Oriclio Farm - Sheep - Italy

Farm/dairy name: Oriclio Farm

The farm is in Tuscany, about 93 miles from Rome and 93 miles from Florence.

Owners: Luigi Farina                                                                                         

Number of head: 1000 sheep                                                                            

Farm Story

History (year established, S.A.E. equipment, upgrades, reason for choosing S.A.E. Afikim, etc.):

We installed Afimilk in 2004; it became fully functional in 2005. So we have the data from 2005 to today. The differences are remarkable, from being able to check how much a single animal produces to having a constant monitoring of milk production.

We are always able to have the situation of the herd entirely under control. Immediately in the first year we had a clear improvement in the milk production. We had an immediate 15% increase and up to a 30% increase in the following two years.

This has been easy with this type of system. By having the possibility of monitoring the daily milk production in one single animal and being able to select the most productive animals, the increase is easily achieved.

We also use the system to monitor the health of the animals. Being able to control the conductibility gives the opportunity to control somatic cells.

By having a system monitor the daily milk production I'm able to divide animals into groups, the more productive and the less productive. I can also feed the animals based on their production.

Same thing with health concerns. When an animal has a sudden change in production it is usually due to health problems. Having the potential to promptly detect these animals means I also have the potential to rapidly cure them.                     

This is what I expected when I purchased the system.

Herd Management

The differences are remarkable, from being able to check how much a single animal produces to having a constant monitoring of milk production.

We are always able to have the situation of the herd entirely under control.

Service (satisfaction, advantages, and reasons for working with S.A.E. Afikim)

I can easily say that an average farm, with many animals, can recuperate the investment in one year. I am talking about a farm with 2000-2500 animals.

In one year, with this system you can easily recuperate the investment.

This system certainly allows me to program the work flow concerning the herd management.