The daily labor of agricultural workers makes our lives stable and fulfilling. These are the people who cultivate the land with love and care, grow crops, and ensure the country's food security, so that our tables are always filled with delicious and healthy food. Their daily routine is a significant contribution to our overall health and future. Working on the land is not just a profession, it's a whole philosophy of life that requires a special dedication. And in this complex process, a special place is occupied by those who operate powerful machines, who with their skill and strength turn vast fields into a source of life. We are, of course, talking about tractor drivers.

One of such reliable and dedicated masters is Yuriy Nikolaevich Rapinchuk, a tractor driver-mechanic at the KSUP "Plemzavod Zakozelsky". The news that he would be honored as one of the best agricultural workers in the district came as a surprise to him. He himself does not consider himself special, is modest, but is undoubtedly genuinely pleased with such attention.

Yuriy Rapinchuk was born and grew up in the village of Sulichovo. His interest in technology manifested itself in his childhood - the boy was always fascinated by the hum of engines and the design of complex mechanisms. Therefore, the choice of his life path after school was conscious. After finishing school, our interlocutor enrolled in PTU-163, where he received a ticket to life, choosing the profession of a tractor driver.

Then Yuriy Rapinchuk was awaited by military service, which fell on a historic period. Our interlocutor not only honestly and bravely guarded the border of his Motherland but also managed to take the oath of two states - he was drafted into the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, and demobilized already in the Republic of Belarus. After returning from service, he immediately went to work at the Lenin collective farm.

Over thirty years of working in agriculture, the names of the collectives changed, reorganizations took place, but one thing remained unchanged - Yuriy Rapinchuk's dedication to his work. During these years, he mastered almost all types of equipment, worked on grain and sugar beet harvesters.

Tractor driver-mechanic of KSUP "Plemzavod Zakozelsky" Yuriy Rapinchuk. Photo by the author.

Every day, with the first rays of light, Yuri Nikolaevich is already in the field. His faithful steel horse is the MTZ-1221 tractor, and he also has the Rosa sprayer assigned to him. For an experienced mechanic, this is not just complex modern equipment, but a real extension of his own hands and soul. The earth feels the attitude towards it, and the ability of a person to manage the machine, his subtle understanding of the soil, the whims of the weather, depends on the final result of the entire farm. As soon as the first snow leaves the fields, Yuri Nikolaevich on the Rosa begins to apply fertilizers. Further, he switches to a seeder, then comes the time for harvesting feed and working with rakes. In the hottest heat, he is involved in transporting grain, after which the cycle repeats: again feed, and in winter - transporting compost and bales.

After so many years of work, I have become accustomed to this pace. I don't know how to do it any other way. I know for sure that my work will always be in demand, without it, there's no point. Simply, in agriculture, there is no period when there is no work, Yuri Nikolaevich smiles.

On the day of our visit, we were unable to catch the leader at the mechanical yard - he was working on transporting grass from the Damba-Galyk area to the farm in the village of Volovel. The earth does not wait, and every minute counts for the mechanic.

Alongside Yuri Nikolaevich, his spouse Tatyana goes through life and work. She works as an accountant in the same farm, responsible for the accuracy, strictness, and order of numbers. Together they raised three wonderful children, who have already found their path in life. Their eldest son Vladimir chose the noble path of a teacher, their daughter Irina immersed herself in the world of psychology, and their youngest son Viktor realized himself in the field of electrical engineering.

Interestingly, the passion for electricity is a family trait for the Rapinchuks. Yuri Nikolaevich himself, in his free evenings, enjoys repairing electrical appliances and computers, studying special literature on electronics. This unusual hobby for a rural resident is very helpful to him in his main work. Modern agricultural equipment has long ceased to be just a set of bolts and levers: today, machines are automated, equipped with on-board computers and autopilot systems. Thanks to his knowledge, Yuri Nikolaevich easily understands the "smart" filling of his iron helper.

In everyday life, Yuriy Nikolayevich is a jack-of-all-trades and a true master of the house. He can handle any household task: he can repair his wife's shoes and replace a door handle. Currently, the Rapinchuk couple lives in the agrotown of Vulka Radovetska, runs a small household farm, and works just as tirelessly as most villagers.

In his free time, which is in catastrophically short supply during the season, Yuriy Nikolayevich loves to spend time with his granddaughters. It is during these moments that he draws strength for new working days.

The earth is held up by such people – modest, hardworking, able to get along with both harsh nature and complex modern technology. They do not seek loud words, they simply honestly do their job – day after day, in any weather, with complete dedication. Yuriy Rapinchuk is one of these people. He is the first to go out into the field to prepare the soil for sowing, then helps to grow the future harvest, and during the busy season, he becomes one of those who gathers the results of their collective labor. His work requires not only strength and endurance but also genuine mastery. Yuriy Rapinchuk's labor is the very foundation on which the entire chain of our food production rests, and therefore, the well-being of each of us.

Tatyana Kononenko.

Photo by the author.