Dynamics of animal husbandry in Chelyabinsk region in 1946‒1950

Abstract

Background. The relevance of the chosen topic is determined by the role played by animal husbandry both in agriculture and in the country’s economy as a whole. The purpose of this work is to study the state of the industry and the dynamics of meat, milk, honey, wool and eggs production in Chelyabinsk region during the fourth restoration five-year plan. Materials and methods. In order to achieve the purpose and solve the tasks set, we used archival materials from the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the Russian State Archive of Economics, as well as data from statistical collections and periodicals. At the same time, some of the mentioned materials are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, which gives this work certain signs of scientific novelty. Historicism and scientific objectivity served as the main methodological principles of the study. Results. In the course of the study, the dynamics of gross output in natural and cost terms was analyzed, the role of various categories of farms in the restoration and development of the industry was determined. Conclusions. An analysis of the state of animal husbandry in the region showed that during 1946–1948 the industry experienced an increase in production. As a result, the indicators of 1945 were significantly exceeded in terms of its main types, both in value and in kind. The last two years of the fourth five-year plan were marked by the stagnation of the industry. The data presented in the paper show that, despite the rapid restoration of state farms and collective farms, the measures taken in the country to limit house-hold farms and the increased tax burden led to a reduction in gross output in the industry. As a result, all the efforts of the state to increase the volume of production at the expense of the public sector did not yield results – the share of the individual in the gross output of the industry was decisive. It was determined that during the period under review, the main producer of livestock products in the South Urals were the farms of workers and employees. They produced about three-quarters of the milk, more than half of the meat, and nearly all of the eggs. In total, over the years of the fourth five-year plan, they accounted for over 40 % of the industry’s output in value terms. They were followed in descending order by collective farms, farms of collective farmers, state farms and farms of individual farmers. In general, during the years of the fourth five-year plan, livestock breeding in Chelyabinsk region produced livestock products worth 273.5 million rubles, which accounted for 1 % of its production in the country.

Keywords

• chelyabinsk region
• animal husbandry
• collective farms
• state farms
• collective farmers
• workers and employees
• individual farmers
• gross output