 KIBBUTZ KETURA: THE DAIRY

Objectives: Students will learn the history of kibbutz life.

Students will learn about Israeli agriculture.
Students will experience an agriculturally-based kibbutz.

Procedure: Upon arrival, each student receives a green star sticker on

his/her passport.
 Divide students into three (3) groups. Each group to last no
more than 5 minutes.
 Send each group to a station. Students switch as a group. All
students will eventually participate in all activities.
 At each station, students will participate in the planned activity
while hearing about kibbutz life.

Set-up: # 1 – Dairy Station

(4) cardboard cows with latex glove udders hanging from hooks
(4) milking chairs and buckets
(1) wading pool with extra udders

Volunteers: (3) Dairy dressed in shorts and T-shirts

Faculty: (2) dressed in shorts and T-shirts

Supplies: Latex gloves and hooks

White tempura paint thinned with water (hose)
Push pins
4 Buckets
4 Chairs from Preschool
Enlarged, laminated dairy photos

Activity:
1. Group 1A sits in a circle to listen to a presentation by the Dairy Manager,
who offers information and answers questions while circulating pictures.
2. Group 1B sits on “milking” chairs, each child with a bucket, in front of 1 of 4
freestanding plywood cows. Dairy volunteers demonstrate the milking
process. Each cow is equipped with a latex glove udder; when the fingers
are squeezed, paint milk squirts into the milking pail – all over the milker
and anyone else in the vicinity! Udders are replaced after each milking.
3. After everyone in Group 1B has milked a cow, the groups switch places.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Family University 2008– dskuhr

The Kibbutz (Hebrew word for “communal settlement”) is a unique rural

community. The first kibbutzim (plural of “kibbutz”) were founded some 40 years
before the establishment of the State of Israel (1948). Their founders were young
Jewish pioneers, mainly from Eastern Europe, who came to create a new way of
life. Overcoming many hardships, they succeeded in developing thriving
communities.

DAIRY

Israel’s dairy industry is the largest industry of its kind in the Middle East. Today, a
country that started out with barely a cow to its name, has the largest selection of
dairy products (over 700 types of items) - enjoyed the world over. Israel’s success
is remarkable considering the heat, humidity, limited land and water resources that
had to be overcome.

The Israeli dairy farmer incorporates all modern equipment, improving overall
performance. Israel isn’t bound by agricultural traditions, and Israeli farmers
integrate many new ideas into their farming systems. For many years much
attention has been given to minimize the “heat stress” on the dairy cow. Even in
Israel’s extreme climate, the Israeli Holstein Friesien Cows are among the world’s
best performing dairy cows.
Did you know…?

 Israel produces approx 1,170,000

tons of cow's milk annually. Milk
products make about 9% of the total
agricultural products market value.

 The Israeli-Holstein breed has been

developed by the Israeli Genetic
Improvement System. This cow is best
fit to the Israeli long and hot summers.

 The Israeli cow has the highest

national milk yield
(production/cow/year) in the world, in
milk volume and in milk solids. year.
Special cooling systems help improve
the cows conditions and milk yield.

 More than 2,500 families raise sheep

and goats: from traditional nomadic
herds keepers to intensive zero-
grazing dairy and meat farms.

 Since Israeli cows yield less milk

during the hot summer, the extra milk
that is produced during the winter is
made into milk powder.