Here, everything is focused on results: how does the Rodina Collective Farm maintain its reputation as a unique enterprise for Belarus?

News Topics: How innovation and a strong commitment to self-reliance enable the country's legendary farm to stay ahead of its time.  

The Belynichi Agricultural Production Cooperative (SPC) "Rodina Kolkhoz" has remained a unique agricultural enterprise in the country for many decades. Current chairman Oleg Lapotentov, who succeeded the legendary Alexander Lapotentov, whose image is immortalized in bronze in his native agrotown of Vyshov, developed and elevated his father's ideas for effective management of land, people, and farming. Some experts even believe that this agricultural enterprise has advanced even more rapidly in recent years, relying on innovation and genetic advances.  

Riding the Crest of a Wave: 
 
We begin our tour of the Belynichi Agricultural Production Cooperative (SPC) "Rodina Kolkhoz" at the Mechanizer's House, where we meet with Andrei Bogdanovich, Deputy Chairman for Livestock, and Dmitry Sudenko, Chief Agronomist. The conversation begins with the most important question: what approaches does the collective farm use to remain a leader?

"Our goal isn't to squeeze 100 centners from each hectare or MILK 10,000 kg per cow. Instead, we look at how much we earn on each hectare, on each farm. Our goal is profitability, and not at any cost," says Andrei Bogdanovich, deputy chairman of the agricultural production cooperative, outlining the key formula for effective work.

Andrei Anatolyevich recalls a recent meeting at the Kuban Agrarian University, where the Russians cited a daily milk yield of 40 liters per cow as one of their most important achievements.

"We had to admit that ours is less – 23 liters. But at the same time, we are investing significant resources in purchasing new, state-of-the-art equipment and implementing new technologies that enable us to farm efficiently and profitably," said Andrei Bogdanovich, clarifying that their farm now produces 80 tons of milk per day, while five years ago this figure was half that. "And the collective farm's monthly milk revenue is 3 million rubles. You'll agree, that's quite a sum! The Russians were impressed. We were too." The chief agronomist added to the deputy chairman's comments, describing approaches to managing each hectare of arable land, which is impressive in size—around 12,000 hectares.





"We also don't strive for excessively high yields: 50-60 centners per hectare is economically viable, and we're working within that range. Anything higher would incur additional costs, increasing the cost of each centner," the chief agronomist continued. "To save money and improve soil fertility, we've begun using a number of advanced technologies, including no-tillage. This technology doesn't disrupt the structure of the arable land and increases humus content. This classic technique, dating back to the USSR, also reduces costs: with plowing, a tractor covers 35 hectares in one working day, while with no-tillage, it covers 50-60 hectares. Starting this year, we've slightly increased the area of ​​such fields, as we plan to continue using these approaches in the future.

In recent years, the farm has also changed the composition of the grasses it sows. While previously relying on timothy and clover, today it's shifting to high-protein ryegrass and alfalfa, and traditionally, corn silage. As a result, the farm has an eighteen-month supply of forage." Previously, we had a two-year farm and sold feed to others, but we decided to abandon this practice.

"The collective farm also has the status of a seed farm," the deputy chairman added. "In addition to growing feed grain and preparing haylage and silage for our cattle herd, we grow and sell seed: wheat, barley, and oats. Seed grains are an order of magnitude more expensive than regular grain. Meanwhile, farms that buy our seed pay in grain. So, say they sell a kilogram and get three!

The number one task 
is, of course, providing feed for the cattle, whose herd has increased by 1,000 HEAD over the past five years. And the number of cattle kept on the farm's dairy farms is considerable—10,300 head. And that's not just dairy cows and fattening bulls, but also hundreds of heifers for sale."
"We've been inseminating with sexed semen for several years now. As a result, 90% of cows produce females and only 10% produce males. This means the farm has plenty to replenish its own dairy herd and sell pregnant heifers. Thus, in the first 11 months of 2025, 915 heifers were sold at 6,500 rubles per head. If you count the unborn calf, the farm has already sold almost 1,830 head of cattle—a herd that could fill an entire complex!" explains Deputy Chairman Andrei Bogdanovich. "

To the collective farm—with the whole family. 

" It's not just the management mechanisms of the Rodina collective farm that amaze me, but also the enthusiasm with which the people work here. Some of them are undisputed leaders. Among them is tractor driver Nikolai Darechkin, a distinguished worker of agriculture and the Rodina collective farm, awarded the Order of Honor and the Medal "For Labor Merit" for his exceptional work. Nikolai Ivanovich was elected as a delegate to the All-Belarusian People's Assembly.
 
"You could say I grew up on a farm, where I'd go help my mother as a boy," says Nikolai Ivanovich.
 
As a high school student, he continued tending the animals. He was then noticed by the farm's chairman, Alexander Lapotentov, and when he entered vocational school, the farm began paying him a stipend. After graduating, Nikolai Darechkin returned to his home village and has been working at the Rodina Collective Farm ever since. Over the years, he has mastered all types of machinery. Many look up to Nikolai Darechkin.
There are even their own labor dynasties here. For example, tractor driver Sergei Latushkin, whom we met at the machine yard, has a wife, Ekaterina, who works as a milking machine operator at the collective farm.

“I’m preparing the machinery for the upcoming sowing season,” explains the machine operator, for whom spring is the busiest and most profitable time of year: you can earn up to 7,000 rubles. However, the pressure doesn’t subside until November, says Sergei Latushkin.
In the summer, the machine operators try to take advantage of every fine day.

“We don’t force anyone to work overtime, but people can work until 8 or even 10 p.m. And we’re very grateful to them for that!” says Andrei Bogdanovich.

Hardworking workers are paid accordingly: the average salary on the farm for 10 months was 3,181 thousand rubles.
At the site where the equipment is being prepared for spring, we meet machine operator Yuri Petushkov, who has worked on the collective farm for over 17 years. He also comes from a long line of workers. His brother, Alexander, is also a tractor driver, his sister, Lyudmila Denisovich, is the farm manager, and his daughter, Evgeniya, works in the farm's canteen. A little later, during the installation of the seed processing complex, we spoke with Yuri Petushkov's nephew, fitter Sergei Denisovich, who turned out to be a jack of all trades. He started out as a welder, worked as an operator at the KZS, and on the day of our visit, was installing the new complex. In the future, the young man dreams of working as an operator at the seed processing complex. And why not? The equipment is modern, and working there is a real pleasure for a young and talented person!
"In a couple of weeks, the commissioning of the complex will take place. But we've already stocked up on seeds for sale," says field crew foreman Sergei Solonovich, who He's been working at the company for 11 years. He leads us to a site where seeds, packed in huge big bags, have already been pre-treated and await buyers.
During the winter, the company's field workers clean and treat the seeds, package them, clean the warehouses, and dig trenches with silage for feeding the cattle . When all the work is done and the weather is favorable, the field workers clear the fields of stones.
"We recently ordered a special shredder to process them into crushed stone. Thus, we used hundreds of tons of stone collected over the past year and a half for our own construction project," the deputy DIRECTOR explains on the way to the Vostok International Transport Corridor. Here, we learned how a local construction team has learned to build ITC buildings efficiently, reliably, and, most importantly, at a fraction of the cost of PMK and construction trusts.

Price is no barrier to quality. 

And so, we arrive at the Vostok International Transport Corridor. We enter one of the sheds, where bulls are resting on wooden sheathing after a hearty lunch. All are clean and well-fed. The shed itself looks simple but reliable: concrete floors, metal structures, wooden walls, and a slate roof.
– Please note: the bulls move along the sheathing, which makes the space they occupy clean: the farm’s waste is under the sheathing, from where it is removed from the barn by special mechanisms that involve scrapers, – says the deputy director of livestock production and clarifies: – This barn was built by our construction team, led by Alexander Trotsky, an honored worker of the Rodina collective farm. The building cost the farm 850 thousand rubles, and the team of professional builders promised to deliver it to us turnkey for 5 million rubles! As they say, feel the difference!

Another facility is being built a hundred steps from the bull barn.

– We are building a new barn on the site of the old one – so soon we will completely renovate the entire MTC, – says Alexander Trotsky and leads us through the center of the future barn.
 
Having assessed the prospects for the reconstruction of the MTC “Vostok”, we return to the agro-town of Vyshov. On the way, we meet a string of trucks carrying sand from the quarry, we pass We pass a sawmill, next to which we see a sizable stockpile of pine logs. Construction on the collective farm has long-term prospects, as they're building not only cowsheds but also housing and social facilities. It's worth noting that people are drawn to the Rodina Collective Farm by both the interesting work , high wages, and the opportunity to secure an apartment or house with all the amenities.
 
We visited the two-story apartment of Dmitry and Daria Sudenko, where they live with their young daughter. We must admit, the home was impressive, as was the nearly finished house on Kolkhoznaya Street, featuring a luxurious living room, a modern kitchen with a panoramic window, three bedrooms, and electric heating. The family of one of the machine operators will soon move in—perhaps even our new acquaintance, Sergei Latushkin. A house heated by a kilowatt is a novelty for the village. Here's how Andrey Bogdanovich assessed new construction trends:

"Where there's no gas or central heating for a new building, we're installing electric heating, which residents will pay at a discounted rate. And that's wonderful!
I'll walk down Aleksandrovskaya and turn onto Petropavlovskaya." 

An important spiritual landmark in Vyshov is the Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, built by local builders during the reign of Alexander Lapotentov. The church also gave its name to the street – Petropavlovskaya. Recently, another new street appeared in Vyshov – Aleksandrovskaya. Soon, about 25 workers' houses will be built here. This street is named after the famous chairman, Aleksandr Lapotentov. We drove along it and were amazed: although prepared for paving, it nevertheless didn't look unfinished. A paved sidewalk, divided into two zones: one for pedestrians and one for cyclists, was already visible along the road. "For many, a collective farm means feet in boots and hands covered in oil. But here, you practically walk everywhere in sneakers and shoes. Since many people go to work along Aleksandrovskaya, let them be comfortable!" – Andrey Bogdanovich commented on the local road construction priorities.
 
The agro-town also has a cultural life. Many participate in clubs and amateur groups at the local community center. The farm also covers a significant portion of the vouchers for sanatoriums. It also periodically organizes trips to the capital's water park and other interesting places. A group of vacationers will soon be traveling to Moscow. And the Rodina Collective Farm also rewards non-smokers with rubles.

...Having visited the agrotown of Vyshov, we saw that everyone on this collective farm is driven by results. Moreover, the people on the collective farm enjoy their work, and their labor is rewarded accordingly. And they live here in a way that any city dweller would envy – not only their home and daily life, but also the traditions that Alexander Lapotentov laid down in the vital mechanisms of this enterprise. Today, the legendary chairman has become a beacon for those for whom the land and the Motherland are the most important spiritual bonds of life.

"We don't force anyone to work overtime, but people can work until 8 or even 10 p.m. And we're incredibly grateful for that!" says Andrei Bogdanovich. " 

For many, a collective farm means feet in boots and hands in oil. But in reality, here you can go everywhere in sneakers and shoes."    

Tamara MARKINA, photo by Oleg FOYNITSKY