One of the most important deals livestock and genetics dealer Sydney Palmer put together in China recently concerns education, rather than product.
The executive vice-president of Canada Livestock Services Ltd., at Marsden, Sask., says the Chinese need to know how to manage Canadian livestock in China’s environment.
He expects about 30 people to come to Canada for training in embryo production and livestock management once deals are finalized.
“China basically knows how to run the cattle operations over there at their level and their way of life and their type of cattle,” Palmer told a Regina news conference last week. “Their mature cattle are small and their production is very low. When they start buying Canadian genetics, if the management level does not increase, the Canadian cattle cannot survive and then basically we get blamed for it.
Read Also
Ag in Motion speaker highlights need for biosecurity on cattle operations
Ag in Motion highlights need for biosecurity on cattle farms. Government of Saskatchewan provides checklist on what you can do to make your cattle operation more biosecure.
“We change the feeding, we change the management, we change basically the whole outlook of the program and try and get them to define what they want out of it.”
Comprehensive training
One group of trainees will spend a month learning about Canada, cattle breeds, slaughter facilities and other aspects of the industry.
Palmer said a group from the northern Chinese province of Inner Mongolia, that has already been here for training, is doing well back home. He is set to begin the feasibility study of a model farm in the Inner Mongolian grasslands area where Canadian-trained personnel can teach their people.
Other countries working to sell their genetics to China also offer training.
“If you train these people their heart will stay with their purchases,” Palmer said. “The countries that we’re competing with the hardest are basically the countries that are training them.”
However, some also provide the training for free.
“At this point we haven’t been overly willing to give it to them because what we’ve found, in my experience, when you give them something (for free) that’s about what it’s worth,” Palmer said.
The presence of Saskatchewan agriculture minister Eric Upshall on the most recent trade trip to China should help convince a government that is already willing to spend money on product to train their people properly, he said.
High-ranking help
“What we’re asking them, as a company, is to cut back that money in product to about 80 percent, leave 20 percent for training, because we know if we don’t we’re going to be in trouble,” he said. “Because the government over there has a hard time sending funds over here for training, this is where the backing of our government people really means something. I go over as a salesman. In those countries, government to government comes first.”
