Dairy Development in North Savo –area - methods and results

Hilkka Kämäräinen SAVONIA UAS

11.6.2014

Background

• North Savo is Finland´s best area concerning milk production and processing

• Area needs new ideas and efficient working methods

• Co-operation with different organizations at EU-projects started year 1997 and continues onward

Dairy Production in North Savo

• 1261 dairy farms

– Average yield 9292 kg/cow

• 2nd biggest milk producer in Finland

– Total 318 M kg, 14 % of Finnish dairy production

– Growth 8 % from last year

• Valio Cheese Dairy in Lapinlahti

– Swiss cheese, Edam, Demi whey powder

11,50

12,00

12,50

13,00

13,50

14,00

14,50

%

quota periods

North Savo share of Finland's milk production and dairy farms

Share of milk, %

Share of dairyfarms

%

Dairy production in Finland and North Savo

• Number of dairy farms is decreasing

• Food industry needs more raw material

• Size of the dairy farm is growing

• Easy methods has been used… We need another point of view

Dairy production Strengths and possibilities

• Health care – Situated to North – Distances – KnowHow

• Healthcare • Disease prevention • Feed hygiene • Hygiene in management

– Strong background to breed healthy animals

• Sustainable economic situation – Low debt rate – Family based business

• Cooperation: Education Advising Research

• Farmers high level of education • Special products and export • Roughage production • Clean environment • Local markets?

Dairy Development Program -project • From 1st of January 2011 to 31st of December 2014

• Budget 639 730 €, Finance by Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (90 %), local municipalities from North Savo region (10%)

• Operated by Savonia University of Applied Sciences

• Project Manager Hilkka Kämäräinen and Project Coordinator Anne-Mari Heikkinen

Tasks of project • Rise new ideas to develop

dairy production

• Develop and coordinate new ideas to the projects

• Develop project reporting for needs of farmers, education and advising

• Main themes

– Profitability

– Workload

– Well-being

– Environment

– Energy

– Animal healthcare

Working methods at projects • Steering group => give guidelines and approve or

disapprove ideas

• Main project group => rise up new ideas, identify problems and find major solutions

• Thematic project groups=> identify exact problems, find exact solutions and convert them into projects

• Project management and coordination is centralized at one organization as much as possible

Steering group

• Dairy Cooperative ItäMaito

• Dairy Cooperative Maitomaa

• ProAgria North Savo, Local Centre of

Agriculture Advisor Services ProAgria

• MTK North Savo, Local Union of

Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners

• Ylä-Savon Kehitys Oy, Development

Ltd of Upper Savo municipalities

• MTT Agrifood Research Finland

• Savonia University of Applied Sciences

• Ylä-Savo Vocational College

• Savo Consortium for Education

• Finnish Regional Research

• North Savo Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment

• Project Manager

Representation from key local organizations:

Major project group

• Collect dairy oriented experts together, change ideas and open paths to solutions

• Important: Skilled experts have their own, international networks which can be useful:

Large scale of contacts

Gives answers to many questions right away

Expands the view

Close cooperation

• Advicing

– Agricultural Expert Organisation ProAgria

• Association of ProAgria Centres

• Local ProAgria Centre North Savo

– FABA Finnish Animal Breeding Association

• Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners

• Education

– Ylä-Savo Vocational College

– Savo Consortium of Education

– Savonia University of Applied Sciences

– University of Eastern Finland

– Helsinki University

• Research

– MTT Agrifood Research Finland

– Finnish Regional Research

– TTS – Työtehoseura Work Efficiency Institute

• Industry

– Dairies, slaughterhauses…

– Feed industry, technology…

• Local administration/Funders

– Municipalities

– Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment

– Regional Council

• Overview and Activities

– Meetings and themes

Themes for Development • Project planning

– Group which have knowledge and tools • Project Groups (New ideas and solutions)

• Local, national and international partners

– Existing knowledge by training

– New information by developing

– Planning for training and knowledge transfer

• Project administration from one place

– Coordination

• Ideas Planning Application Start

– Project management

Best Available Knowledge

• Themes from needs – EU/National/Regional Strategies

– Industry needs

• Raw material

• Quality

• Special products

• Farmers own needs – Special studies

– Own interest

– Future aspects

Results Main result: Milk production has developed at North Savo area and farmers skills have improved

• Co-operation of different organizations has improved step by step

• Strength-based roles at organizations are identified and taken into practice

• 1+1>2 when organizations work together

• Good project management:

– High cost-efficiency

– Low overlapping

– Result-oriented and parallel actions

– Easy One-stop shop principle to milking farms and experts

Future • Farm size in Finland is increasing rapidly in next 10 years =>

information needs grow even more

• Organizations resources are not gaining=> efficiency needed

• Farm development via projects continues

• Strategic focus at project efficiency improvement is test and implement knowledge transfer from research into practice

• North Savo´s key organizations (ProAgria, MTT and Savonia) are very interested in Milk development in national level and build solid network at EU-level

Further information and contact:

Mr Mika Repo Development Director ProAgria North Savo mika.repo@proagria.fi +358 43 825 2679

Mrs Hilkka Kämäräinen Senior Lecturer in Animal Husbandry Project Leader Savonia University of Applied Sciences hilkka.kamarainen@savonia.fi +358 44 785 6646

Mr Mikko Järvinen MTT Agrifood Research Finland Animal Production Research, Maaninka mikko.jarvinen@mtt.fi +358 29 531 7287

MAILI - Competitiveness and environmental

efficiency for the dairy and beef farms in Northern Savo

-Project Manager Mrs. Hilkka Kämäräinen

RAE - Turning of nutrient losses into

profits - Project Manager Mrs. Arja

Ruokojärvi

ERKKA - Energy Efficient Cowstable

- Project Manager Mr. Pasi Eskelinen

REKKA - Logistic development in dairyfarms -Project Manager Mr. Janne Räisänen

TUUMA -Labor, Outsourcing and Contracting

in Agriculture

-Project Manager Mrs. Katariina Hakola

http://maito.savonia.fi

Dairy Development Program -New development ideas and

information -Project Manager Mrs Hilkka

Kämäräinen

Eläinterveyden tekijät - Animal Health Factors

- Project Manager Mrs. Katriina Pylkkänen

Tietotila -Computers and automation on the

farm Project Manager Tuomo Tikkanen

MASKE - work management and logistics on

the cattle farm Janne Karttunen

Aktiivinen SPV -tila -How to pass farm to next generation -Project Manager Mrs. Sirpa Lintunen

KESTO – sustainable dairy - start up of the calf growing

- longer production of the dairy cows Project Manager Ms Annu Palmio