Livestock: Technology and Farm Management

Introduction

In Israel, where the dairy industry had to meet the demand of a population increased ten-fold since its establishment in 1948, the sector supplies the country's total dairy requirements. Milk consumption per capita reaches 175 litres per year, with production potential greatly exceeding domestic needs. Dairy and beef herds account for about 13.9% of Israel's total agricultural production: 11.4% in milk and dairy products and 2.5% in beef products. According to data collected by the Israel Dairy Board (Production and Marketing), average annual milk production per cow has increased 150% from the 1950s to 2006.

Fat and protein percentage increased dramatically as well, reaching the highest level ever (3.55% of fat and 3.25% of protein), and making fat and protein production per cow in Israel the highest in the world.

Israel carries out constant and intensive R&D and extended "on-farm trials", dealing with dairy cattle feeding, nutrition and management with close collaboration with dairy farmers. The country also produces and exports advanced dairy technology, including computerized milking and feeding systems, cow-cooling systems and milk processing equipment. The sector's professionals are involved in consultancy and joint international project development. Israeli-Holstein genetic sources allow for better adaptation and performance under hot climatic conditions, making importation of heifers and frozen semen from Israel very attractive to countries with harsh climatic conditions.

Participants in the Livestock Program will have an up-close look into all these developments and more, coming face to face with one of Israel's strongest industries and its professionals.


Program Description

The program concentrates on long-range planning and coordination in an evolving market structure. The objective is to provide up to date information on changing consumer trends and policies, and valuable insights into the implications for the societies they serve. Participants will learn to anticipate, recognize and capitalize on emerging opportunities in both domestic and international markets. They will be trained to share their knowledge with colleagues in their respective countries and instructed on how to contribute to economic growth in the agricultural systems at home.

The program will cover advanced systems of dairy production as well as traditional dairies and pastoral issues. Participants will study the recent advancements in dairy cattle farming and management, particularly the advanced concepts and modern technology used among high producing dairy herds. They will be introduced to techniques and outlines for dairy initiatives and for the processing and marketing of dairy products. They will learn to recognise, establish and describe the components of the supply chain that connect producers to consumers, as each "link" contributes to the final product and service offered to the consuming public. They will be exposed to a broad range of key issues affecting the dairy and food industry, from the "hands-on" perspective of CEOs, senior government officials, farmers and other leaders in these fields.


Program Participants

This program is designed for: senior government officials, directors of regional offices responsible for the agricultural sector, employees of NGOs and the private sector, producers of dairy products and consultants in the agriculture sector. The seminar is also intended for executives and professionals working in various facets of dairies supplies and equipment, financial institutes and dairies projects financing.