Tarfas Farm and Sutas Dairy
The Farm:
- Location: Turkey
- Owner: Muharrem Yilmaz
- Number of dairy cows: 670 (capacity 1000)
- Breed: Holstein Friesian 75% and Swedish red 25%. All cows were imported from Sweden in 2005 and 2006.
- Milking system: 2x18 Blue Diamond parallel parlour
- Milkings per day: 3
- Housing: Four-row freestall
Sutas milk processing plant has a daily capacity of around 1500 tons and was established in 1974 by company owner Muharrem Yilmaz. The dairy produces all types of products and is a market leader with its yoghurt and Ayran (salted buttermilk).
A small dairy farm with a training centre was established in 1999, to supply high quality milk to the dairy and serve as a good example for the region. Local farmers learn how to feed, milk and manage dairy cows at this centre and 5000 farmers have already received basic dairy farming training there. The centre cooperates closely with Uludag University in Bursa and the Ministry of Agriculture. A strong reason for starting this farm was to improve the quality of the cows in Turkey with breeding. In 2005 the 1000 head Tarfas Farm was established as the holding company for agricultural enterprises, while Sutas remains the name of the holding company for milk processing.
(Tarfaş Farm management team (Özgür Erdaş, Olgun Ergüz, Önder Eginboy, Yusuf Burucu)
Farm management:
Tarfas is a family farm which is as a corporation with a management team making the decisions. Consultants are not used. The management team follows global news and developments in the industry.
The family is in the process of developing Good Management Practices (GMP) for the farm, and there is already a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) in place on the training farm.
Bio-security procedures are very strict. Visitors must change their boots, jackets etc for approved items, before entering the farm.
Milk quality:
All 552 milking cows are still in first lactation, with 130 average days in milk, 326 days average lactation and a calving interval of 385 days. The herd’s yield is 18600 kilograms per day and the average age is three years. Tarfas-produced milk contains 4.05 percent fat and 3.13 percent protein. The somatic cell count is 125 000 and the bacterial count is 20 000. The milk is tested at Sutas dairy with the DeLaval california mastitis test CMT and Tarfas farm’s managers say they have not had any significant quality problems to date. The farm’s milk is driven seven kilometres daily for delivery to the dairy. Currently the operation’s milk pays €0, 30 (June, 2006).
Herd Management:
Muharrem Yilmaz uses the ALPRO™ herd management system and a program designed by Tarfas to aid on-farm herd management. The family raises all the heifers themselves, but say they need to import more cows to fill the barn. The target for the replacement rate after first lactation is five percent and 15 percent for the second year, with a first calving age target of 23 months. The farm consistently uses artificial insemination as part of its breeding programme and has integrated cow comfort in its barns by providing sand flooring in “exercise paddocks”.
Crops and Forages:
The operation grows 300 hectares of corn for silage and alfalfa for its own use. Manure is used with small amounts of fertilizer. State-supplied water supply channels are used for irrigation when it’s available, while ground water is used during the summer. Solids are composted and liquids are used to irrigate the fields.
Feeding:
Ready-made complete feed is added to the forage in a total mixed ration. Feed corn silage, alfalfa hay and some straw are also fed. All forage is home grown and concentrates are purchased. The ratio of forage to concentrates on the farm is 60 to 40.
The Future:
Muharrem Yilmaz believes the main goal is to establish other farms in the area so that the dairy can be supplied with top quality milk. This year (2006) Muharrem Yilmaz will help start the construction of a second farm for 1000 cows. He says the goal is to have four similar 1000 cow breeding farms over the coming years. He also plans to set-up contracted farms to produce high quality milk and to supply products/services to these contracted farms.
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