ERIAFF Conference 2014 Hilkka Kämäräinen, Project Leader, Senior Lecturer Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Finland "MAITO – MILK. Dairy Development in North Savo"

1. Dairy Development in North
Savo –area
- methods and results
Hilkka Kämäräinen
SAVONIA UAS
11.6.2014

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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
%

5. 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

6. 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?

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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:

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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