The past and present of breeding in dairy cattle breeding in the Far North-East

Abstract

Based on historical facts and past achievements, the work is designed to update the importance and prove the possibility of successful breeding work at the regional level in order to increase the production of high-quality, socially significant food products to ensure food security. At the beginning of the formation of agricultural science in the Magadan region, scientists were faced with the task of selecting the optimal breeds for the region. More than 4000 cows were examined during 1964–1967. It was found that in extreme natural and climatic conditions of the Magadan region the Kholmogory breed proved to be the best one. In 1967, in order to further improve the Kholmogory breed, the first attempt was made to study the genealogical structure of the herd, to identify and evaluate highly productive lines. In 1974, in order to increase the milk fat content of crossbred cows of the Kholmogory breed, introductory crossing with the bulls of the Ayrshire breed, tested for the quality of the offspring, was used. In order to improve dairy herds, the selection of cows for hereditary traits is combined with checking them for the first lactation. Since 1976, state farms began to study the breeding and productive qualities of the Ayrshire cattle, which were distinguished by high milk production and high fat content in milk. Since 1982, the Ayrshire breed has been approved as a planned breed for breeding in the farms of the Okhotsk zone. In the same year, absorptive crossbreeding of the animals of the Kholmogory breed with the sires of the Ayrshire breed began. In order to increase the efficiency of breeding for abundant milk production, work began on the farms to increase the hereditary variability of this trait through breeding along lines and families. At the same time, the work on improving the Kholmogory cattle by introductory crossbreeding with the purebred bulls of the Holstein-Friesian breed continued. By the 1990s, the main vector of development was the creation of highly productive herds of dairy cattle, but the difficult financial situation at farms in the 1990s led to a sharp decrease in the number of cattle and the productivity of the remaining animals.