During the perinatal period, the females must be provided with the best possible conditions. The animals must feel good.
That is why a few years ago in OHZ Dębołęka a new farrowing house was built on the basis of an old pigsty. Separate pens for cows were made, collective pens where animals prepare for calving, where they are placed about 3 weeks before giving birth, and a calf area. It was decided to leave the animals in the building with the possibility of moving them outside, under a tent or to another facility.
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The verdict of a farmer from near Łódź shows how threatened farmers are today
The tent halls have proven their worth
Well, a few years ago the herd was being expanded, and it was growing quite rapidly. That is why several tent halls were erected, which did not require such extensive construction works and did not have to be spent on them. Obviously, erecting a new barn from scratch involves huge expenses. For now, the construction of a new barn is perhaps in the near future, because the investment is in the plans, and so far the "tents" have proven themselves well. The new investment is primarily intended to improve the environmental conditions of dairy cattle breeding.
The aforementioned tent halls provide housing for 100 milking cows in the later phase of lactation, as well as calves. As you can see, their use is versatile, and the main breeder recommends such a solution to other breeders, as he admits – in Dębołęka they worked well.
Jubilee of OHZ Dębołęka
On September 13, Dębołęka will celebrate its 60th anniversary. Those breeders who would like to take a closer look at this particular breeding and talk about the solutions used can come to this place, located in the Łódź province, on that day. The Farmer editorial team will be present in Dębołęka that day, we will talk more about cattle breeding in tent halls, and we will present the breeder's conversations and comments on the portal. We will ask about breeding goals and the future of cattle breeding and breeding.
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The cattle population in Poland is declining in almost all age groups
60 years ago, OHZ Dębołęka was established
The State Pedigree Breeding Centre in Dębołęka was established in 1964 on the basis of the existing State Agricultural Farms in Dębołęka, Dąbrówka and Dąbrowa. The main direction of the Centre's activity is the genetic improvement of dairy cattle.
In the years 1970-1990 the efficiency of milk production was improved by continuous increase of efficiency. In 1967 from 120 cows the efficiency of 4000 liters of milk was obtained per cow per year.
In 1974, 3 HF cattle were imported to Poland, including 77 Holstein-Friesian heifers from Canada to Dębołęka. Based on these cattle and the selection of the best HF bulls, intensive breeding work was carried out. Currently, the herd consists of 600 cows with 100% HF blood, and milk yield is around 12,500 kg per head per year.
In the years 1980-1992 POHZ minimally reproduced depreciation by minimizing investment expenditure in favor of consumption. The buildings had old technology, and the average age of tractors and combines exceeded 10 years.
In 1992, as a result of ownership transformations, POHZ was included in the Resources of the Agricultural Property Agency of the State Treasury, Regional Branch in Warsaw. The Pedigree Breeding Centre Spółka z oo was established on 22 June 1993 and began operating on 1 July of the same year.
Currently, the Company manages 957 ha of agricultural land. Natural conditions are not conducive to crop production. The soil quality index is 0.92, and soils of class V and VI constitute 36% of the area. The structure of crops is dominated by corn, grown for grain and silage, alfalfa, rapeseed, rye and triticale. With unevenly distributed rainfall (approx. 500 mm per year), it is difficult to obtain stable and high yields. Sales of crop production constitute 18% of the company's revenue and concern approx. 200 tons of rapeseed and 300 tons of certified grain seed.
The leading direction of production is cattle breeding, this is the strong point of the company, which is currently one of the leading breeding companies of ANR of strategic importance for Polish agriculture. The high level of breeding conducted in Dębołęka for over 50 years guarantees the stability of production. Revenues from animal production constitute 78% of the company's total revenues.
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The moisture content of corn grain ranges from 22 to 25 percent. Wheat prices have gone up a bit