Four Alberta farm families are taking the term good neighbour to an international level by donating hay to Japan.
Barry Schmitt, Doug McBain, and the Jorsvick and Bergeson families, all from the Olds and Cremona area, have donated 50 tonnes of timothy hay to Japanese dairy farmers dealing with the aftermath of an earthquake and tsunami last month.
Fifty tonnes may not be much in the face of Japan’s problems, Schmitt said April 7. But it is a heartfelt gesture.
“We are a small company,” said the forage exporter, who operates Barr- Ag Ltd. in Olds, Alta. “I don’t know if this is really going to help but we’re trying to show that we care. We have a close relationship with these farms that we deal with.”
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McBain and the Jorsvick and Bergeson families are long-term suppliers of hay to Japan.
McBain has been selling into that market for 25 years, predating his involvement with Schmitt’s operation.
Schmitt has been in touch with a large Japanese farm client who will help distribute the hay to smaller farms in Japan when it arrives.
The farm they are dealing with had earthquake damage and some flooding after the disastrous quake and tsunami, and recently learned it could not ship milk due to excessive radiation levels, said Schmitt.
Even if they could ship milk, the carton factory is not running so containers are not available.
Other dairy farms are in a similar situation, and also face rolling electrical blackouts, water shortages, damaged buildings and unreliable refrigeration.
“Everybody is sitting on hold right now, especially north of Tokyo,” Schmitt said.
In an Alberta government news release about the donation, Schmitt said others are contributing to the effort.
“One of the major feed importers, ATAKA Trading, is paying the cost of the freight from Calgary to Japan and inland to the dairy farm. This is a significant contribution that makes the Alberta farmers’ donation possible,” said Schmitt.
