Vassilis farm

The Farm:

• Located in Greece
• Owner: Vassilis Genitsaris
• 500 ewes
• Breed: Mainly Lacaune and Chios breed but also a large part of Karagounikos
• Milking system: MidiLine 2x24 parallel stall (front exit) with stainless steel mangers
• 2 milkings per day

Farm Management:

Mr Genitsaris traveled around Greece to look at others parlours before he decided to go for a Double 24 parallel parlour. He choose the Double 24 because he says it was “the most functional and efficient one”. He also thought this parlour would best suit the peak lactation of his 500 ewes.

Herd management:

This family farm is also partly owned by Mr Genitsaris’ sister but he says he makes “all the decisions”. He says labour is a big issue in the area because it is difficult to find people. “Even if you find someone, you run the risk of losing him in two to three months and then you start from zero again.” Inexperienced labour is paid around €500 per month. Mr Genitsaris says his labour has salary plus food and somewhere to sleep so this cost escalates to roughly €900 per month. “It is a very critical decision to select the right people for the job. These are the people who are involved in the business every day so you have to trust that they will do the job in good way.”

Feeding:

Vassilis Associates GmbH farm uses in-parlour feeding to attract the animals into the parlour and keep them calm during milking. The main food is distributed via the two conveyor belts in the main barn. The concentrate contains corn, barley, wheat, soya protein, minerals and vitamins while hay and clover are used for roughage. Mr Genitsaris says the farm doesn’t produce any of its own roughage. During the dry period, the cost of feeding the herd is 35 cents per head while during lactation it is 58 to 60 cents a head. “The best benefit of buying feed stuff is that you can choose the best quality, of for instance clover.”

Milking:

Vassilis Associates GmbH herd’s average lactation is 180 days with 80 % in their first lactation, 10 % in their second, 5 % in their third and five percent in higher lactation. “Average yield is 2.3 kgs of milk per day, fat content is 6.8 % and protein content is 4.8 %. The lambing season is from December to January in Greece and first lactation starts at the end of February or beginning of March on this farm. The herd’s replacement rate is 140 to 150 animals per year.”

There is a big demand for sheep milk in the area around Vassilis Associates GmbH farm and the milk is mainly used for production of feta cheese. At present the farm is paid 89 Euro cents per kg of milk. Mr Genitsaris is able to deliver to five dairies in his area and he says “competition between the dairies means they sometimes pay for a whole lactation in advance”. The dairy provides Vassilis Associates GmbH with a cooling tank free of charge, but the tank remains the dairy’s property and the milk is collected every second day.

Animal welfare

Mr Genitsaris says he makes a big effort to provide the best comfort and best hygiene for the ewes. He says the buildings on Vassilis Associates GmbH farm are an example of his effort to provide a safe environment for the herd and workers, while minimizing the risk of diseases. “This ensures healthy sheep and increased milk production.”

The farm’s main barn houses 500 animals and feeding conveyors. The milking parlour is in an adjacent building. There is also a warehouse and a place for the workers to sleep in.

Future:

Mr Genitsaris says the big advantage for the future of dairy production in Greece is that the country is “very close to protecting feta cheese as an origin product”. He believes this change will secure the business for at least 15 years so he plans to be on the farm for at least this amount of time and he will “try to be more profitable” during the process. He concludes that dairy farming is “a very interesting job but you can only survive in this field if you regard it as a business and a job”.