Vladimir Khvostov, director of «Torgovyi Dim“Dolinskoye”», about the features of milk business in southern Ukraine

His path into business and dairy industry, in particular, is very similar to the way of many children from changeover time. Time was changing and the moral foundations were changing too, young people began to engage in business being students. Later in his business appeared milk, though at first it was not production or even processing. Raw milk was bought or traded for oil. It was rented for processing as goods made on commission, for it cheese was given, butter, or other that had great demand, was sold. Then they began to realize that buying and selling without its own production has no future and that the production is a prerequisite for development and prosperity. Lack of special education did not prevent the development of its own agricultural business — growing grain and milk production. Zeal, charisma, organizational skills, to some extent adventurism and a great desire to achieve the goal did the trick. «We surrounded ourselves with experts: agriculturists, technologists who understood the production. We were growing up together with them and they also changed — we all depart from sovietdom, chose for ourselves the most promising areas of production. We understood that it must be a business that gives the best results and maximum profits. Of course, first we kept the technology and crop rotation», — saidVladimir.

What was on the place of modern dairy farm eight years ago, when you only organized “Dolynskoe”?

We created «Torgovyi Dim “Dolinskoye”» based on “Dolinsky”, which among other things, specialized in animal husbandry. The legacy we got was 300 red steppe cows an annual capacity of 2,200-2,300 kgof milk. A herd was considered bad, the cows were ill with leukemia and other sores. During the first year we had to reduce the population — there were only 150 cows, but no less milk. On the contrary, the yields almost doubled and reached4,000 kg. The first three years, while we retreated and tried to understand the specifics of agricultural production, dairy farm was surviving. Major investment in farm or equipment we didn’t do, everything was reduced to minor repairs. However, the production was profitable. In 2005 we began to buy more cows, whose productivity was5,000 kgmilk per year. And only then we realized that it is no point to in such a way further: animals have high potential, but to realize it, you need to get serious about storing forage, to create comfortable living conditions for the cows. We had to change something. We were inspired to build a new barn and milking parlor by our neighbor Sergey Maksimenko, the director of «Rassvet» (Novotroitsk district,Khersonregion).

In 2007 we built the first new barn for 420 head (6-row, width —33.4 m, length —103.5 m, height —12 m, with ridge and curtains on the sidewalls). To it we attached milking parlor «herringbone» 2x12. In 2010, we built another barn for 295 head on the other side of the milking parlor (4-row, width —29.4 m, length —106 m). Now our parlor serves 610 cows, but we plan to increase the load up to 650.

Gradually we move to theHolsteinbreed. By the end of the year we want to increase the herd to 830 head, and only then — to 1,160-1,200. But then we’ll have to build one more new barn for 295 animals and milking parlor. We think that it will be «parallel« or «herringbone» 2x12 or 2x10 with the rapid exit. Now all high productive cows are kept in the new barns, dry cows and heifers — in the reconstructed.

What time is needed to get back money for newly built barns?

What should be the relationship between producers and processors? What do you expect from them?

The specificity of dairy cattle in the south.

How much land do you need to meet the requirements of the dairy farm?

The answers to these questions and more read in the magazine “Milk and Farm” № 3 (6) September 2011