The average number of employees in the SPK "Svityazyanka-2003" is 320 people. The average salary in the farm for the nine months was 2157 rubles.
Alexey GORBUNOV, photo - author