At Sano Agrar Institut we have approx. 1300 dairy cows with milk yields of almost 12.927 l per lactation. Animals are housed in modernised facilities equipped with loose barns, replacing barns with tying stalls in order to ensure animal welfare. The interior is full of light and fresh air. Rearing success is also ensured thanks to the adequate water supply provided by long drinking troughs. All animals receive the optimal TMR.
At Sano Agrar Institut we are most proud of our barns for dry cows. This simple structure, wide feeding tables and gangways provide optimal drying conditions. This is a particularly important process, since lactation begins as early as the first day of drying off.
Cows granted freedom of movement are healthy and happy. Moreover, they willingly use installed electric brush scratchers.
Calving barn
Calving pens on our farm are located in an isolated area, next to dry cows. They are spacious, always with fresh bedding and providing cows with peace and quiet. Moreover, cows are supervised by trained personnel 24 h a day.
Calves within the first hour after calving receive premium colostrum supplemented with Cotosan®, a preparation containing essential antibodies, improving calf immunity and health.
Colostrum is pre-mixed with Cotosan® and frozen. In this manner we always have sufficient supplies for newborn calves.
Immediately after parturition cows receive a fortifying drink BoviFit® or Post partum®.
Calves
Appropriate development of calves is a priority objective in animal breeding. Only healthy calves may become high-yielding cows in the future.
Calf rearing from the very first days of their lives begins in individual pens protecting them against adverse weather conditions. In their pens they receive milk, water and Meggi Musli.
After the first month of their lives calves are reared together in a modern barn and they are becoming adapted to TMR feeding.
Calves drink milk from a trough. We do not use automatic nipple drinkers for calves.
Heifers
We treat heifers as the key group in animal breeding, since in approx. 2 years they will be the decisive element for the success of the farm. Considerable investment outlays have been necessary to provide them with the best management conditions.
Staying in comfortable surroundings and fed premium feeds heifers reach body weight of 380 - 420 kg already in the 12th month of their lives and they are ready for mating. Prior to service they receive activity meters in order to effectively assess their behaviour and determine an optimal mating date.
Heifers have free access to fresh drinking water and large runs adequate for the number of animals in a given group. Our heifers comprise a beautiful and uniform group, which would be an object of pride for any farmer.
We consider the original cow feeding regime to be our particular success. We developed it to cover the requirements of animals at individual stages of their lives and production and to prepare them for the next stage in their lives. Each of them is connected with specific needs, to which we have precisely adapted our solutions.
We provide modern farmers with more information on this subject in our Sano Magazine, discussing animal nutrition problems.
Rotary milking parlour with 60 stalls
Starting from June 2013 at Sano Agrar Institut cows are milked in a new rotary milking parlour, which is the most modern and biggest rotary milking parlour in Poland and most probably one of the biggest in Europe.
A total of 60 cows may be milked simultaneously and in the course of one rotation lasting for approx. 10 minutes they are milked completely and in great comfort. Only 3 milkers are needed to milk over 300 cows per hour, which is equivalent to an exceptional efficiency of over 100 cows per 1 milker.
The external rotary parlour ensures the most advantageous milking conditions, at the same time providing a safe and comfortable workplace. Cows are milked 3 times a day, which guarantees very good results.
The new milking parlour has contributed to an increase in milk yields of cows, currently amounting to approx. 12000 kg milk, and to an improvement of milk quality, providing valuable raw material for dairies.