A modern cattle breeding facility has been opened in the Ushachy district
– We have identified the need for a global modernization of production facilities. Many existing dairy farms are physically and morally outdated, and young people have no desire to work in such facilities. If comfortable conditions are not created, there will be a personnel problem, – emphasized Nikolai Sherstnev.
The head of the region also noted that milk production is a profitable business, and half of the products are currently exported. If we do not take care of the development of this industry, we can not only lose a profitable item but also endanger the country's food security. The peculiarity of the Vitebsk region is hundreds of small dairy farms. This creates serious problems in their maintenance and service, and labor organization. The task is to enlarge the complexes and reorient them to the production of both meat and milk, in order to load processing enterprises while reducing costs.
Mikhail Maksimenko, head of the livestock department of the Polotsk Agro-Industrial Association, cited specific figures: the Polotsk dairy plant's annual requirement is 154 thousand tons of milk, but currently only 83 thousand tons are supplied from its own farms, and the rest is purchased from external sources. Therefore, the primary task today is to increase the volume of own milk production.
The workshop for loose housing of cattle on deep litter for raising replacement heifers is designed for 840 heads. For now, it is half-full, but in the coming days, young animals from other farms will be transferred here. It was decided to use an old building, which had not been used for about 30 years, for the new calf house. To begin with, as explained by Vladimir Safronov, General Director of Polotsk Dairy Plant OJSC, a drainage system had to be installed, and then the building was completely reconstructed. More than 1 million rubles were allocated for these purposes, and the invested funds, according to the business plan, will pay off in four years.
Young animals weighing 80-100 kg will be housed in the livestock dormitory and raised to heifers. Artificial insemination of future cows will also be carried out here, and they will be distributed to farms specializing in dairy production. Plans include modernizing another building for heifers, repairing the bull-fattening pens, where 2,000 calves are currently being fattened, and also setting up a milking parlor. Thus, the Plino livestock complex will be completely modernized. Dairy products will be supplied to Polotsk Dairy Plant, and meat to Miory Meat Processing Plant, which is part of the association.
Similar reconstructed complexes, which will become the raw material base for the agro-industrial association, will appear in the Miory and Rossony districts next year.
At the opening of the workshop in the Ushachi district, Nikolai Shersnev set a task for the region's livestock complex – to increase the productivity of the milking herd from 4,000 to 6,000. And this, according to the head of the region, is a realistic figure.