Cattle breeding at EkoNiva

Due to a high value in the Net Merit Index, the EkoNiva heifers Connie and Monica achieved a placement among the best cows of the Holstein breed of American descent in Russia. According to Agroplem's test results, Connie and Monica can achieve a milk yield of around 13,500 kg of milk at the peak of their productivity with a 305-day lactation, provided that the husbandry conditions are good.

The Net Merit is the genetic breeding value of the US Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding (CDCB) and is determined on the basis of the productivity, health and external physical characteristics of the animals and provides information about the possible milk yield. As there are no separate breeding measurements for animals in Russia, the heifers were evaluated according to the US index.

EkoNiva has been breeding cattle since 2008 with the aim of producing high-performing and healthy cows. The most important breeds the farmers of EkoNiva work with are the Holstein cattle, the variegated red cattle, the Simmental cattle and the brown cattle.

As EkoNiva is constantly growing, the young breeding animals are currently being used within the Group. In recent years, the company has opened more than ten modern dairy complexes, some of whose young animals come from EkoNiva’s own breeding.

All breeding animals are kept under the best conditions. Their nutrition is monitored by zootechnicians and adapted according to the physiological characteristics of the animals. The food is balanced, comes mainly from own cultivation and consists of compound feed, silage, hay and feed additives. Veterinarians regularly check the state of health of each animal.

Connie and Monica are outstanding examples of the professional work of the breeders of EkoNiva. These animals have excellent genetic potential, which, if the right selection of breeding bulls is made, can produce excellent offspring.

By Viktor Bargotin