In Israel’s quest for breeding a high-yielding
dairy cow adapted to prevailing climatic conditions, genetic material
from the most different sources was brought in, with the aim of upgrading
locally available cattle.
Sometimes, imported Dutch bulls were owned
and operated cooperatively. The concerted effort for genetic improvement
on a broader scale began with the onset of artificial insemination
in the mid-forties.
The impressive number of Holstein-Friesians
imported from the American continent during the fifties and the strict
observance of nation-wide breeding plans contributed decisively to
the creation of the Israeli-Holstein breed.
Modern Dairy cattle improvement in Israel
started in the early twenties with the importation of Friesian bulls
from the Netherlands and Germany to upgrade the indigenous dairy cows
of the Damascene and Baladi breeds.
In 1947,ten Holstein bulls were imported from
Canada and they and their sons were heavily used through artificial
insemination. From 1950 through 1962 Holstein bulls and cows
were imported from the United States.
Since 1963 nearly all Israeli dairy cows have
been mated to bulls bred locally.
The Israeli-Holstein cow was reached
with a series of crosses. Israel first took a Damascus cow and
bred it with an imported Dutch bull, thus creating an F1 cross(50%).
The offspring was bred with a different imported
Dutch bull, creating an R2 cross(75%). This R2, when mated with
an Israeli-Dutch bull, created an R2 cross(87.5%) which were bred
with other Israeli-Dutch bulls producing later generations of the
cross with higher percentages.
These crosses were then bred with the Holstein-Friesian
bulls which resulted in the typical Israeli-Holstein cow.
There are currently about 110,000 dairy cows in Israel, practically
all of which are Israeli Holstein breed. This number has been
virtually constant for the last 20 years.
About 60% of all cows are concentrated in Kibbuts
herds (large units in cooperatively owned and managed farms), while
the remainder belong to Moshev herds (family farms)
Reference:
Mason, I.L. 1996. A World Dictionary of Livestock
Breeds, Types and Varieties. Fourth Edition. C.A.B International.
273 pp.
Ralph Ginsberg, Milking Managment Adviser,
Israel
Photographs:
Ralph Ginsberg, Milking Managment Adviser,
Israel
