Yakut cow becomes a brand of the republic

Future agricultural start-ups of the republic express a desire to keep Yakut cattle. The industry is said to be considered expedient. Especially in hard-to-reach and remote areas of the taiga zone with small pastures. The Ministry of Agriculture of the region noted that it is necessary to take a more rational approach to the organization of agricultural production, depending on agro-climatic conditions. “Obtaining unique MEAT and the production of sour-milk products from the Yakut cow breed is becoming the brand of Yakutia,” commented the department. Today in the project “From city to village: Farmer” - about the Yakut breed of cattle.

The value of MILK and meat of the Yakut breed of cattle is being studied by scientists and medical workers of Yakutia. “The number of those wishing to purchase natural meat with excellent taste and nutritional characteristics, as well as products from milk, is increasing. It has a high content of protein, lactose, vitamins and minerals,” they say.

The Yakut breed of cattle is also the original material value of the Sakha people. When our ancestors lived in the Alas, their life revolved around the Yakut cow. There was even a belief that “losing it means losing the material and economic component of the original culture.”

The DIRECTOR of the Yakutsk cattle GKP,  Alexander Artemiev  , believes that it is this uniqueness, proven by scientists and noted by the farmers of the republic, that requires attention from agricultural start-ups. Many are faced with the question of whether the current generation will be able to preserve and increase the Yakut breed of cattle?

GKP "Yakutsky cattle" has branches in 7 districts of the republic and in the Markha microdistrict of the city of Yakutsk. In addition, there are 7 basic farms in the republic. Over the past 5 years, the number of Yakut cattle has increased to 2,500 heads, of which about 900 are dairy cows. Today, Yakut cattle are bred in 20 naslegs in 14 districts of the republic, as well as in Yakutsk. In general, the task was set to bring the number of Yakut cattle to 3,000 by 2024, including breeding stock to 1,000. This requires not only state support, but, above all, scientific support.

Basic farms:

SP GKFH Dmitriev Arkady Nikolaevich, Megino-Kangalassky ulus, village of Chuya

HEAD of the Peasant Farm Semenov Viktor Afanasyevich, Verkhnevilyuisky ulus, village of Kyryky

IP GKFKH Kuzmin Egor Nikolaevich, Amginsky ulus, village Emis uch.Elen-Kuel

SPOK "Sylgyyit" Andreev Vlasy Prokopevich, Gorny ulus, s.Keptin

Peasant economy "Elgyai" Lvov Vasily Mikhailovich, Suntarsky ulus, village Elgyai

SHPK "Bayagantai" Androsov Semyon Nikolaevich, Tattinsky ulus, v. Tomtor

IP GK(F)Kh Ivanov Anatoly Semenovich, Khangalassky ulus, village of Ulakhan-An

Scientific approach

Yakut Research Institute of Agriculture named after M.G. Safronova and the state-owned enterprise "Yakutsk cattle" signed a cooperation agreement. YANIISH offers fundamental and applied research. So, in terms of fundamental, studies of the Yakut cattle population using modern molecular genetic methods are considered. As a result of the project, for the first time, based on the analysis of the results of whole genome genotyping, new knowledge about the genetic diversity and phenotypic features of the Yakut native cattle of Yakutia will be obtained. This will make it possible to identify the rarest and most valuable variants of the phenotypes of Yakut cattle for further breeding work.

The Arctic GATU has signed a cooperation agreement with the Orto Doydu Republican Zoo. Within its framework, joint scientific projects aimed at training university students will be implemented. Employees of the university in the zoo carried out insemination of the Yakut cow breed, after which in three months it is planned to carry out diagnostic ultrasound for further examination. During this event, university scientists and students will study the physiological and pathological processes occurring in the body of livestock.

Biologists: Features of the Yakut cow

The Yakut cow is almost one and a half times shorter than the usual Simmentals. It has a dense body and short but strong legs. A newborn calf is slightly smaller than a dog.

The head of the Yakut cow is short with a wide forehead, and the shape and direction of the horns vary, there are no polled animals. The neck is short, thick; the withers are low, wide, the chest is deep, relatively narrow, with a developed dewlap; back and loin straight; the sacrum is even; hindquarters slightly drooping and roof-like, relatively narrow in makloks; setting of the front legs is correct, in the hind legs there is sometimes convergence in the hocks and saber; the belly is voluminous; the udder is small, taut and heavily overgrown with hair, the nipples are hidden in the wool, as a protection against frostbite and midges; the coat is thick with many coarse guard hairs, which allows it to endure cold climates.

A wide palette of colors in cattle speaks of the purity, naturalness of the breed. The Yakut cow has a calm character. But young bulls, of course, are sometimes mischievous. Despite their short stature, Yakut bulls are surprisingly strong animals. The digestive tract of Yakut cows is longer than that of cows of other breeds, so they can digest less nutritious and not juicy food.

It gives little milk, but the fat content is almost twice as high as that of ordinary ones. It also has a high content of protein, lactose, vitamins and minerals.

No less valuable is the meat, namely its marbling. Marble meat is highly valued all over the world, it is a delicacy. This property is inherent in nature, this is a direct consequence of its high fattening qualities.

Challenge for farmers: up to 1,000 dairy cows

Il Darkhan  Aisen Nikolaev  set the task of bringing the number of cows alone, excluding bulls, to 1000 individuals. Only then will the breed be relatively safe and it will be possible to talk about normal growth, experts say. So far, the Yakut cattle in the Russian classifier is designated as an "endangered species."