The Rural Voice, 2003-06, Page 22r
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18 THE RURAL VOICE
1
on what they do. In the past, many of
these state farms were very
inefficient and worked at a
tremendous financial loss, but the
system just kept paying. Now they
must show a profit."
If the proper training can be
instilled into the Russian industry
there will be a tremendous future in
Russia for new products and
equipment, Donaldson feels.
The next phase of that training
was recently completed when three
young people from Russia spent five
weeks in Canada getting intensive
training. They worked in different
facilities designed by the
Groenestege company so they would
be accustomed to the barns that will
be built in Russia to the Groenestege
specifications (ground was broken
for the barns in May).
Training included work in an AI
unit here in Ontario. There has been
some AI work done in Russia but as
in the rest of the Russian system it
was old methodology, Donaldson
said recently.
While in Canada they also worked
with Grand Valley to learn about the
importance of nutrition for high -
performing Canadian genetics. Grand
Valley has been looking at
developing feed formulas using
Russian ingredients, such as the use
of more sunflowers instead of
soybeans in Russian feeds. They'll be
sending details to Russia on how to
create the feeds needed.
The students have returned to
Russia but Donaldson keeps in touch
with them. "In five weeks you
become very close," he says.
Meanwhile Donaldson has been
putting together the pigs needed for
the shipment that will leave in
November to stock the new barns. He
had to backdate based on the weight
of pigs he promised to deliver, so the
sows needed to be mated in April to
farrow in July. He met with
producers who have the kind of high -
health sows required and plan -mated
the sows with top AI boars to
produce the quality of pigs required.
"We believe that by establishing
this first swine unit properly and
successfully, sales for other Canadian
products and technology, such as
feed, genetics, equipment, building
design, and consulting will follow,"
Donaldson says.0