The Soviet people, inspired by the decisions of the Party and the Government, were ready to rush headlong into the realization of any party ideas. The idea of developing virgin lands belonged to the Komsomol Central Committee. The appeal of the Komsomol Central Committee was approved at the plenary meeting of the Party in February 1954. Local committees began to select Komsomol members from among volunteers and direct them to work on the development of virgin lands. The enthusiasm from the youth was simply huge. Someone was looking for romance in new lands, someone wanted to become more independent, but everyone was striving for one thing - rather to help the country, increase grain productivity for the state and so on. From everywhere there were calls that invited the Komsomol members to quickly join the conquerors of virgin lands.
Already at the end of February 1954, Kustanay began to receive the first detachments. These were Komsomol members from Ukraine who were honored with such an honorable mission as a Komsomol trip to the virgin lands. In March, young people from the RSFSR and other republics gradually began to join them. It was such a large-scale current that the youth of Kazakhstan quickly joined it. Thus, a large-scale event was launched - virgin land raising.
People lived in terrible conditions (tents, trailers), but this did not stop them from learning, learning and acquiring new, for some even unknown professions. Development of virgin land was very difficult. In addition to volunteers, specialists with higher agronomic education were sent to the virgin lands, who were to train a huge number of people in agricultural professions. Builders, teachers, machine operators, drivers, accountants, people of those professions that such a large enterprise demanded, came here. In a short period of time, collective farms, state farms, and mechanization brigades were formed. So, in just one year, 337 state farms were formed, and by the autumn of 1955 there were already 631 (and more than 2700 state farms). So began the development of virgin land. It was necessary to cultivate seventeen million hectares of land.
Plowing virgin land has been carried out since 1954. Between teams began to emerge socialist competition. Winners began to be determined. In order to celebrate the advanced workers, the Central Committee of the Communist Party established diplomas, medals, and orders.
Kazakhstan passed the first billion pounds of grain to the state in 1956. Such large-scale artificial changes in natural communities could not pass without a trace. The most valuable surface layers of black earth were destroyed for this area. The ecological balance in the nature of this uncharted land has been disrupted. Natural humus eroded, soils began to erode under the influence of erosion. Subsequent harvests of this magnitude were no longer observed, and only after a decade and a half it was possible to fully explore these lands.
In addition, fertile land began to be distributed for the construction of residential areas, with the same purpose the land was taken from the peasants. Pastures began to disappear, which led to the mass death of cattle. Such consequences entailed the rapid and large-scale development of virgin lands. Nature could not forgive the neglect of its resources.
In addition to patriots and enthusiasts, lovers of easy money have come to these parts. By the way, among the current millionaires there are quite a few who participated in the development of virgin lands (or their heirs). Accounting for the material and technical base was not at the highest level, which led to large-scale thefts. The main task was the intensive development of virgin lands, but nothing was done to save and strengthen the material and technical base. Lack of products, poor living conditions - all this led to massive staff turnover. That was the development of virgin lands.