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Recent interest in an automatic calf feeder system by Ohio cattlemen
who saw it at Kibbutz Revivim has led the Negev Foundation to examine its
potential in the U.S. The device utilizes American, Dutch and Israeli components
and Israeli software. It senses animals in chutes, monitors intake, maintains
records and prevents overfeeding.
Gavish,
the manufacturer, an Israeli company that manufactures software
and equipment to monitor and control greenhouse, dairy farm
and fish farm operations, would like to establish a U.S. operation
in Ohio for engineering, software development and marketing. The automatic
calf feeder system, in commercial use in Israel, would be their
first U.S. project. They would need to revise the software for U.S.
application.
A Gavish representative conferred with Ohio cattlemen who saw the calf
feeder in Israel, and met with OSU dairy and nutrition representatives
at OSU’s 2004 Farm Science
Review.
Gavish is looking to provide model units to two Ohio dairy
operations, and would like to develop a study, perhaps with OSU, of
the system’s
efficacy in Ohio conditions.
The Ohio-Israel Agriculture Initiative may seek to demonstrate the device
at the Ohio Dairy Show in April 2005. Other next steps include finding
an interested partnering U.S. company.
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