Towards Shavuot: The CBS announced that the milk yield per cow in Israel has increased

The total milk production last year was estimated at about 1,695 million liters – an increase of 3.9% compared to 2024. The segmentation of the data shows that the amount of cow’s milk, which is about 98% of the amount of milk, increased last year by 4%, and the amount of sheep’s milk, which is about 2% of the amount of milk, increased by 3%.

The CBS also stated that from 2001 to 2025, the number of dairy cows increased from 116,000 to 138,000. The increase in the number of dairy cows, despite the decrease in the number of dairy farms – today there are 603 dairy farms – resulted from an increase in the production unit’s output, from structural efficiency and from the reform that took place in the industry.

The CBS data also shows that honey production was estimated at 2,500 tons in 2025 – a sharp decrease of 34.2% compared to 2024. The CBS noted that in the previous years, 2014-2024, there were fluctuations in honey production, which were mainly due to changes in the amount of precipitation.

“A celebration of wonderful flavors”

Orbach specifies that fatty cheeses with 30% fat contain about 300 calories per 100 grams. A 100 gram pack of yellow cheese has about 330 calories. A slice of yellow cheese weighing about 25 grams has about 81 calories – equal to an average portion of milk. A slice of 9% fat cheesecake, plus whipped cream and sweet cream, has about 400-500 calories. A unit of Blinches filled with cheese has about 250-200 calories on average.

Auerbach further explains that, on the other hand, the amount of calories in the dairy products with lower fat percentages is reduced, and they contain higher amounts of calcium. “A slice of 5% fat cheesecake has about 200 calories, and a 1/2% fat cheesecake slice with diet jelly coating has about 90 calories, and without jelly coating there are only about 50 calories. 100 grams of cheese that contains 30% fat has about 300 calories, and 100 grams of yellow cheese has about 330 calories. 9% fat + whipped cream + sweet cream has about 400-500 calories.”

“Therefore, it is recommended to choose the dairy products with lower fat percentages, in which the amount of calories is reduced and they contain larger amounts of calcium,” she further explains. “For example, a slice of 5% fat cheesecake has about 200 calories, and a slice of half-fat cheesecake with diet jelly coating has about 90 calories, and without jelly coating there are only about 50 calories. 100 grams of 5% fat cheese has only about 99 calories, 3% fat yogurt has only 65 calories, and in contrast, the percentages of calcium in these products extremely high”.

Auerbach also points out that adequate calcium intake at a young age, 1,300 mg per day, is essential for building bone mass and preventing osteoporosis in the future. Mariana especially recommends incorporating sheep’s milk products, which, according to her, besides their wonderful taste, also have the greatest nutritional value, are rich in vitamins and minerals and contain double the amount of calcium.