Own first aid station, swimming pool and restaurant. How the management of Kozlovichi-Agro OJSC motivates employees to live and work in the countryside

Topic news OJSC "Kozlovichi-Agro" knows how to surprise everyone - both the country's leadership and scientists
When the President of Belarus visited the new dairy complex "Lesuny" a year and a half ago, owned by this agricultural enterprise, he was pleased. ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO thanked the workers for their work and noted: “It was not in vain that he came.” To understand how the famous farm manages to remain in a leadership position for many years, we went to the agricultural town of Kozlovichi, Slutsk district - the central estate of the agricultural enterprise.

The economy is in the black

– Our economy is quite large. Of more than 9 thousand hectares of fields, 8 thousand are arable land, which practically encircles Slutsk. Every hectare is visible. Consider that the activities of dairy complexes, which produce 67 tons of MILK per day, are also visible. So we each try to work conscientiously in our place, according to the technologies, the tasks received and the accumulated experience,” the DIRECTOR of Kozlovichi-Agro OJSC, Sergei Penyaz, who has been heading the famous enterprise for 13 years, has deduced a simple formula for success.
Not so long ago, OJSC Povstyn was merged with OJSC Kozlovichi-Agro. The new lands turned out to be sandy and unsuitable for agriculture. The task of increasing their productivity was not easy. The management of the enterprise and the agricultural technical service still have to work hard to implement it. At the same time, the plans of the economy, as well as the agricultural industry as a whole, are often adjusted by the heavenly office.

– In 2023, 12.5 thousand tons were threshed, the yield reached 55 c/ha! We were pleased with the corn: with a yield of 144 c/ha, 5.819 thousand tons were threshed. In addition, 41 thousand tons of haylage and 61 thousand tons of silage were prepared. As a result, we provided our herd of 8.6 thousand heads with a year and a half supply of feed,” said chief agronomist Tatyana Kachanovich.
When producing feed for cattle , the company adds 2-3 kg of ground corn to it. This is for the main stock.
“We provide our herds with complete feed,” noted Sergey Penyaz. According to him, the gross volume of products produced by Kozlovichi-Agro OJSC in 2023 amounted to 113%. This means that the economics of the farm are at their best.
This year, farmers have relied on winter crops - triticale, wheat and barley. Their wintering proceeds normally, the crops are protected by snow cover. In the fall, the plowed land was plowed and the land was prepared in advance for spring crops. As soon as the soil warms up, spring sowing will begin!

They build it themselves

The efficiency of enterprise management is ensured not only by successful work in the agricultural sector. OJSC Kozlovichi-Agro, for example, has its own construction team, equipped with the necessary equipment.
– For the construction and reconstruction of the MTC, other buildings and structures, we did not involve outside organizations - we do everything ourselves! – says Sergei Penyaz, who over the years of leadership has acquired considerable practical experience as a civil engineer. “Last summer we reconstructed the calf barn building on the farm. We built two weighing warehouses and two warehouses – one for grain and one for storing concentrates. The frame of the building for keeping dry cows has already been installed, the completion date is March-April. All dairy complexes are landscaped, the courtyards and entrances to them are concreted. The mechanical yard and grain storage area have been paved. Last year, the farm invested 330 thousand rubles in asphalt paving.
MTK "Lesuny" is beyond praise.

The main income for the farm comes from milk , so the company relies on modern technologies and quality of feeding. We installed four high-performance milking parlors from the well-known company Westfalia. One of the latest - the "Carousel" type for 50 heads - appeared at the same MTK "Lesuny", where the President visited in 2022, and in September 2023 - participants in the Republican review-seminar on livestock breeding.  

We were also impressed by "Lesuny". The barns are clean: an automatic scraper restores perfect order every hour. Some of the cows are at the dinner table. - Good food! – evaluates its quality by the acting chief livestock specialist Maxim Kashtanov, taking a handful of a mix of haylage, rapeseed meal and corn FLOUR “seasoned” with straw.

Maxim Aleksandrovich draws our attention to the cows chewing cud, perched on beds covered with rubber mats:
“Look, there is sawdust on the mats, and under them there are special pads.” They protect the cow’s legs from injuries and abrasions, because when she lies down, she immediately falls to her knees. If the animal is comfortable and well-fed, it will definitely thank the person with good milk yield and large weight gain. By the way, the average daily milk yield from a cow in this MTC is 28 liters, and for the farm as a whole - 25!
Maxim Kashtanov invites us to a milking parlor with 50 seats - the pride of MTK "Lesuny". The floors here are washed to a shine. There are about four hours left until the second milking, and to ensure that it goes smoothly, a mechanic is inspecting the “Carousel” for preventative purposes. And we go further - to the “kindergarten”.
In the calf barn in the Lesuny MTK, built last fall, it is light, warm and... quiet.

– Have you already noticed that none of the calves are calling for their mother? – Larisa Khovpun, deputy HEAD of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, clarifies as we walk along dozens of houses for children. – It’s simple: they are watered, fed, they are warm and comfortable.
  By the way, when we stepped through the threshold of the calf barn, we immediately discovered that the room was divided in two by a wide road, convenient for people and transport. And it was created using one of the most modern - liquid - technologies. Beautiful, convenient and, presumably, worth it. Since MTCs bring the main share of profit to farms, they should be warm and cozy for the calves, and for the people caring for them to walk comfortably and comfortably - even in boots or slippers.

Ready for sowing.

Winter is coming to an end. Is the equipment ready for spring field work? Arriving at the mechanical yard of OJSC Kozlovichi-Agro, we are amazed at both the arrangement of buildings and structures and the order that reigns there. But even more so - equipment lined up in a line of readiness. Denis Kartashevich, the chief engineer of the agricultural enterprise, proudly leads us along the combines and other agricultural machines standing under the canopy.  

- Look at the technology! The fleet includes 50 units of row-crop tractors, of which 9 are energy-rich: MTZ-3522 and MTZ-3022. There are 12 loaders, 10 grain harvesters and 3 forage harvesters. That is, we plow and sow, prepare fodder, harvest grain - all ourselves! We do not invite anyone from outside. We are ready for sowing: even in the field today!

FAP, swimming pool and restaurant

Today many are arguing: what will the village of the future look like? One thing is certain: the Kozlovichs definitely have a chance to be included in such a list of subjects of the future.

Firstly, the farm can provide good income. Today, among the 300 employees of OJSC Kozlovichi-Agro, there are many working families.

Secondly, in an agricultural town it is not only profitable to work, but also no less interesting to live and relax. There is a school, kindergarten, outpatient clinic and swimming pool. Talented people found themselves in the artistic groups of the House of Culture. Many of them go to the fields during the harvest season to please the machine operators with their creativity during the lunch break.

The director told us that close attention is paid to the problems of the population of the agricultural town and villages located on farm lands.
“Last year we installed running tracks and a volleyball COURT,” says Sergei Vladimirovich and offers to see what excellent repairs local builders have made at the Kozlovichi outpatient clinic. About 250 thousand rubles were spent on its modernization.

We visited there and asked the medical staff to evaluate the quality of the work.
– See for yourself, how beautiful it is! Everything here is new - only the walls remain, which have also been put in order! We are very grateful to the farm and its management for finding the funds and being able to give such a gift to us and the people who ask for help! – the outpatient workers vying with each other to share their emotions, leading us first to one office, then to another.
Come on, you say, other villages have similar infrastructure. But such a physical culture and HEALTH complex as in Kozlovichi, which includes swimming pools - for adults and children, baths - Russian and Finnish, and also a hammam, is, perhaps, unlikely to be found anywhere.
Once upon a time, all these facilities were built by a local enterprise, but over time they were transferred to the balance sheet of the municipal utility. Nevertheless, the workers of OJSC Kozlovichi-Agro use them. For example, they can go to a health club once a week with a subscription. Its doors are also always open for other lovers of water procedures. As we were told, even residents of Slutsk come here to relax, and not only them.

Director of OJSC "Kozlovichi-Agro" Sergei Penyaz is not a cabinet manager. Trusting his colleagues, he will not fail to personally evaluate the pace of preparation for the sowing season and how the wintering of livestock is going.

At all MTC OJSC "Kozlovichi-Agro" comfortable conditions have been created not only for animals, but also for those who care for them. Local workers are satisfied with their earnings.
OJSC "Kozlovichi-Agro", which for many years has confirmed the title of one of the leaders in Belarusian agriculture, is still in the focus of attention of the country's leadership and the industry. In the fall of 2023, participants of the Republican seminar-meeting on livestock farming, heads of agricultural enterprises, districts, and scientists came here .

Tamara MARKINA, photo by the author