In 2023, milk production from Estonian cows increased by 5 percent compared to the previous year, marking a 31-year record. The best results came from farms in Põlva County and Järva County, where milk yield in performance-tested herds exceeded 11,000 kilograms per cow per year.

"This is the result of long-term work by dairy producers and farmers. Additionally, it's due to excellent breeding, high-quality feed, new farms and new technologies. Estonia has all the prerequisites for producing milk because we have excellent grasslands, and if feed production succeeds, this can be achieved. Today, we can indeed say that most Estonian dairy producers and herds are at the absolute top in Europe," said Tanel-Taavi Bulitko, head of the Estonian Breeding Association.

At the Kaska-Luiga Farm in Põlgase, Põlva County, some of the highest milk-producing cows in Estonia can be found. According to the farm's manager, Avo Kruusla, such results have been achieved by providing good living conditions for the cows and continually focusing on breeding.

"I have always said that our breeding is centuries-long; it was started by our ancestors, maintaining pedigree books and collecting data. With joining the European Union and interacting with the outside world, we have significantly improved the genetic potential of our herds, and this is purely due to breeding," Kruusla said.

It is claimed that in the future, it will be possible to further increase the production of dairy farms through breeding.

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