Bovines WIthout Borders
Program Unit - Volunteer Technical Assistance
Country - Kazakhstan
Funding - USAID, USDA
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Dairy farming makes up an important part of Kazakhstan's agricultural economy. Countless
generations of Kazakhs have devoted themselves to raising dairy cows and other livestock,
formerly as nomads and now mostly on farms and ranches on the vast Kazakh steppe. Unfortunately,
the traditional breeds of cattle used in dairying have poor milk productivity compared
to breeds in the United States and other developed countries.
Because traditional cattle breeding programs take decades to show results and importing
significant numbers of cattle is logistically unfeasible, experts decided to try improving
Kazakh milk production by implanting embryos of highly-productive breeds into cows on
Kazakh farms. With funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the John Ogonowski
Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) Program of the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID),
participants in Winrock's Volunteer Technical Assistance (VTA) unit put 200 cattle embryos
on a plane, and flew to Eastern Kazakhstan.
Pennsylvania dairyman John Rodgers, one of the volunteers who transported the embryos halfway
around the world, says that he and his colleagues "jumped through a lot of hoops, with
governmental regulations and rules, but we got them there." The embryos were implanted
into cows on eight farms, and 89 calves were delivered as a result—a success rate comparable
to that on dairy farms in the U.S., and far better than previous results in Kazakhstan.
The "grafted" cows, like grafted fruit trees, are highly productive, like their genetic
parents, and hardy, like their surrogate mothers, from whom they gain immunity to local
diseases. In Almaty state, for example, 23 cows grown from the immigrant embryos give 25
liters of milk per day. Local breeds given the same nutrition and care give only 16 liters
per day. During one lactation period, 305 days, each cow brought in an extra US$1,487.
Together, Almaty's 23 "grafted" cows brought in an additional US$34,000 during their first
lactation periods. Cows can have over 10 lactation periods during their lives.
The imported embryo project is just one of the ways in which Winrock works with rural Kazakhs
to increase their incomes and better their lives. Rodgers, for example, has also advised
Kazakh farmers on other methods to improve the genetic quality of their herds, worked with
local families to start agriculture-based businesses, helped several farmers travel to the
United States to observe management practices on American dairies, and assisted Kazakh
veterinarians in obtaining equipment (including an advanced ultrasound machine) with which
they can better care for local livestock.
Rodgers is one of almost 2,000 volunteers whom Winrock has empowered though its VTA program.
Through direct connections, made across continents and circumstance, the program lets experts
share their knowledge of agriculture, business development, information technology, and many
other areas, with active residents of developing countries who have requested their assistance.
During the program's 17-year history, the innovations shared by Winrock's volunteers have had
a positive impact on 7.7 million people in 50 countries around the world. As their productivity
and incomes rise, the Kazakh farmers, as Rodgers says, "are thrilled with what's taken place."
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