Comparative Characteristics of Economic Traits of the Ayrshire Cattle Breed by the Districts of the Russian Federation

Conducting comparative characteristics of the modern state of Ayrshire cattle population in the Russian Federation and the districts allows determining the development of economic traits, taking into account the breeding status of animals, which confirms the relevance and novelty of the research. The research has been conducted based on statistical data as of January 1st, 2024 from the Yearbook on breeding work in dairy farming of the Russian Federation by districts using grouping, sampling, and comparing indicators in a graphic form. It has been established that the maximum number of Ayrshire cows of 20.4 thousand heads is concentrated in the Northwestern Federal District, including the main part in breeding farms of 11.2 thousand heads, which is 5.8 times higher than the number in other districts. In terms of milk yield, the best indicators have been obtained in breeding farms in the Volga Federal District – 8,879 kg of milk and the Northwestern Federal District – 8,862 kg. The highest quality indicators of milk have been obtained in the pedigree breeding unit of the Volga Federal District; fat mass fraction has been 4.51%, and in the breeding farm the protein mass fraction has been 3.60%. The leaders in live weight of cows are the breeding plant of the Siberian Federal District – 578 kg, the pedigree breeding unit of the Central Federal District - 570 kg, and the breeding plants of the Northwestern Federal District – 566 kg. The highest age of cows in calving across the entire population is set for the Northwestern Federal District – 2.7 calving, the lowest for breeding farms in the Central Federal District – 2.2 calving and Siberian Federal District – 2.3 calving. In terms of the duration of economic use of cows, the highest indicator has been found for pedigree breeding units of the Volga Federal District - 4.6 calving and an average of 4.0 calving for the entire livestock. According to the Siberian Federal District breeding farm, the minimum age for cow retirement is 2.9 calving. These results allow determining the current state and development of the Ayrshire breed in the districts of the Russian Federation.