They produce milk and meat, grow vegetables and even sew fur coats. What is OAO Ostromechevo doing today?

Topic news We tell about the working days of one of the leading agricultural enterprises of the country.
 
"Everyone!" - the team of the local farm, which is famous for its successes throughout the country, answers in one voice. The multi-industry and highly productive agricultural enterprise OJSC "Ostromechevo" is one of the largest in the republic.

Here they not only produce MILK and MEAT , grow various crops, but also collect fruits and berries, and even sew mink coats. What is the secret of local farmers, we learned, so to speak, first-hand.
Livestock breeding is the locomotive of production
At one time, the first settlement in the Brest region, which was awarded the status of "village of the future", was the agro-town of Ostromechevo. There is a pharmacy, FAP, school, kindergarten, Orthodox church, a bank branch, a hotel, cafes and shops. Whatever you say, the living conditions are comfortable, definitely not worse than in the city. And there is everything in order with work - most of the villagers work in the farm of the same name under the leadership of experienced farmer Oleg Burak, whose professional path is inextricably linked with OAO Ostromechevo. The interviewee recalls how after school he began working in an agricultural enterprise as a field worker. After graduating from the agricultural academy, he became an agronomist, then - the HEAD of the production site ... And now he has been heading the advanced farm for more than 8 years.
- The basis of our enterprise is people, many of whom, like me, began their careers in Ostromechevo. They are happy to pass on the vast experience gained over more than a decade to young specialists, - the DIRECTOR notes and emphasizes that with such a team of professionals devoted to the common cause, any task is within reach. - Each of the industries should bring profit, thereby raising the standard of living of villagers. And the Ostromechevtsy will not be left out. Everyone here, from young to old, knows how to work the land.
To confirm the director's words, we look at the economic reports - the figures are impressive. Milk and meat account for almost 70% of the farm's revenue. Thus, over the first nine months of this year, milk production increased by 3.6% compared to the same period in 2023, amounting to 28.7 thousand tons. Milk yield per cow is 7.6 thousand kilograms. The marketability of milk was at the level of 94%, and over 86% of the extra grade has already been sold. There are also significant results in the work on fattening and raising cattle . Over 9 months, they produced 3.4 thousand tons, while the average daily weight gain is at the level of 900 grams. According to the director, the team is systematically fulfilling the tasks that were set at the beginning of the year.
Almost 5 years ago, the JSC acquired the production site of a neighboring farm, thereby increasing not only its territory, but also the number of livestock to almost 18 thousand, of which 3785 are dairy cattle. In total, the enterprise operates seven dairy complexes, as well as complexes for raising heifers and fattening cattle, where 10 thousand heads are kept.
The bulk of the produced milk is supplied for processing to JSC Brestskoye Irozhenoye, a controlling stake in which belongs to Ostromechevo. However, as Deputy Director Vladimir Zhitkovich explains, the plant is an independent legal entity.

- The tasty and natural products of the enterprise are known far beyond the Brest region under the brands Timosha, Ostromechevskie Prostory, Home Cheеse, BioFit. The plant produces more than 150 types of goods, includingice cream , glazed curds, milk,cottage cheese , sour cream, yoghurts, semi-hard cheeses , - lists Vladimir Ivanovich and draws our attention to one of the latest developments - a line of fermented milk products with bifidobacteria of the BioFit trademark, developed for adherents of healthy eating.
Dear workers of agriculture and processing industry, happy holiday to you! We wish you excellent weather conditions, high yields and big incomes! HEALTH to you and good mood! Let your products always be in demand, receiving high marks from consumers! 
The team of OAO Ostromechevo
They worked hard!
Crop production at OAO Ostromechevo, as elsewhere, works for livestock farming. With such a large livestock, farmers pay primary attention to the procurement of forage. it must be said that the diet of local cows is balanced, competently developed in all respects, enriched with the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals, which ensures the health and high productivity of animals.
- The importance of a nutritious diet for cattle, which mainly consists of succulent grass feed and nutritious forage, is confirmed better than words by the dynamics of dairy production. Therefore, the preparation of feed in the farm is of paramount importance, - notes Oleg Burak and adds that this season the team worked no worse than the previous one. - Haylage is at last year's level, but we prepared 10 thousand tons more silage. Thus, once again we ensured a year and a half supply. The harvesting season in "Ostromechevo" is long gone. According to the director, the weather, as usual, made significant adjustments to the work process. However, the villagers took from the fields everything that was planned.

- Our farm is located at the highest geographical point of the Brest region. In May-June, when the grain is filling out, the land did not have enough rain. But even despite this, the result is decent: the rapeseed yield was 43.4 centners per hectare, grain - almost 60 centners per hectare, - Oleg Anatolyevich clarifies, noting that the technological process on the farm is always aimed at 70 centners per hectare. - We sow on time, carry out maintenance procedures, and harvest on time - that's the whole secret.
By mid-autumn, the hum of machinery does not subside in the Ostromechev fields - the soil is being prepared for a long winter. We find Evgeniy Kasyanuk, who has been working on the farm for six years, plowing the fallow land. The experienced machine operator skillfully operates giant equipment.
- In agriculture, there is work for every season . We, farmers, fulfill the most important mission - we ensure food security of the country, - our hero says with a smile, and we have no reason to doubt his words, because everyone sees on store shelves how much natural, tasty and varied products are produced today by dairy and meat enterprises of Belarus. - And it all starts in the fields: to grow grain to make FLOUR and bake bread, prepare feed so that the cows are well-fed and give plenty of milk... This is our task. In "Ostromechevo" they cope with it with a bang!
Another significant area of ​​the farm's activity is gardening. The orchard here has been famous at all times. This season, in addition to APPLE trees, cherries, sweet cherries , and grapes yielded a good harvest.
- We cultivate four varieties of cherries at once and this year we received the first decent harvest - we collected a little more than 20 tons. This volume was very quickly sold on the market, in our stores. I will say that the berries were even better than the foreign ones - large, juicy, sweet, - Oleg Burak says proudly. - We have collected a good harvest of apples: 300 tons have already been put into the stabilization fund for sale in the off-season. We have also established the production of apple juice, and pressing is underway right now.
Furs for fashionistas
The multi-profile farm has its own fur farm, where mink has been bred for over 30 years. There are almost 3.5 thousand animals of six breeds: from white to silver-blue. We were convinced that "Ostromechevskie Furs" have long been considered one of the main brands not only of the enterprise, but also of the entire Brest region, when we looked into the company store.

- We sell 15-20 fur coats per month, plus various fur products. Buyers are from different cities of the country, as well as from RUSSIA and Poland, - says the seller Irina Shapovalova and immediately demonstrates the fur assortment: hats, handbags, scarves, hair bands. - The latest know-how of our craftswomen is mobile phone cases.

While Irina Igorevna praises the product, we draw attention to the original muff bag: a well-thought-out fur transformer will allow you to warm your hands in the winter frost and keep the necessary things with you. Fur coats are presented in all sorts of styles and shades: combined, blue, black, white. In a word, for every taste. By the way, in addition to the agro-town, fur coats can be purchased at the capital's TSUM, as well as in Soligorsk and Grodno.
Next to the store is a sewing workshop. The workers are engaged in the selection of fur, cutting and sewing of products. Here everyone knows about fur fashion!
- We cannot lag behind fashion trends, - senior master Tatyana Lukomskaya is sure. - For example, if cuffs were popular before, now they have gone away. Ladies prefer models with a hood, turn-down collar. The colors of the season are brown and light tones. The oversized style has replaced the fitted silhouette. Although the classics still remain in first place.
This season, the farm's garden pleased with the first cherry harvest - they collected more than 20 tons of juicy, sweet berries . For sale in the off-season, 300 tons of juicy apples were put into the stabilization fund. The enterprise also established the production of apple juice.
Total livestock - 18 thousand
Dairy herd - 3785 heads
Milk and meat revenue volume - 70%
Milk yield per cow - 7.6 thousand kg
Marketability of milk - 94%
Extra grade - 86%  
Marina VALAKH, photo - Violetta Yuzhakova