{"id":7412,"date":"2020-11-27T08:31:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T08:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/?p=7412"},"modified":"2025-11-27T08:32:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T08:32:37","slug":"organic-milk-from-hiiumaas-most-modern-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/organic-milk-from-hiiumaas-most-modern-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"Organic Milk from Hiiumaa\u2019s Most Modern Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Text and photos: Kristi H\u00fcrri<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiiumaa has never seen as many visitors as during the past summer. More and more people discover the island to enjoy its peace, silence, and the special feeling this magical place offers.
Hiiumaa\u2019s charm is its pure, untouched nature<\/strong>, most of which belongs to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This makes the island the perfect environment for organic farming<\/strong> \u2014 and this is exactly where Saaremaa Dairy Industry collects its organic milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milk from the islands is unique. For example, there are no moles<\/strong> on the islands. On the mainland, molehills inevitably mix soil into hay during mowing, which can lead to bacteria in silage bales. On the islands, feed remains cleaner \u2014 and the milk tastes better. Hiiumaa (Dag\u00f6 \u2013 \u201cDay Island\u201d) also enjoys plenty of sunshine, which is said to increase the vitamin D content of milk.
Most cattle graze on species-rich wooded meadows<\/strong>, giving island feed even more value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of Hiiumaa\u2019s Largest Organic Milk Producers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of the island\u2019s major organic milk suppliers is Mati Vallikivi<\/strong>, approaching his 70s, together with his son Martin<\/strong>. They have delivered milk to Saaremaa Dairy Industry for decades. Two years ago, the family made a bold investment: they built a state-of-the-art organic cowshed<\/strong> in southern Hiiumaa \u2014 with every comfort for the animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company, M\u00e4nnaka O\u00dc<\/strong>, is now run by three generations: Mati, his son Martin, and grandson Mikk<\/strong>. Even the little ones \u2014 five-year-old Heleen<\/strong> and ten-month-old Jasper<\/strong> \u2014 are never far from the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiiumaa\u2019s Dairy Farmers \u2013 An Endangered Species?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mati has lived on Estonia\u2019s second-largest island almost his entire life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIn 1993 there were 92 dairy farmers here. Now only six remain \u2014 and even their future is uncertain,\u201d he says thoughtfully.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Low milk prices and the disappearance of agricultural subsidies pose real threats to farms. The global market has kept milk prices down for years, while production costs continue to rise. Belonging to a cooperative offers stability.
Saaremaa Dairy Cooperative collects and processes its members\u2019 milk in Saaremaa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe milk truck arrives at 22:30, empties the tanks, continues to Kaigutsi, Palade and Suurem\u00f5isa, and then takes the morning ferry to Saaremaa,\u201d Mati explains.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Milk is the Vallikivi family\u2019s main source of income. In addition to dairy farming, they grow organic oats, rapeseed, wheat and barley. Meat production is only a very small part of their business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Life Spent with Animals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mati\u2019s family has worked with animals for generations.
He remembers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI was eight and my brother six when we watched over nearly 200 calves. I don\u2019t know how we managed, but we did.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As a young man he worked as a driver in a collective farm. When the system changed, he naturally returned to cattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cIn 1995 I came to the old barn next door with 12 cows. Today there are around 200 \u2014 all beautiful black-and-white cows.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

His son Martin has been by his side since toddler age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHe was 2.5 when he started riding with me in the tractor \u2014 bottle in hand, insisting he come along,\u201d Mati laughs.
Mikk followed the same path \u2014 first in the combine at age 5, then driving a tractor by 8.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cYou must introduce farm work early. If a child first sits on a tractor as an adult, it\u2019s too late \u2014 the interest is gone,\u201d Mati says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The Most Modern Barn on the Island<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Saaremaa Dairy also highlights Mati as hardworking, determined and entrepreneurial \u2014 with the typical Hiiumaa humour and stubborn will needed for such work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His modern, fully automated cowshed is considered the most advanced in Hiiumaa<\/strong> \u2014 and possibly one of the most advanced in Estonia. It provides cows with excellent living conditions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They sleep when they want, eat when they want, scratch when they want, and go to milking when they choose.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThey\u2019re organic cows \u2014 they are not chained and can move freely outside,\u201d Mati explains.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A special ear chip guides each cow individually to milking at the right time and keeps them away if it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modernisation also reduces the human workload:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • a robot distributes feed,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • bedding is cleaned automatically.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Even the heating is ingenious:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    rooms and water are warmed using energy recovered from milk cooling \u2014 \u201cmilk heating,\u201d as Mati calls it.
    \u201cSuch efficiency!\u201d he says proudly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    The barn currently holds 200 animals, though it could house 258.
    Part of the herd is now grazing with a bull \u2014 new calves will arrive in early October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    \u201cThere\u2019s a big loan on the barn, so I try to run at full capacity,\u201d Mati admits.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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    Organic Milk \u2014 the Only Right Choice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Organic milk is more expensive to produce, but Mati sees no alternatives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    \u201cI\u2019ve never wanted to put chemicals or fertilisers on my crops or feed \u2014 and I never will.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    This makes organic milk production significantly more costly.
    A ton of conventional feed costs about \u20ac200<\/strong>, while organic feed is around \u20ac400<\/strong>.
    Mati uses fertilizer \u2014 from his own organic cattle manure.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    His farm manages nearly 1,000 hectares<\/strong> of organic land, growing oats, rapeseed, wheat, barley and hay \u2014 part for feed, part for sale.
    The main income, however, is organic milk<\/strong> \u2014 about 3 tonnes per day<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    He does not sell milk directly at the farm:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    \u201cIf someone asks, I just tell them they can buy Mo Saaremaa \u00d6ko milk in the store \u2014 that\u2019s my milk,\u201d he smiles.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    Every day, strict quality samples are taken \u2014 there is no way to cheat the system. Everything must be organic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    A Difficult Job, Even with Modern Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Even with less physical labour, farming has not become easier:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

    \u201cSometimes I feel like a Native American \u2014 I work hard, but financially it\u2019s tough,\u201d Mati says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    The barn makes work smoother, but the loan burden makes life difficult.
    The recent decision to cancel transition subsidies leaves Estonian farmers in an unfair position compared with their colleagues in other EU countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The only way locals can show support is by choosing the products of Hiiumaa farmers<\/strong> \u2014 sold under the Mo Saaremaa<\/strong> brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \"\"
    The next generation is growing. A former barn next to the farm has been set up for the calves, where the young heifers roam freely, slipping in and out through the stable door as they please.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    A true barn idyll: the farm cat has caught fresh prey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Almost 1,000 hectares of land, where dairy cattle are raised alongside organic oats, rapeseed, wheat and barley.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Three generations of farmers. From left: Mati, Mikk, little Heleen and Martin. Each of them plays an important role in running M\u00e4nnaka Farm.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Every day at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m., Mati heads to the barn to check his 200-head dairy herd. The work keeps the 70-year-old energetic, his mind sharp, and his cheeks rosy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Text and photos: Kristi H\u00fcrri Hiiumaa has never seen as many visitors as during the past summer. More and more people discover the island to enjoy its peace, silence, and the special feeling this magical place offers.Hiiumaa\u2019s charm is its pure, untouched nature, most of which belongs to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This makes the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4901,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[68,257],"class_list":["post-7412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-organic-milk","tag-mosaaremaa","tag-organic","category-142","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7412"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7412\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7413,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7412\/revisions\/7413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mosaaremaa.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}