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Awassi Mediterranean Farm – Repro Centre

AMF is established 1997. His start is connected with name of Prof. Dr. Nikola Todorovski engaged by owner of AMF to make a project for establishing of new sheep farm. The basic idea was to organize sheep farm with preposition to outgrow in one repro-centre at the beginning as National and later as International.

In a manner it was a provocation to Prof. Dr. Todorovski to capitalize his 30 years of scientific work and he set to him self task to obtain high milking sheep race suitable for Macedonian clime conditions. Final decision was to start with Awassi sheep.

Speaking honestly, owner of the farm has not been animated by that idea, but certainty and persistency of the Prof. Todorovski overpower his suspicion.

He asserted that Israelean Awassi sheep have irregular genetic potency to become one of the highest milking sheep in the Balkan’s area conditions.

His conviction, not on weak base, posed on economical calculations, that if Macedonia makes import of the awassi race and start breeding her, is something that can make Macedonia able to produce even more milk than South France, is an interesting and scientist provocation. Macedonia with the awassi race has only positive experiences. She was the first country in Europe to import the race among the organization of Prof. Todorovski. The import was directly from Israel in 1969, time in witch Macedonia as a country in SFRJ was not in a diplomatic relationships with Israel, but the export from Israel was escorted thanks to good relationships between Ph.D. Todorovski and colleagues from Israel. Later there were more exports of this kind.

And that is how it starts. Modest as every normal beginning, but in our case with a vision, plan and also with excellent flock book (date base).

AMF works as only licensed repro centre for awassi race (licence number: 08-2688/; Ministry of agriculture, Skopje) and for needs of Macedonia produces high valuable genetic material (male lambs), lambs witch are State participating by the Ministry of agriculture, institution witch pay half of the price (125€) and the other part is paid by farmer who buys it.

Namely, Awassi race is already and practically authenticated as the Race of the future and is inserted in National Long Term Strategic for development of the sheep breeding from year 2000 to 2013 as a race for melioration crossing with our low milking race (awassi rams x domestic sheep ”pramenka”). That is one of the most popular and the cheapest and fastest way to obtain high milking sheep race because on in F1 generation is obtaining high milking mongrels with genetic milk potency up to 250-330%.

AMF now is breeding and making selection of full blood awassi sheep, sell pedigreed Lambs and is going to overgrow in nucleus folk as base for further development of Macedonian sheep breeding.

The flock is successfully adapted to pasture as basic way of feeding, successfully bear long rainless hot summer and cold continental winter. The milking productivity is higher for 3-6 times compared with domestic sheep race.

Today, AMF is contemporary cattle-breeding sheep farm known to professionally and scientific public in every one country in Europe.

Situated in Gradiste, village near Kumanovo on the way toward Sveti Nikole on the 800 m sea level area with very cold winter –sometimes reach – 28°C and very hot summer with temperature over 40°C.

Here is making all necessary measuring and data processing what for is developed a special software enabled to follow about 300 details for every head and also same number of previews for one head, including genetic net with possibility to follow four generation in backwards by both side (mothers and fathers) - witch means that for a head are known about 28 parents.

Beside on standard details as are daily individual milking, lacteal milking, lacteal curve, duration of the lactation, the number of the lambs, milk composition (fatness, proteins, and fatless solid residues), flock and stall average, software enable to follow and select the udders for machine’s milking.

We work with a software combination of 13 factographic and 15 numerical values.

The software combined by his function enables to do systematical selection and to organize managing with farm, to use available pastures in turns. In the program we use CD snapshot-part of cadastre (land–registry) divided in 2 pasturing zone - every one with 7 pastures.

Selection is making in accordance with the newest known methods - that mean a lot of details (300 about for one head). The details could be used as base in different methods for valuing of the heads (group index, LSM, AM, BLUP, BLUM).

Preparing for pro-genetic tasting of the rams is in the ended phase and soon we are starting first in region.

AMF repro-centre is under full 10th years controlling and monitoring of Institute for animal- breeding, Skopje, applying ICAR-s A4 method for controlling of the milk.

Now day AMF folk have about 200 full race sheep. In a very near future will reach on to 500 fertility sheep and will be in a position to reply on to a lot of demands from region for the lambs.

Because of:

- high milking

- high adaptability to hard clime conditions

- Possibility for breeding in intensive and also in semi nomad conditions interest for awassi race is every day higher and higher.

Relatively low price of 250 € per man lamb, only, do AMF’s lambs interested also for sheep breeding farms in neighbor countries.

For comparing only, the lambs of same quality in European Countries and US cost from EUR 600,0 to 2500,0 per head on parity Ex work.

The last published results by Institute of animal-breeding, Skopje for 2007 realized on AMF are:

- Lacteal milking average 384,6 lit per head

- the highest milking 724,o milk per head

- the highest daily milking 4,20 lit per head

- lactation 257,7 days.

Most important is to know that above mentioned results are obtained in conditions of fully pasturing way of breeding adding only necessary quantity of additives. The folk pasture 280-300 days during the year.

In case the folk to be breeding intensively (in closed stall system) the milking will be much higher.

The flock is still of very heterogeneous composition. There are about 45% with milking of 400 lit., but there are also with 500,600 and 700 lit. of milk per head.

That is fact, milking potency is big and that is provocation for scientist to make continuously selection.

Herein should be layout that so high result is neither incidental nor product of Prof Todorovski’s knowledge and hard work.

The biggest contribution is permanent and long term cooperation with: firstly, Institute of animal-breeding, Skopje; Bio Institute in Sofia represented by Prof. Dr. Georgi Dimov as counselor for selection and genetic; and also a lot of scientist from University in Skopje and other neighbor countries.

The idea, AMF-Gradishte-Kumanovo to be built up in International Centre for scientist investigation over awassi race intending to find out and create conditions in which genetic features of awassi sheep could be fully expressed is hold up to now day by 26 scientists from Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Romania and Ciprus.

All of them have sent applications to take a place in one of the bellow stipulated working group:

- Selection and Genetic

- Veterinary & Fertility

- Application of the new technological and contemporary management with sheep farms

- Milking and making of cheese

Should expect that during the session will be announced a lot of scientists news related to Selection, Genetic, Bioinformatics, Physiological, Reproduction and Breeding with ideas in which direction and how the farm should continue his development.

We are convinced that result will not stay away and AMF soon will become International Centre for Reproduction of high milk awassi sheep.

Small and big business do not exists, only finished and unfinished one.

Awassi Mediterranean Farm – Repro Centre