In the period of five years, at the organic farm KOLUMBI, which is a structural unit of Lāses AM, SIA, situated in Kuldīga municipality, Rumba parish, Dace and Aigars Melderis have created probably the best beef cattle herd for breeding in Latvia. The herd has gained a very good reputation in Sweden and Germany. Laureates of the award “Sējējs 2017” share their experience about the cattle breeding technology, market situation and future plans to create added value for farm-bred animals and meat export.
– Why did you choose three cattle breeds?
Dace Meldere: The choice was made based on the popularity of breeds in Latvia. Limousins were selected because of their high demand on the market. They are polls (polled cattle) and polledness will be inherited also by their descendants. Polled cattle herds are currently quite popular. The Simmental breed is very suitable for fattening and meat production. Charolais cattle are most popular on the market, followed by Limousins. Simmentals are excellent for meat and guarantee effective use of fodder. The average daily gain of live-weight for the cattle of this breed is 2 kg. Limousin cows are more fearful, less docile and it is more difficult to weigh them than Charolais and Simmentals. It is easier to work with Charolais heifers and cows as they are predictable.
At the moment, out of 320 animals in the herd 23 are polled Simmentals, 39 are polled pure-bred Limousin cows, while the remaining are suckling cows of the Charolais breed that will be calving next year.
– How did you start creating your herd?
We started with 10 in-calf Charolais cows and 1 Charolais bull in 2012. Then we realised that there is no business with only 10 cows, it is only a hobby. There was a rather high demand for our reproduced cows and bulls. The first cattle were bought out quite quickly. We understood that the herd must be expanded and so we brought 34 in-calf heifers from Sweden — we introduced the Swedish line with a very high-quality bull named Granīts. He was excellent, the son of one of the best bulls in Sweden — Heroe. When assessing the genetic background, we were most impressed by the Swedish offer and therefore we did not change our preference. The cattle of the Swedish breed have a very distinct temperament, they are calmer and have the ability to calve easily. We travelled to Sweden to exchange experience and we established good relations with the local Charolais association. We are always very welcome in Sweden. They taught us how to properly make fodder, shared their practical experience and theory. We even learned how by the touch, smell and appearance it is possible to tell when it is the right time to harvest crops for animal feed. We travel to Sweden twice each year.
Find out more here: http://laukos.la.lv/962987-2/