Not a Woman’s Job—In Belarus, Farms Flourish Where Women Are at the Helm

"Zarya" Agro-Complex is one of the largest producers of chicken meat, pork, beef, milk, and grains in the Mogilev region, exemplifying a full cycle— from field to table. Their assortment includes 140 types of meat products, including delicacies like cured and smoked meats. Thanks to a new workshop, production has increased tenfold.

“We currently do not use additives to accelerate sausage curing; everything proceeds naturally. Today, we produce about 3 tons of products,” says Tatiana Dyakova, Deputy General Director for Production at "Zarya."

Soon, Minsk residents will also be able to taste "Zarya" delicacies. Plans are underway to open a branded store at the "Pervoye Natsionalnoye" shopping center in Minsk. Sitting at her desk, counting revenue—sounds simple, right? But in reality, the farm director’s work is mostly hands-on—at the wheel and in the fields. The total area of the farm is 14,000 hectares. Ekaterina Vladimirovna jokes: “Paperwork can be done in winter, but the harvest won’t wait.”

The harvesters promised by the President arrived within days after his visit. But these harvesters are no gift; the farm will settle the bill itself. The President’s stance remains unchanged: the state will support when needed, but freeloading is unacceptable.

“It is important to understand that our President comes from agriculture himself. He knows firsthand what this work entails. That’s why he encourages us, farm managers, to maintain strict discipline, adhere to technological standards, and operate manually when necessary. Given the weather conditions, the harvest must be gathered on time and without losses,” emphasizes Ekaterina Zarovskaya, General Director of "Zarya."

Rain is forecasted to continue in the near future—something we see on our smartphones almost daily. For city dwellers, it’s just an umbrella in the bag; for farmers, it’s a source of worry. Machinery stands idle, delays mount, but farmers remain undeterred.

At "AgroSoly" in the Smorgon district, plans are underway to harvest 15,000 tons of grain. Of this, 1,800 tons are for the state order; the rest will feed livestock. The farm raises a total of 10,500 heads of cattle, including 3,200 milking cows.

“We have a safety cushion,” says Olga Lukyanova, director of KSPU "AgroSoly." “We have enough feed for 1.5 years or more. We always supplement with our own grain, rarely purchasing, and we use the oilcake leftover from rapeseed processing. Most importantly, we have qualified specialists today.”

Olga Ivanovna Lukyanova has been managing "AgroSoly" for over 20 years. According to her, there’s no second phase in the harvesting symphony—each contribution matters.

Harvesting is not just golden fields and crimson sunsets; it’s hard work from dawn to dusk—of combine operators, tractor drivers, loaders, and grain-drying operators.

The team consists of nearly 300 people, mostly men. The machinery operators joke that with Olga Ivanovna, you can’t get away with anything.

Master or mistress—the gender doesn’t matter in the battle for the harvest. The main goal is to gather every single grain: one loaf for all, shared equally.