On the dairy farming history in the Kemerovo region in the 1970s

The paper studies the development of dairy cattle breeding in the agricultural sector of Kuzbass in the 1970s. Based on archival documents and regional statistics, the author substantiates the fact that the region's dairy farming was in a state of stagnation. Milk production in the ninth and tenth five-year plans decreased by 2 %, but at the same time government purchases increased significantly (by 21 %). Considerable attention was paid to improving the genetic properties of animals, the development of selection. The dominant zootechnical practice in cattle breeding has become interbreeding of cattle-heterosis. The pedigree qualities of dairy cattle were improved, the black-and-white breed was zoned. However, the number of purebred and fourth generation cows did not exceed 12 % on average in the region. There were few purebred breeding bulls and cows. Modern veterinary technologies were actively used, vaccination of calves against ringworm, preventive deworming and fortification of livestock became widespread. Dairy cattle breeding and industrial poultry farming remained the most mechanized sub-sectors of the agricultural sector. The level of integrated mechanization in many dairy complexes exceeded 90%. Manual milking of cows was a thing of the past, by the end of the 1970s machine milking was introduced on the vast majority of commercial dairy farms in Kuzbass. The process of concentration of dairy farming was intensively going on, small farms were closed, and larger ones were built instead. Dairy complexes were put into operation. However, the loss of livestock continued to persist, the fodder supply of the livestock was insufficient, the issue of mixed fodder production remained unresolved, and the existing feed mills covered the needs only by 45 %. The productivity of dairy cattle fluctuated in the range of 2200-2300 kg per cow and remained virtually unchanged throughout the decade, yielding to the second half of the 1960s. One of the reasons for the low productivity of cows, along with an insufficient forage base, was the unsatisfactory organization of rearing heifers. Dairy-producing agricultural enterprises suffered significant losses from the sale of substandard milk to the state. A significant part of the dairy products handed over to the state did not meet the requirements of the standards, had high acidity and bacterial contamination. Agro-enterprises lacked special equipment, the issue of repairing equipment and mechanisms was not properly resolved.