Dairy farmers: despite difficulties, we continue to develop

On October 22, a farmers' trip to dairy farms in Vidzeme – in Rūjiena, Beverīna and Kocēni municipalities – was organized by the association "Farmers' Council" (ZSA). The aim of the trip was to assess the situation in dairy farming, exchange mutual experiences and acquire new knowledge.Along with farmers, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Latvian Rural Consulting and Education Center also evaluated the examples of good production practices.

According to ZSA Deputy Chairman and dairy farmer Juris Cīrulis, despite the difficulties caused by the Russian embargo, farms have been able not only to continue their operations, but also to maintain a positive vision of the industry. J. Cīrulis: “The path to a successful farm is well-thought-out management – ensuring a favorable environment for good milking, investing in the latest technologies and accumulated experience. Thank you to the owners of the farms we visited, who allowed our colleagues to draw ideas for their own development.”

During the trip, farmers and industry experts visited three farms that work with effective and modern methods – the farm “Ceriņi” (Jeru parish, Rūjienas district), z/s “Brieži” (Kauguri parish, Beverīna district),z/s “Dzintari” (Bērzaines parish, Kocēni district)The farms examined are each unique in their own way – the “Ceriņi” farm is a successful model of cooperation with neighboring farms and a grain growers’ cooperative, the “Dzintari” farm is a modern barn that uses minimal manual labor and also diversifyes income by fattening bulls, while the “Brieži” farm has adopted the methods and experience used in the USA. By gradually investing in development, rural entrepreneurs have managed to create European-level farms.

Juris Cīrulis, owner of the Brieži farm: “Currently, too many dairy farms in Latvia are trying to overcome the crisis on their own. But it is important to realize that we are not alone and only by cooperating with each other can we achieve success. Against the backdrop of difficulties, it is nice to see that we too have determined and resilient examples.”

As the participants acknowledged, such trips are very useful, because communicating with each other in an informal environment gives rise to the best ideas for further development. Taking into account the wide interest and positive feedback, ZSA will continue to organize similar events in other regions of Latvia.