Galina Budilovych, a fifth-grade operator at the fattening workshop, has spent 32 years working in animal husbandry. During her time at the Orkovichi pig-breeding complex, part of OJSC Lidakhleboproduct, she has mastered the ability to assess the condition of her charges at a glance and seamlessly blend years of experience with advanced technology. Currently, she oversees nearly three thousand sows.

“I manage four sections, each housing around 700 animals. My day starts by walking through each section, checking how everyone has fared overnight and ensuring no one is unwell. Then, I clean up the manure, which takes about two hours,” explains Galina Petrovna.

Her responsibilities don’t end there. Like all living creatures, sows grow at different rates—some faster, others slower. Despite regular feeding every two hours, nature’s laws take over: larger, stronger animals push weaker ones away from the feed trough. The operator’s job is to sort the animals so that sows of similar weight are housed together in one stall (there are 14 stalls per section).

Pigs enter the fattening process with an average weight of about 30 kg and reach approximately 120 kg within four months.

Feeding at the complex is automated: the operator inputs the amount of food and its delivery location, and technology takes over. However, some sows finish all their food and wait for the next feeding, while others don’t manage to keep up.

“We monitor this to prevent food waste and inform the automated feeding operator which troughs need more or less food for the next feeding,” notes Galina Budilovych.

Occupational hygiene is a priority. The company provides us with all necessary work clothing and cleaning supplies. """