Agrowill Group increasing its herd of dairy cows

Agrowill Group, a leading Lithuanian agricultural company, continues to improve its performance by investing in herd enlargement. By the end of the year, the herd of cows at the agricultural companies controlled by the Group is expected to increase to 3,000 dairy cows.
“One of the goals of the company is to not only improve the quality of raw milk but also increase milk yields. Therefore, by the end of this year, we intend to purchase a total of 350 in-calf heifers. Animals we have bred ourselves will also join the herd. Thus, at the end of the year, Agrowill Group should own a herd of some 3,000 dairy cows,” Vladas Bagavičius, Board Chairman of Agrowill Group, said.
Agreements on the purchase of 100 pregnant Holstein heifers have already been signed with Dutch company Firma Schaap, a partner of the company. First 34 cows have already reached the Smilgiai agricultural company controlled by Agrowill Group. The remaining heifers are expected to be delivered in the nearest future.
“The main reason that determined our decision to buy cows from the Netherlands was reliability: the Dutch have been breeding Holstein heifers for years and have deep-rooted traditions. In addition, the prices of heifers on the Dutch market are currently lower than in Lithuania, so this is a cost-efficient purchase,” Bagavičius said.
Agrowill Group plans to bring 20 more in-calf heifers from a republican exhibition and auction of breeding animals that took place in September in Algirdiškės, Panevėžys district. The company selected the animals to be purchased exclusively from pure-bred Holstein cows. They had to be born after artificial insemination, grown in farms having at least 50 free-range dairy cows, and the first lactation yield of the mothers of the purchased heifers had to be at least 7 tons/year. The exterior of cows was also thoroughly evaluated.  
In 2010, milk yields at Agrowill Group increased by almost one ton per each dairy cow.

For more information, please contact:
Vladas Bagavičius, Chairman of the Board of Agrowill Group AB, tel. +3710 610 31807

<< All news