The Brandenburg Agriculture Ministry regularly focuses on a sponsorship project that is funded from out of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
The project from the month of July demonstrates the EAFRD's scope of opportunities for supporting vocational education and training in rural areas. Because milk-producing businesses in particular face increasing difficulties in finding well trained and motivated milk production professionals, the extension of professional knowledge and motivation of employees is especially in the limelight. Ökofeeding GmbH Berlin is a provider of continuing education courses.
With its large amount of pasture land and its light soil, the Federal State of Brandenburg is predestined for milk production. Currently, 165,000 dairy cows are being kept in the federal state. The 2013 average yield constitutes an outstanding result with 9,147 kilogramme milk per cow according to the annual report of the federal state inspection association. Moreover, milk production is of great significance for the development of rural areas because this is where most jobs are. Milk production will face special challenges throughout Europe after the abolition of the milk quota in 2015.
Important in milk production are the quality of the raw milk, the health of the herd, the technical milking equipment as well as the qualification of milkers.
Deficient work quality often leads to overmilking
Skills in the field of dairy production as well as the health of cow and udder help the milkers in the professional handling of their animals. Here, general issues regarding the keeping of dairy cattle are of equal importance as is specific knowledge in the fields of milking technology, animal health, hygiene requirements and management, raw milk quality requirements and work routine management. The lessons are complemented by discussions and practical exercises. The trainings always focus on the milker and his or her work and aim at conveying specialist knowledge and its practical applicability that goes beyond standard work routine.
The qualification is well worth its while. Deficient work quality often leads to overmilking and udder infections and thus to prolonged milking times and economic losses.
So far, a total of 71 dairy cattle businesses from almost all administrative districts in the Federal State of Brandenburg have used the training provision provided at 48 training centres. Advance registrations further underline the great interest and demand.
The costs totalled 141,983 Euro. Of the funding totalling 120,686 Euro, 90,514 Euro were covered by EAFRD and 30,172 Euro came out of the federal state budget. The total course participant share was 18,102 Euro. The funding was based on the ministry's directive for promoting vocational education and training in rural areas.