Ralph GinsbergNational Service for Udder Health and Milk Quality

Israeli Dairy Board

http://www.israeldairy.com/ ralph@milk.org.il

Facts about Israeli Dairy Farming

1. 90% of cows on DHI

2. All cows milked in milking parlors or 71 milking robots (37 farms)

3. 65% of cows milked with electronic milk meters

The Israeli Dairy Herd 120,000 cows – 950 farms

11,667 kg milk, 3.20% protein and 3.62% fat

Dairy Plants & Dairy Farms

National Milk Production - 2011

Cow Milk - 1,338 million liters Sheep Milk - 8.8 million liters

Goat Milk – 11.4 million liters

Average SCC by Year

Milk production in Israel is carried out under a quota system, where the annual volume is divided into monthly quotas.

Annual national quota for the coming year is determined by the Minister of Agriculture based on the forecast of milk consumption, population and income growth and consumption trends.

Quota System

Quota System

The quota is allocated to individual farms

Economic incentives for farmers to level-up monthly production

Reduced price for excess milk production

Quotas can only be traded among the farmers

Dairy Farms in Israel

The Kibbutz is a large collective production unit.Kibbutz members jointly own the means of production and share social and economic activities.

All the Kibbutz dairy herds participate in DHI and represent 63% of the cows with recorded production.

The Kibbutz

The Moshav is based on individual farms yet organized as a cooperative society.

The Moshav

Approximately 75% of the Moshav dairy herds participate in the DHI system and represent 37% of the cows with recorded production.

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011Family farms (Moshav)Number 855 843 830 811 787 774 776Average quota (x 1,000 ltrs.) 560 555 587 648 641 672 714Cooperative farms (Kibbutz)Number 176 167 165 165 165 163 163Average quota (x 1,000 ltrs.) 3,747 3,859 4,156 4,451 4,241 4,408 4,728Agric. school farmsNumber 16 15 15 15 15 15 15Average quota (x 1,000 ltrs.) 746 781 810 866 848 865 906Total

Number of farms 1,047 1,025 1,010 991 967 952 954Average quota (x 1,000 ltrs.) 1,098 1,096 1,174 1,285 1,258 1,315 1,403

No. of farms by type & average annual milk quota (x 1,000 litrs.)

Support and Service Organizations for the Dairy

Sector

Institution for planning and regulation of milk production and processing in Israel Jointly owned and managed by representatives of:

Milk producers (ICBA, Sheep & Goat breeders)

Milk processing companies

Government agencies: Agriculture, Finance, Industry & Commerce and Health

Israel Dairy Board

NATIONAL SERVICE FOR UDDER HEALTH AND MILK QUALITY

Organization StructureIsrael Dairy

Board

National service for udder health and milk quality

Field Services Director

Milking Management

Advisers

Laboratory Director

Laboratory Assistants

Scientific Director

Laboratory Diagnosis & Services

Periodic sampling and analysis of all dairy herds. Analysis of samples from mastitic cows sent by dairy farmers.Analysis of samples sent by farmers from pre-partum cows for sub-clinical mastitis.Antibiograms providing information to the clinical veterinarian.Evaluation of teat dip samples from dairy herds.Bulk tank analysis for Strep. Agalactiae, Mycoplasma. Analysis of bedding samples.Analysis of water for Pseudomonas. Bactoscan Calibration.

Advice on Improving Udder Health

Milking Procedures and Hygiene

Examination of Milking Equipment

Sanitation and washing procedures

Housing and cow environment management

Advice on milking parlor planning and constructionHandbook on milking machine specifications

Static and dynamic testing of milking parlors

Milking parlor trouble shooting

Supervision of companies supplying milking equipment , teat dips and detergents

Milking Parlor & Equipment Consultation

Israeli Cattle Breeders Association

ICBA is a farmer organization, representing farmer’s interests in their relations with the Israel Dairy Board, Government ministries, Professional organizations and the Dairy industry.

ICBA maintains the Israeli Holstein Herdbook. Performs milk-recording in affiliated herds.Operates the central laboratory for milk testing. Promotes and organizes export of live cattle, frozen semen and embryo transfer on behalf of its affiliated members.Maintains a Computerized Management System for the National Dairy Herd. (NOA)Publishes technical and scientific periodicals. ICBA executives sit on the boards of directors of several dairy related institutions.

Sion: Company for Artificial Insemination & Breeding

The Sion A.I. company was founded in 2001 by the merging of the On and

Hasherut A.I. cooperatives.

HaChaklait Veterinary Services

Mutual Society for Clinical Veterinary Services and

Livestock Insurance

HaChaklait was founded in 1919 as a cooperative, non-profitable organization, owned and managed by the farmers for their benefit, in order to combine a mutual insurance policy with comprehensive veterinary medicine.

HaChaklait Veterinary Services

HaChaklait Veterinary Services

HaChakalit is unique both in size and philosophy, in the veterinary world with 40 district vets and 11 locums & experts.

Drugs are dispensed to farmers at operating cost price.

Routine & emergency farm visits Consultants visits Semi Annual Herd health reports Epidemiological Investigations Clinical Research Unit Cooperation with vet & agriculture bodies Overseas Courses and Consultancy

Services

ServicesAnnual Contract: Routine & emergency visits includedConsultants & Herd health reports includedRate per Head: All ages (female >> male)Differential Rate: Scale discount of monthly rates: 1-40 heads: $3 41- 700: $2 >700: $1Vet income related to No. of heads in his

district .

Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development

(MOAG)

Agricultural Research Organization Volcani Center

The Department of Ruminant Science is targeted to optimize meat and milk production in dairy cattle, beef cattle and sheep.

Main areas of research are: Nutrition, Physiology, Reproduction, Breeding, Lactation biology & Quantitative and Molecular Genetics.

Development of new feeding regimes for critical stages of cow’s lactation; heat-stress effects; robotic milking; effects of lack of either grains or roughages.

Nutrition

Genetics and BreedingGenetic analysis of dairy cattle for production and secondary traits, including fertility, persistency, twinning rate, and calf growth rate.

Physiology

Environmental manipulation during the dry period of ruminants.

ReproductionDouble freezing of bull semen for future sperm banking and sexing facilities.

Lactation Biology

Effects on milk composition of sub-clinical and clinical mastitis, and of commercial storage, in relation to quality requirements for the dairy industry and consumer heath.

Extension Service The Extension Service within the framework of the Ministry of Agriculture, is constantly in direct contact with dairy farmers. Functions range from: Advisory work proper. Field observations and applied research. Preparation of short courses for local students as well as programs for foreign trainees Implementation of the ministry's dairy policy. 

Veterinary InstituteThe Veterinary Services are of crucial importance to livestock in general and to the health of high-yielding dairy cattle in particular.

Our herds are free of tuberculosis, brucellosis, bovine trichomoniasis and campilobacteriasis, and are vaccinated against various tick-borne diseases, foot & mouth and other known contagious diseases.

Thanks to the prompt intervention by the Veterinary Services, BSE did not arrive at our shores.

Regional “Feed Centers ”

 Feed Centers manufacture and supply T.M.R. (Total Mixed Ration) for all kindes of ruminants – dairy cows, dry cows, beef cattle, heifers, goats and sheep.

Feed centers introduced the feed bunk dispensing T.M.R. truck method to Israel, thereby saving of tractor and feeding wagon the costs for the customer .

Unique T.M.R. compounded concentrate feeds can be tailor made according to the customers specifications in order to add to locally produced roughage.

This system allows all the micro elements and much of the dry ingredients, to be added by a computer without human intervention, thereby streamlining the process, obtaining maximum accuracy, and eliminating human errors.

Housing and Heat StressManagement

Loose-housing Barn DesignBarns housing high yielding cows should provide optimal environmental conditions in order to enable full potential milk production levels for cows.

The loose-housing barn is characterized by a two-sloped roof with a feeding table in the middle, serving two sides at a time. On each side there is a feed alley built of concrete with water troughs located between the feeding alley and the bedding area .

Cooling systems contribute in enabling the cow to reach its potential for milk production .

Forced ventilation is widespread in order to lower by half the rate of body temperature

increases in the shed .

We have initiated evaporative cooling over the shaded feed bunks using sprinklers that give only approximately 150 liter of water/hr

at 2 atmospheres .

The sprinklers are spaced about every 2 m apart and 1.5 m above the cow’s back. Fans should be spaced every 9 m apart and operate continuously whenever the

system is operating .

In order to save bedding costs we have allocated a large resting area of at least 20 square meters per cow-under-roof.

Most farms till the bedded pack once or twice a day bedding only in "wet' areas.

Cooling cows in summerHeat stress influences production and fertility of high producing dairy cows.Due to the harsh summer conditions in Israel, milk production declines in summer to almost 90% of the winter level. Conception rate in summer reaches levels of 20%, compared to more than 40% in winter months. The summer decline in production and fertility creates significant seasonality in milk supply to the market and an additional cost to the consumers, caused by the need to dry milk in winter and to use it in summer.

The use of cooling methods in dairy farms has become an important tool for increasing milk production efficiency.

Cows are intensively cooled during the summer, using a combination of wetting and forced ventilation for 5 - 7 cooling periods of 0.5 min of sprinkling and then 4.5 min of fan ventilation controlled by an automatic timer over a period of 24 Hours.

Cooling is continued for 20 min, which is the time it takes for cows to reach their normal body temperature without standing too long in the holding pen before and between milkings.

The sprinklers used in the holding pen should thoroughly soak the cow. It is very important for the drops to be large enough to penetrate the cow’s coat. If the drops are mist-like, a layer of hot, humid air may form. The air flow of the fans must be approximately 3 m/s.

Summer-to-Winter Performance Ratio

A “summer to winter performance ratio” index was developed to evaluate the efficiency in which each farm deals with summer heat stress by implementing management tools which are mainly based on the use of cooling methods.

The “summer to winter performance ratio” compares average herd summer results to average herd winter results regarding milk, Economical Corrected Milk (ECM), milk fat and protein percentage, somatic cell count (SCC), and conception rate. Calculation of this index is based on data from the Israeli Dairy Herdbook Database.

A large scale survey was carried out to study effects of production level and heat stress relief on the performance of dairy cows in Israel.The results of this survey indicate that intensive cooling almost eliminated the summer decline in milk production regardless of the level of production and reduced about half of the summer decline in conception rate. Intensive cooling had greater impact on improving conception rate in low producing herds, than in high producing herds.

The Secrets of Success

Cooperation of all industry sectors

including commercial companies.

High level of professional

services.

Shared data base.

Education, Education, Education.

Thank you for your Attention