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Valtu Aberdeen Angus, Pargi, Valtu (2026)

07/08/2026

On this pasture, we are already grazing the fifth rotation this season, and it is estimated that before the transition to the winter period we will complete another two to three grazing rotations, depending on grass regrowth and weather conditions.

15/07/2026

We’ve been especially grateful for the dry and sunny weather over the past week, which has finally allowed us to make enough dry hay for our cows for the coming winter.
For almost the past ten years, producing sufficient dry hay has been one of our biggest challenges. In most years, we’ve had to feed pregnant cows a combination of silage and straw to reduce the energy content of the ration, while also purchasing additional hay because our own hay hectares was simply too limited. Last year, for example, we harvested only 245 bales of dry hay, and the rest of the winter ration had to be based mainly on straw+silage.

This year has been very different. Despite the wet start to the season, we were able to make hay for our youngstock at the end of June, and now, in mid-July, we’ve successfully harvested the winter hay for our cow herd.
If we end up with a little extra hay, that’s never a problem. Farming has taught us that no two years are the same, and having a reserve of forage gives us valuable peace of mind for the seasons ahead.

A huge thanks to Kristjan Haggi and his team for another season of professional, reliable, and efficient work. We truly appreciate your commitment and the excellent partnership that has helped us produce high-quality forage year after year.

14/07/2026

Just to show that our Valtu Aberdeen Angus cattle are not raised exclusively on cultivated pastures and clover-rich swards, here’s a glimpse of our everyday farming.
The vast majority of our mature cow herd raises their calves on permanent grasslands, where they are managed using rotational grazing until the end of October or even mid-November, depending on the weather and pasture conditions.
Our cultivated pastures are reserved for younger animals. This includes first- and second-calving cows, and our fattening steers. The higher-quality forage helps these young cows continue growing towards their mature body weight while nursing their calves. At the same time, it provides the calves with excellent nutrition during the most important stage of their early development.
Our goal is to use each type of pasture where it delivers the greatest benefit—for animal welfare, herd performance, and the long-term sustainability of our grassland management.

13/07/2026

Our herd sire RAUHALAN PONTIAC is the only bull in our breeding program combining Argentine and Canadian bloodlines—a genetic combination carefully developed by the Finnish breeder Rauhalan Angus.

To date, he has sired 35 calves – 24 heifers and 11 bulls.

One of the most pleasing observations is the consistency of their birth weights:
Average birth weight of heifer calves and bull calves 35 kg

The first growth records also indicate excellent performance. The earliest heifer progeny have reached up to 302 kg at 200 days and 357 kg at 365 days of age. The first bull calves are also showing strong growth potential, and we look forward to evaluating the next set of performance records.

Most importantly, Pontiac’s calves have impressed us with their uniformity, sound development and strong growth potential. These are exactly the traits we strive for in our breeding programme.

12/07/2026

It’s +28°C (82°F) in the shade today, but as you can see, our cattle still prefer to be outside. A few calves have come into the barn to get out of the sun, but most of the herd is calmly grazing and aren’t actively seeking shade at the moment.
It’s interesting to observe that even a well-ventilated shelter, where the animals can move freely in and out, is used less than the shade under trees or the more open, breezy parts of the pasture.
This is a good reminder of how important it is to give livestock choices. When they have constant access to clean drinking water, different shade options, comfortable dry bedding, and the freedom to decide where they want to be, they usually make the best decisions for their own welfare.
Even on a hot summer day, they prefer to spend most of the day out on pasture, regardless of the temperature.

07/07/2026

Our visit to Hedgeley Farms was an excellent opportunity to explore a truly diverse farming business. The farm manages around 1,255 hectares, including arable land, permanent grassland, woodland, and extensive moorland and heath, while following a clear philosophy of producing the highest-quality livestock at the lowest possible unit cost without compromising quality. A strong emphasis is placed on measuring both financial and livestock performance to support better management decisions.

One of the highlights was seeing the Blue Grey cattle, especially knowing that the first Blue Grey calves have recently been born in Estonia following AI breeding. It was also fascinating to see the rare Whitebred Shorthorn cattle, a breed that attracted considerable interest among the Estonian beef cattle farmers in our group.

The suckler herd consists of 131 cows, including Galloway, Belted Galloway, Whitebred Shorthorn and Blue Grey cattle. We found it particularly interesting that Aberdeen Angus bulls are used on the third breeding cycle, ensuring that only the most fertile females produce replacement females while later-born calves benefit from improved growth and finishing performance. The farm is also selecting for larger, more commercial cows using Canadian genetics.

Beyond livestock, it was interesting to see how former gravel quarry areas have been restored through environmental projects and are now managed primarily for nature conservation, providing outstanding habitats for both migratory and resident bird species.

We also saw farm’s extensive sheep enterprise of around 1,400 ewes. It was particularly interesting to see how different sheep breeds are matched to different landscapes, while electronic weighing and drafting systems are used to monitor daily liveweight gain and select lambs for market with remarkable precision.

A sincere thank you to John Carr-Ellison for taking the time to show us around and for sharing the diversity of his farming operation, his breeding philosophy, and his practical approach to balancing profitable livestock production with nature conservation.

And finally, thank you Harry for undoubtedly the best (Galloway) beef burger of our entire trip 🍔lunch from the farm’s food truck!

03/07/2026

While I was at the Groundswell Festival in UK, learning new ideas and practical approaches to regenerative agriculture, the Animal Breeders Association of Estonia (Eesti Tõuloomakasvatajate Ühistu) honoured the Valtu Aberdeen Angus herd with the 2025 Best Beef Cattle Herd award.
We are truly grateful for this recognition and sincerely thank you for the thoughtful gifts. Awards like this inspire us to continue striving for excellence in breeding, animal welfare, and sustainable farming 🖤

02/07/2026

One of today’s most thought-provoking sessions challenged the way we think about regenerative farming. The central message was simple: instead of trying to control nature, learn to work with it.
The speakers shared practical examples of how biological processes can replace many external inputs while improving resilience and food quality.

Some of the key ideas:

Accepting small losses can create bigger gains. One farm deliberately tolerates up to 15% crop loss from pests instead of relying on chemical sprays. The result has been healthier soils, lower production costs, and dramatically higher nutrient density in their crops.

Feed the soil biology. Effective microorganisms (EM) were used to strengthen soil life and plant immunity, reducing the need for external interventions as the soil ecosystem became more balanced.

Trees are infrastructure. Agroforestry isn’t just about biodiversity—it creates cooler microclimates, protects soils, recycles nutrients, and increases the resilience of the entire farming system.

Observe before you intervene. Reading weeds, understanding field history, and carefully observing soil and plant responses often provide better management decisions than automatically applying inputs.

Keep living roots and covered soil. Healthy ground cover dramatically reduces soil temperatures, conserves moisture, and supports the biological processes that drive productive farming.

Innovation continues to push boundaries. From microbial technologies to research into plant communication and frequency-based approaches, farmers continue exploring new ways to work with natural systems while reducing dependence on synthetic inputs.

The biggest takeaway was that regenerative farming is less about replacing one product with another and more about redesigning the entire farming system so that biology does more of the work. The healthier the ecosystem becomes, the fewer external inputs are needed to produce nutritious food and resilient farms.

02/07/2026

One of the sessions today presented the findings of a UK study exploring how farmers have learned to cope with drought over the years.

There is no quick fix when rainfall disappears. The farms that coped best had already built resilience into their grazing systems through long-term management decisions.

Some key lessons from the presentation:

Build flexibility before you need it. Lower stocking rates, allowing adequate pasture recovery, and maintaining a buffer of available grass gave farmers the ability to adapt when rainfall dropped to historic lows.

Healthy pastures are the best insurance. Farms with long-established permanent pastures generally recovered faster and remained more productive than recently converted arable land.

Water security is more than having water. Reliable infrastructure—including pipe capacity, water pressure, storage, and well-positioned troughs—often determined whether livestock could continue performing during prolonged dry periods.

Trees provide more than shade. Woodlands create cooler microclimates, encourage more natural grazing behaviour, and reduce pressure on the rest of the pasture, helping the entire grazing system recover.

Observation remains the most valuable management tool. Walking fields, monitoring grass recovery, and watching animal behaviour often provided better guidance than numbers alone.

The biggest takeaway was simple: regenerative grazing doesn’t prevent drought, but it gives farms more time, more options, and greater confidence to adapt when challenging conditions arrive. True resilience is created through healthy soils, flexible grazing systems, reliable infrastructure, and thoughtful management long before the next drought begins.

02/07/2026

One of the takeaways from yesterday’s session was that diverse pastures are not just good for biodiversity—they’re good business.
Multi-species swards are proving that profitability, productivity and environmental sustainability can go hand in hand.

Some highlights from the session:

More forage, greater resilience. Diverse, grass-rich mixtures can produce up to 3 tonnes more dry matter per hectare than traditional perennial ryegrass while maintaining production during dry periods thanks to deep-rooting species like chicory and lucerne.

Management matters more than the seed mix. Rotational adaptive multi-paddock grazing, adequate rest periods (30–40 days), and allowing key species to reseed naturally are essential for maintaining productive pastures over many years.

Plants can replace chemicals. Species such as sainfoin and birdsfoot trefoil help suppress internal parasites naturally while improving protein utilisation and even reducing methane emissions.

Healthy soils are the foundation. Protect soil structure wherever possible, minimise cultivation, and use plant diversity to improve soil biology, water infiltration and long-term resilience.

The key message was clear: the future of grazing isn’t about growing more grass—it’s about growing the right diversity of plants and managing them well. Healthy soils produce healthy plants, healthy livestock and more resilient farming systems.

Valtu Aberdeen Angus

07/08/2026

15/07/2026

14/07/2026

13/07/2026

12/07/2026

07/07/2026

03/07/2026

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