Long-lived cow makes 55 liters of milk per day at Agrokombinat Snov in Belarus

High milk yields are a source of pride for the Sychi dairy farm, which is part of one of the country’s best enterprises – the agricultural cooperative Agrokombinat Snov in Nesvizh District, Minsk Oblast. Today the dairy farm is home to a long-lived Holstein cow named Cherepashka [little turtle]. BelTA reporters visited the farm and learned more about the animal, how it is kept, and about other record-breaking animals.

Cherepashka was born in 2013 and celebrated her 12th birthday on 25 December 2025. “In human terms that’s about 70 years. She has produced 130,443 kg of milk so far. She has given the farm ten calves: five heifers and five bull calves. By the way, the last calving was on 18 January 2026: she gave birth to another heifer,” said the senior zootechnician-breeder Yekaterina Serzhan.

She added that at present the cow produces about 55 liters of milk per day. “She can produce even more,” noted Yekaterina Serzhan.

The heifers from this cow are also highly productive. “Her daughter lives at the nearby Novy Snov dairy complex. She produces no less than 10,000 kg of milk per year. These are very high yields,” emphasized the zootechnician-breeder.

According to Yekaterina Serzhan, the long-lived cow is in good health despite her age. “She is active and has a good appetite,” said the woman.

The Sychi dairy farm had another record-breaking cow in terms of productive longevity, which had lived on the farm for 16 years.

The veterinarian Andrei Kadlubai monitors the health of the cows at the enterprise. “I have been working at this agricultural enterprise for 20 years. It is one of the best agricultural enterprises in our district and in the oblast as a whole. The enterprise is very large, diversified, and one of its lines of business is dairy animal husbandry,” he said.

“At this complex [Sychi] we have 940 head of cattle. And here are our milk output record holders. Specifically there are nine cows here. One of them is Cherepashka. She is also a long-lived animal. Her lifetime output has already exceeded 130 tonnes of milk, which is the best result in our agricultural enterprise and in the country as a whole. I believe that longevity and high productivity depend on good care and upkeep as well as veterinary services,” added Andrei Kadlubai. “We always vaccinate our animals on time, trim their hooves, monitor their condition, and provide treatment if necessary.”

Andrei Kadlubai noted that Cherepashka has never been sick in her life. “The less an animal gets sick, the less stress it experiences. And the better the prevention is, the better the milk yield and the milk quality will be. This is what makes for great results,” he said with confidence.

“As for nutrition, there are no secret ingredients, of course. On the whole, these are standard feed rations consisting of high-quality feed mixtures that are harvested on time, collected from the fields, and prepared. The rations are very rich so that milk production is high,” the veterinarian explained.

Konstantin Bondar, chief zootechnician at the agricultural cooperative Agrokombinat Snov, noted that the enterprise is one of Belarus’ top ten milk producers. “The average annual milk yield per cow is more than 10,000 kg. And it’s all thanks to the conditions, care, and feeding. Our feed is high-quality, highly nutritious, and high in protein. All the feed we prepare is tested in the laboratory. And then the feeding ration is compiled based on the research and analysis of the feed,” he added.

By Irina SKAKUN,

Photos by Andrei SINYAVSKY,

BelTA