Next week, 170 cows will board a plane and leave the familiar pastures of North Dakota for a country halfway around the world.
“They get put in crates, about five head per crate,” said Bill Price, president of Global Beef Consultants. “Eighteen hours later, they’re in Astana.”
That is the capital of Kazakhstan, where Price’s business will be shipping 2,000 cattle in a trade deal with Kazakh beef producers.
The first plane departs from Fargo’s Hector International Airport on Tuesday. The cows will make the trip on a UPS 747, accompanied by a veterinarian and two cowhands hired to work in Kazakhstan for a year.
The cattle - equal numbers of Herefords and Angus born last spring - are bound for two reproduction facilities and a feeding center in Kazakhstan that are part of a joint venture between Global Beef and Kazakh counterparts, Price said.
Global Beef consults on genetics and nutrition. It is operated by Price and his brother Dan Price, who are partners in the Price Cattle ranch. The cows they are shipping to Kazakhstan come from North Dakota ranchers.
What Kazakhstan producers are looking for is better genetics and up-to-date science for their cattle industry.
“It would probably mirror ours from the 1940s,” said Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, who along with Gov. John Hoeven will see the animals off in Fargo on Tuesday.
Kazakhstan, a former republic in the Soviet Union, is similar to North Dakota in many ways. It is squarely in the middle of the Asian continent, sparsely populated and cold. Its economy is driven by large oil and gas reserves.
“When you get over there, it’s a lot like North Dakota,” said Price, who has made several trips to the Asian country.
One difference is that the country, where horse meat is a popular cuisine, does not have a long history of cattle production.
“When the Soviet Union broke up ... they weren’t left with much,” Price said. “Their beef industry is kind of low right now.”
The North Dakota cattle will be used to improve Kazakh herds, which live in a similar climate to the herds here. The purchases are part of efforts by the Kazakh government to modernize its agriculture sector.
“We’ve put a lot of work into this to make sure we found the right kind of genetics that fit their climate,” said Goehring, whose department worked on the trade deal along the the North Dakota Trade Office. “I think we’re world-renowned for high-grade livestock.”
Price said the logistics of shipping cattle by air was not easy, but he expects the flights to go smoothly.
“There will be a vet on board and cowboys who are going over there,” he said. “They have sawdust and liner in their crates.”
(Reach reporter Christopher Bjorke at 250-8261 or chris.bjorke@bismarcktribune.com)
