Hammoudeh Farm

The Farm:

• Located in Jordan
• Owned by the Hammoudeh Family
• Milk 1130 head of Holstein Frisian
• The area is desert
• Summers are hot (38-45°C during the day, sometimes as low as 25°C at night)
• Not much rain in the winter

Farm Location: Jordan

• Jordan is divided in three geographic and climatic zones: the Jordan Valley, the Highlands and the Eastern Desert
• Very poor country in terms of water resources
  - Total arable land is approximately .87 million hectares
• Livestock is a major component of agriculture.
• Total numbers increased up to mid-nineties and then decreased due to prolonged drought.
• Milk production has increased by almost 80% over the past decade as a result of improved cattle breeds and the availability of concentrates.

Use this link for more details http://www.moa.gov.jo/

Farm Management:

• The farm is owned by four Hammoudeh brothers
• In operation since 1986
• The farm manager is responsible for day to day decisions
• Employees have well designed job descriptions
• Consultants are from universities in Jordan
• Activity meters are used for heat detection and have proven to be very successful.
• Shows cows that usually are low active and catches them in heat
• Helps in knowing when the cow is going out of heat by monitoring activity diagram
• Able to watch cows with cystic ovaries and repeated heats after treatment
• Visual observation is also used in heat detection 

Nutritient Management:

• A manure separator is used for wet manure
• Water is treated by filters and chlorinating and recycled. It is used first for flushing parlor floor then irrigating olive trees
• Dry manure is mixed with separated dry manure and sold
• Scrapers used in cow alleys
• Manure gutter used to take all manure away from cows during milking
• Manure does not reach milking machines or pit where milkers stand
• Water system flushes after each group finishes milking 

Feeding/Cropping:

• PMR system is used
• TMR and computerized concentrate feeding is used
• Alpro system is used
• Forages fed are Alfalfa hay and fresh corn silage purchased from neighboring farms and fed by mixer wagon
• Major protein source is Soya bean meal and Alfalfa
• Major energy source is Barley and corn
• By-pass fat is used for high producers
• Farm has 60 feed stations, largest number in one location in the world 

Milking:

• 1130 Head
• Average age is 3.2 years
• 39% in first lactation, 20% in second lactation, 18% in third lactation and 23% in fourth and above
• Average days in milk is 184 for 989 head
• Calving interval is 437 days
• Computerized milk recording double 32 parallel Blue Diamond parlor with cow udder washing pen, dripping area with crowd gate and cutter gates
• Three milking sessions per day
• Fat % is 3.2
• Total bacteria count averages 20,000
• Milk delivered daily to a factory owned by the same family
• Milk market is small with competition from imported milk powder and imported pasteurized milk
• Heat Exchanger used
• Balance tank contains water and antifreeze cooled to –2°C which enters heat exchanger plates.
• Milk enters alternate plates
• Milk comes out at 4°C 

Young Stock and Replacements:

• 204 bulls calves
• 753 heifers from one day to close to calving
• 30% replacement rate
• Age at first calving 24.5 months
• All heifers raised on the farm with occasional heifers bought outside, next group will come from Sweden 

Housing:

• Open Free stalls with shaded areas to lie under
• Shaded feeders, feeding stations and drinkers
• Animals outside year round
• Sand flooring 

Economics:

Labor cost is approximately 7% of the cost of production   

Community:

• Family members involved in most local activities

Future:

Plan to expand to 2000 milking head