Technological Revolution in Livestock Farming in Eskişehir

With two new projects prepared by the Eskişehir Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, efficiency in cattle breeding will reach its peak.

Within the scope of the “Livestock Development Project” funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s General Directorate of Livestock, the “Mastitis Detection Project for Breeding Cattle” and the “Efficiency Improvement Project for Breeding Cattle (Heat Tracking)” were organized, and Heat Tracking Devices and Mastitis Detection Detectors were delivered to breeders during a ceremony. The ceremony, held at the Sazova Campus of the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, was attended by Deputy Governor Ali Çetin, Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Ender Muhammed Gümüş, AK Party Provincial Vice President Muhammed Kaya, AK Party Tepebaşı District President Muhammed Ali Kaya, Veterinarians Chamber President Erdinç Yuva, Actimo General Manager Hakan Ülgey, officials from institutions, and many farmers.

In his speech during the program, Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry Ender Muhammed Gümüş stated that productivity would be maximized in cattle breeding enterprises where the projects would be implemented. Director Gümüş said, “We are implementing two new projects that will be applied for the first time in Eskişehir and our regional provinces. With our project team at the provincial directorate, we conduct project development activities in line with the needs of our farmers and breeders, utilizing local or international budget opportunities and aiming to solve our problems. With these two projects, which will be implemented for the first time in our province, we will provide support to our farmers. With the first of these projects, the Heat Tracking Project, the timing for insemination in cows will be precisely determined, thus reducing the interval between births to the shortest possible time, allowing cows to give birth every year and preventing our enterprises from experiencing economic losses, maximizing efficiency and profitability. Our other project, the Mastitis Detection Project, will prevent the damage caused by mastitis, a breast disease observed in cows, to milk yield and quality. Mastitis is a disease that poses significant risks to milk health as antibiotics are used in its treatment. In this project, mastitis detection devices will periodically test the milk produced in the udder to determine whether mastitis is present, allowing for early diagnosis to prevent the disease, thereby preserving udder health, milk health, and milk productivity in cows. Ultimately, our farmers’ businesses will be protected from the disease, preventing potential economic losses. Approximately 1 Million TL has been spent on our projects, but it is expected to yield about 10 Million TL in returns by the end of one year, thus protecting animal health and preventing economic losses. With these projects, efficiency in cattle breeding will hopefully reach its peak. I wish both of our projects to be beneficial for our breeders in Eskişehir,” he added.

Hakan Ülgey, General Manager of Actimo, the company that supplied the Heat Tracking Devices and Mastitis Detection Detectors used in the project, provided information about the usage of the devices. In his speech, Ülgey said, “I thank our Ministry and the Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry and his team for enabling such beneficial projects that connect our breeders with technology, and I wish good luck to our breeders.” Within the scope of the Mastitis Detection Project for Breeding Cattle, 65 Mastitis Detection Detectors were supplied and delivered to breeders for 65 breeding cattle enterprises located in Alpu, Beylikova, Odunpazarı, Seyitgazi, and Tepebaşı districts. The total budget for the project is 455,625 TL, and it aims to contribute 5,687,500 TL to the Eskişehir economy within a year. This project will be implemented for the first time in Eskişehir, and the Mastitis Detection Detectors distributed as part of the project will identify breast diseases in lactating cattle through an early warning system, preventing decreases in milk yield and weaning of breeding animals. Additionally, by avoiding excessive and indiscriminate use of antibiotics on animals, consumers will have access to healthy milk and dairy products, and public health will be protected due to the prevention of antimicrobial resistance. Another project implemented, the Efficiency Improvement Project for Breeding Cattle (Heat Tracking), delivered 100 pedometers to 20 enterprises in Alpu, Odunpazarı, Seyitgazi, and Tepebaşı districts for detecting heats in animals. The total budget for this project is 500,000 TL, and it aims to contribute 5,544,000 TL to the Eskişehir economy within a year. This project will also be implemented for the first time in Eskişehir; the use of activity meters and pedometers, which accurately detect heats in cows and heifers over 90% of the time, will reduce the age of conception, the age of first calving, and the interval between two calvings, allowing the breeder to catch the first heat and inseminate at the right time to obtain one calf each year, thus contributing to both the breeder and the national economy. In this context, the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry of Eskişehir will monitor the reproductive efficiency parameters of the breeding cattle breeders involved in the project both before and after the heat tracking systems are implemented. The program concluded with a photo session following the speeches and the delivery of equipment to the breeders, followed by training on the use of the devices.