“I advise the young colleagues to be persistent and consistent!
To focus on their education and to constantly improve their competence! ”
Hello, Mr. Deyanov! Thank you for hosting our series of interviews with the members of the Association today! Tell us more about yourself.
Hello! My name is Stefan Deyanov and I am 30 years old. Together with my father – D. Deyanov and my brother we have a farm with 140 animals in the village of Lobosh. I am about to graduate in Veterinary Medicine at the Thracian University in Stara Zagora this year.
How long have you been involved in cattle breeding?
In fact, it was started by my grandfather. He passed on his love of animals to my father, who created the farm we are currently developing. My children and I have been around him at work since we were very young, and today we are mainly engaged in cattle breeding and agriculture.
How many Montbeliard and Simmental animals do you keep on the farm and how did you approach these breeds?
We have 54 purebred animals from both breeds, and most of the others are also crosses of both breeds. The reason to focus on them is their excellent adaptability, as well as the high performance of the milk and meat they produce. The region is extremely suitable for raising Montbeliard and Simmental cattle. The village of Lobosh is located in the Radomir valley and we enjoy an ecologically clean area and excellent climatic conditions.
How many years have you been a member of the Association and what has changed since then?
We have been members of NARMS for 6 years now and the changes are noticeable! We use semen material with high breeding value, which is provided to us by the Association. Because with us we practice and inseminate the natural, when choosing the bulls we work with, we also use information that is provided to us from there. This significantly increased the purebredness of our herd, as well as the quantity and quality of milk. The control, which is carried out on a monthly basis by our employees, is of great help, as we find it difficult to find time for the documentation, and our strict keeping is mandatory when applying for support. NARMS helps us a lot in this regard!
How long have you been inseminating artificially? Are you able to follow the breeding plan?
We have been inseminating artificially for 5 years now. As I said, we also use a bull, which is also the offspring of artificial insemination. This allows us to compare the results and definitely artificial insemination has advantages in many aspects.
What breeding technology have you chosen on your farm?
We feed the animals on rented pasture at the moment. We prepare our own feed. Milking is still carried out with gums, but we hope to build a central milk pipeline in the near future. Of course, this requires a serious investment, but unfortunately so far we have not been able to receive state support for the modernization of the farm. We hope this will happen in the future, as there are many things we need to improve.
Do you encounter difficulties with dairies in terms of sales?
Only in terms of payment deadlines sometimes, but in general we work with loyal partners. The milk of the Montbeliard and Simmental animals is a preferred product, and the cleanliness of the breeding region is of great importance for dairies that strive to produce quality dairy products!
You are a young person who is engaged in animal husbandry. What would you like to advise young people who are just taking their first steps in this direction?
I advise young colleagues to be persistent and consistent! To focus on the right education and to constantly improve! Raising animals in Bulgaria is really a challenge, and it cannot be said that the state is always our partner, but if you want a lot of work, the results are there! I personally highly recommend to my colleagues the breeds Montbeliard and Simmental, because of their adaptability and quality of production.
Your father – Mr. Dimitar Deyanov is also with us today. We know that he is a farmer with many years of experience and a name in the region. What did you learn from him?
He is the reason I am involved in animal husbandry and I thank him for giving me the love for animals and teaching me how to raise them. My brother and I hope to follow in his footsteps and build a modern and technically secure farm in a few years.
Thank you for being kind enough to tell us about you and your farm! We wish you a lot of success, which you will soon be proud of!