Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Extension Service
Cattle Department

BEEF PRODUCTION IN
ISRAEL

Meori Rosen Ph. D.

BEEF PRODUCTION IN ISRAEL IS

CHARACTERIZED BY THE
FOLLOWING ATTRIBUTES:

In terms of value of production,

beef production is a minor
production branch, relative to
other agricultural production
branches and to other meat
production branches.

Local beef production increased by

about 50% from 1977 to 1999 but
imported frozen beef continued to
be the source of about 60% of total
beef consumption.

There is a lack of governmental

coordination for the production and
marketing of beef and also a lack of
organization among beef producers.

About 75% of local beef

production is either a direct or
indirect by-product of local
dairy production.

There are seasonal fluctuations

in:
beef prices,
cattle herd calvings,
and cattle feeding costs.

There is diversity among

specialized beef fattening units
(feedlots ) which can be grouped
according to:
! settlement type
! source of fattening stock
! scale of operation

On the average in recent years

the farm level profitability of
local beef production has been
marginal.
820
820

Feed price
price
Feed

800
800
780
780
760
760
740
740
720
720
700
700
680
680
1996
1996

1997
1997

1998
1998

1999
1999

1.55
1.55

1999
1999

8.40
8.40
6.85
6.85

Live weight
weight price
price
Live

11
11
10
10
99
88
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
00

840
840

2.70
2.70
feed
feed
calves
calves

1998
1998

9.64
9.64
6.94
6.94
0.86
0.86
7.82
7.82
6.96
6.96

1997
1997
0.06
0.06

1996
1996

7.02
7.02
6.97
6.97

Sources

Cows, heifers and feeders 1999

70 %

Dairy Cattle Herd

18 %

Beef Cattle Herd

12 %

Overseas

New
Newborn
born

Initial Phase
45-50 Days

Milk
MilkCalf
Calf

60 -70 Kg
Growing hase

Young
YoungCalf
Calf

Crossbred
Crossbred
calf
calf
weaning
240 Kg

170
days

100 Day
170-200 Kg
Fattening Phase

Old
OldCalf
Calf

210 Days
450-490 Kg

Beef
BeefMarket
Market

ESTIMATED
ESTIMATED BEEF
BEEF PRODUCTION
PRODUCTION BY
BY JEWISH
JEWISH SETTLEMENTS
SETTLEMENTS IN
IN 1999
1999

1999
1999

Number
Number of
of
heads
heads

Live
Live weight
weight

Distribution
Distribution %
%

Kg
Kg

Live
Live weight
weight

Cows
Cows

Dairy
Dairy cattle
cattle herd
herd
40
,450
24
,270
40,450
24,270

32.4
32.4

Heifers
Heifers

19
,100
19,100

55,730
,730

7.6
7.6

Fattening
Fattening bulls
bulls

55
,543
55,543

24
,000
24,000

29.6
29.6

Total
Total

11
,5093
11,5093

52
,217
52,217

69.6
69.6

Cows
Cows

Beef
Beef cattle
cattle herd
herd
44,000
,000
22,000
,000

2.7
2.7

Heifers
Heifers

10
,000
10,000

33,000
,000

4.0
4.0

Fattening
Fattening bulls
bulls

17
,000
17,000

88,500
,500

11.3
11.3

Total
Total

31
,000
31,000

13
,500
13,500

18.0
18.0

Imported
Imported
feeders
feeders
Total
Total

18
,530
18,530

99,265
,265

12.4
12.4

164
,623
164,623

74
,982
74,982

100
100

Cows culled from the dairy cattle herd are the

major source of beef produced in Israel
In general, the culling of dairy cattle herd cows and
their marketing is determined by agro
-technical
agro-technical
and economic considerations concerning milk
production.
No special feeding is provided before marketing
cull cows for slaughter.
Bull calves from the dairy cattle herd are the same
source of local beef production, Agro
-technical and
Agro-technical
economic considerations in dairy production limit
the overall supply of calves for beef production,
while the obtainability of calves for feedlot
fattening is influenced by the seasonal distribution
of calvings in the Israeli dairy herd.

On a live
-weight basis, about 1/2 of total Israeli beef
live-weight
production is produced in special fattening facilities - bull
calves (45%) and heifer calves (5%).
As such, bull calves account for about 90% of total Israeli
feedlot production. With regard to feedlot production of bull
calves, about 95% of bull calves are fattened to be sold as
"mature bull calves" (marketed at an average liveweight of
465 kg and an age of 12 months), while the remaining 5% of
bull calves are fattened using a special feeding system and
sold as "baby beef" (marketed at an average liveweight of
220 kg and an age of 6 months).

Approximately 60% of feedlot takes place on family

farms,(40% communal ) feedlot production is a
major agricultural production branch for about 45%
of the units, about 30% of feedlot production is on a
"small" scale" basis and about 75% of feedlot bull
caves are purchased from other farm units.

Feedlot production units can be differentiated

according to the use of a particular feed ration
technology.
The use of "complete feed rations
(TMR) or "partial
rations
(grain
-fodder) feed rations" (feed rations that include
(grain-fodder)
imported feedstock as premixed feed concentrates and
dry fodder as cereal hay or wheat straw ) are the
prevalent feed ration technologies.
The use of "complete feed rations" is predominant and
used as the feed ration technology for about 70% of the
beef produced in Israeli feedlots.

A typical TMR diet

Ingredient
Ingredient
Barley
Barley grains
Wheat
Wheat bran
bran
Soy
Soy bean
bean meal
meal
Vetch
Vetch hay
hay
Wheat
Wheat straw
straw
Corn
Corn grains
grains
Vitamins
Vitamins premix
premix
salt
salt
Calcium
Calcium carbonate
carbonate
Bread
Bread by
by product
product
Total
Total

%
% DM
DM Basis
Basis
25.0
25.0
13.0
13.0
6.8
6.8
5.0
5.0
8.5
8.5
20.0
20.0
0.2
0.2
0.5
0.5
1.0
1.0
20.0
20.0
100.0
100.0

Ingredient
Ingredient

CONTENT
CONTENT

Dry
Dry matter
matter %
%

83.5
83.5

Protein
Protein %
%

13.5
13.5

Metabolizable
Metabolizable
energy
/Kg DM
DM
energy Mcal
Mcal/Kg
Roughage
Roughage %
%

2.8
2.8
13.5
13.5

Calcium
Calcium %
%

0.85
0.85

Phosphors
Phosphors %
%

0.56
0.56

A typical grain
-fodder diet
grain-fodder
The
The feed
feed
Corn
Corn grains
grains
Barley
Barley grains
grains
Wheat
Wheat grains
grains
Fat
Fat
Wheat
Wheat Bran
Bran
Soy
Soy bean
bean meal
meal
Rape
Rape seed
seed meal
meal
Calcium+
Calcium+ salt
salt
Calcium
Calcium carbonate
carbonate
NPN
NPN permix
permix
Vitamins
Vitamins premix
premix
Total
Total concentrate
concentrate
Wheat
Wheat straw
straw

%
% DM
DM Basis
Basis
29.1
29.1
36.0
36.0
10.0
10.0
0.4
0.4
11.5
11.5
2.0
2.0
5.0
5.0
2.3
2.3
1.4
1.4
1.9
1.9
0.4
0.4
100.0
100.0
90.0
90.0
10.0
10.0