Recently The Friesian, the consulting division of Bles Dairies, was involved in evaluating and advising Robotic Milking farms in Russia regarding their feeding strategy. This assignment is part of a long term commitment to increase the milk production on farms with robotic milking systems.
Several farms were visited in Kaluga Oblast, some were reconstructed and others new built from scratch. All projects were carried out well, especially those reconstructed from tie-stall barns to free-stall housing. The regional government in Kaluga oblast is stimulating family farm development. Because of the concentration of farms, additional infrastructure like contract harvesting can also develop.
In the Russian Federation modern dairy farming is developing fast. Modern techniques are being introduced like robotic milking systems, who collect a lot of data what can contribute to the management of high productive dairy cows.
There are still challenges the Russian dairy sector is facing: A lack of qualified staff appears, the climate in Russia is often an obstacle for growing good quality roughage.
