Hammoudeh Farm (presentation updated April 2009)

The Farm:

• Located in Jordan
• Owned by the Hammoudeh Family
• 1665 / 2654 of Holstein Fresian and Swedish Red
• 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 more than doubled in the past decade (4.3 M tonnes in 1997 to 8.7 M tonnes in 2007) as a result of improved cattle breeds and the availability of concentrates.

Status and key developments in milk production in Jordan*:

• 8.7 M tonnes of milk produced, 9% delivered.
• Milk price 2% above world market price.
• Milk consumption: 129 kg ME per capita/year.
• Milk processing:; 49% in tradable products.
• Export: Appr. 3 % of production
• Import: Appr. 9% of local consumption
• Self-sufficiency in milk: 93%

Key developments 2002-2007:

• Milk production: +11.6% per year
• Milk consumption per capita: +7.9 % per year.
• Population: +2% per year.

* Source of Jordan milk production information: IFCN network (www.ifcnnetwork.org)

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 and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)
• They apply biosecurity regulations.
• 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:

• TMR system is used for dry animals except close up group
• PMR is used for milking herd and close up group. 
• Concentrate feeding is used to reduce feed costs and get more milk. It is used daily, a compound feed of grounded corn, barley, SBM, wheat bran, sunflower meal
• Alpro system is used
• Forages fed are Alfalfa hay, mixed corn silage with Alfa hay, fresh cut of rye grass, fresh sudan grass (Sorghum), straw of barley or wheat
• Major protein source is Soya bean meal and Alfalfa
• Major energy source is Barley and corn
• By-pass fat is used for high producers
• Main cost is feed, mainly roughage is more than concentrate by 4-5 %, home grown feed is negligible, it is only grown on recycled water
• Farm has 60 feed stations, largest number in one location in the world 
• The farm also has 16 calf feeder units

Milking:

• Total milk yield: 35.500 litres/day
• 1165 / 2654  Head
• Average age is 50.5 months
• 29% in first lactation, 38.5% in second lactation, 14% in third lactation and 18.5% in fourth and above
• Average days in milk is 206.2
• Calving interval is 425 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
• SCC is 280.000/ml
• Total bacteria count averages 30,000
• Milk delivered twice a day 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 
• Current milk price: 0.45 JOD (1.4 USD, 1.08 euro)

Young Stock and Replacements:

• 830 calves and heifers
• 26% replacement rate
• Age at first calving 25.12 months
• All heifers raised on the farm with occasional heifers bought outside, last group came from Sweden 
• 100% AI

Housing:

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

Economics:

Labor cost is approximately 7% of the cost of production   

Community:

• Family members involved in most local activities