Can the sale of milk from personal subsidiary farms be a profitable business in the Vitebsk region?
Nikolaevsky rural council of the Shumilinsky district has been a leader in milk production among personal subsidiary farms in the district for several years. In 2018, it shipped about 300 tons of valuable product to the Shumilinsky branch of OJSC "Moloko".
It is in Nikolaevo and its surroundings that the largest dairy herd among peasant households in the district is located. According to last year's statistics (fresh ones will appear only at the beginning of February), residents of the rural council own 107 cows – 27% of the district's figure. Three home farms set the tone, each with about twenty cows. Last year, they produced more than 186 tons of milk – 67% of the rural council's total. Who are these people?
Nikolaevo Stakhanovites
"Vitebskiye Vesti" recently told about Valentina Sinitskaya from the village of Mokraki, who in 2018 sold more than 41 tons. Meanwhile, this farm is only third in the unofficial ranking of personal peasant farms. In second place is the family of Vladimir Linkevich from Nikolaevo – 56 tons. And far ahead is Nadezhda Gushcha from Dubrava, who sold 87 tons of milk.
Long gone are the days of socialist competition and shock labor vigils. But records and Stakhanovite enthusiasm, as it turns out, are alive. There are people who work tirelessly, set high goals for themselves and achieve them. What drives the leaders? As far as I understood from communicating with them, money is a very significant, but not decisive motive here. And it's not just about the nobility of intentions.
One for all!
A large home farm is a costly undertaking. To keep dozens of animals in winter, a reliable supply of feed, mainly hay and silage, is necessary. You can't manage with scythes and pitchforks here – the scale is different. You need your own tractors, trailers, attachments, and diesel fuel. The main source of financial income is still milk.
With a modest purchase price of 48 kopecks per kilogram, the lion's share of savings is absorbed by production mechanization.
One cannot dream of thick wallets. But providing decently for a family is quite realistic. For which, again, one needs to work hard and selflessly.
Most villagers know this not from hearsay. And they are not willing to increase their livestock. They keep a few cows at most. Consequently, the results are prosaic. The total volume of milk received from these villagers is 90 tons, slightly more than what Nadezhda Gushcha delivered single-handedly.
Special Temperament
The chairman of the Nikolaevsky village council, Vladimir Sedlovsky, believes that farmers who demonstrate consistently high results are people of special temperament:
– Those who have worked with full dedication all their lives, as they say, have toiled, are setting the tone today. Not everyone, of course, can handle it. We have many elderly people. There are enough citizens who, in their prime, simply do not want to bear a heavy burden. There are also those who reject the very code of traditional village life. Why break your back in the garden or go to the farm at the crack of dawn when there's a shop where you can buy everything...
It is felt that this topic deeply concerns Vladimir Alekseevich. The population decline in the Nikolaevsky village council today exceeds the birth rate (and is this the only village council like this!). Therefore, the local authorities actively support those who, against all odds, are trying to reverse the trend of decline, demonstrate by their own actions how to live here, and lead people.
Vicious Practice
A prime example of this is the interaction between the local authorities and the owner of a personal subsidiary farm from Nikolaevo, Vladimir Linkevich. Vladimir Alexandrovich and his wife Svetlana Nikolaevna were city dwellers in the past. They moved here from Novopolotsk more than 30 years ago.
Until the local primary school was closed, it educated children. Then, they seriously focused on personal subsidiary farming. Initially, they tried to grow cabbage, but they misjudged the prices – the market conditions were not in their favor. That's when they switched to dairy farming. It's a promising business, but it was managed in such a way that it brought neither profit nor satisfaction.
Milk was purchased from the public by a specialized intermediary enterprise, which chronically delayed payments, and "impersonalization" flourished. For example, Vladimir Alexandrovich would bring good quality milk with 4.4% fat content, but the laboratory assistant-collector would already have 3.6% pre-entered in the records. Accordingly, they paid the minimum, and the surcharge for 0.8% fat content went "on the side."
This vicious practice bred indifference and encouraged adulteration. To increase the volume, the quality product was diluted with water.
And, unfortunately, there were quite a few such "innovators." The collector, in turn, turned a blind eye to the actual quality of the milk.
The Burden of Choice
It was then that Vladimir Linkevich faced a choice. What to do? Not to conflict, to put up with the eyewash, or to go against it? He openly and sharply spoke out against the existing order. But to what avail – the responsible persons merely shrugged their shoulders. Despairing of changing anything, Vladimir Alexandrovich appealed directly to the local head of government.
To the credit of Chairman Vladimir Sedlovsky, he not only supported the assertive villager but also offered him to take over the collection of milk throughout the territory of the Nikolaevsky rural council. A bold step.
In essence, it was about the complete dismantling of the previous system and its final transfer to a commercial track.
And, of course, about the great trust placed in the former school teacher who had challenged the entrenched practice.
Vladimir Linkevich was well aware of the troublesome task he would have to undertake. But what about his home farm, which was just gaining momentum? Would there be time for subsidiary farming? His wife, Svetlana Nikolaevna, supported her husband – she agreed to take on the bulk of the responsibilities.
At the same time, of course, the heaviest burden – fodder procurement – remained with the head of the family. No matter how difficult it was, Vladimir Alexandrovich could not refuse the offer of the local government head. It was a matter of principle!
Strength of Materials
In 2014, Vladimir Linkevich registered as an individual entrepreneur, purchased scales and a milk analyzer (a costly item!) with his own funds, and began his new duty.
Strictly and consistently, regardless of who was involved, he began to reject substandard and counterfeit products. Naturally, not everyone liked this.
Rumors began to spread that the newly-minted businessman was pocketing money and profiting from the farm's milk. The rumors were spread by those accustomed to dubious earnings. They couldn't grasp that the situation had fundamentally changed, and now, if one worked conscientiously, they would receive much greater prosperity.
And then, the local authorities played an invaluable role again. Chairman Sedlovsky did not shy away from conflicts; he often visited the sites with Linkevich and defused tensions. The facts also spoke for themselves.
The new collector doesn't waste words, pays on time, and diligently pays bonuses for quality. Milk fat content is strictly accounted for. Above 3.6% – the price increases, below – you receive accordingly less.
Soon, the villagers saw firsthand that selling high-quality whole milk was a profitable endeavor.
The more you work, the greater the reward. Deception won't work, but honest labor is rewarded in full.
Thus, a new practice began to be established in the village council's territory. Vladimir Linkevich's name is on everyone's lips here today. All you hear is – "Linkevich handles all this accounting," "Linkevich will come and explain everything," "Linkevich knows for sure," "If Linkevich said so, it will be so"… And I thought, it's good when there are people who, in our difficult times, can actually guarantee something.
Work with Joy
Of course, the volume of milk supplied by the population of the Nikolaevsky village council is a microscopic trickle flowing into the giant riverbed of Belarusian dairy products. But it is precisely from such sources that great rivers begin. If milk dries up in village backyards, if life quiets down there, then there will be no one to work on the giant farms. That is why the record dynamics in the subsidiary farms of the Nikolaevsky village council cannot but please. A good sign!
When we communicated, the chairman Vladimir Sedlovsky modestly remained silent about his own role. His namesake Vladimir Linkevich, speaking about local authorities, was also laconic: "They do not have serious financial capabilities. They assist as they can. And most importantly, they do not interfere, they let us work."
Yes, rural authorities do not have serious financial capabilities. But organizational ones - no one has taken them away. To support somewhere, noticing a healthy initiative. To really step aside somewhere, not to bother with petty tutelage. So, perhaps, this is the role of a good leader?
The Nikolaevsky village council has managed to solve the main thing. An atmosphere has been created where labor is valued, where it brings joy. On this basis, the record-holding backyards began to rise, like dough with yeast. It could not have been otherwise. He who sows generously will also reap generously!