Ukraine

Milk Production in Europe Continues to Fall: Here are Two Big Reasons Why

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 22:08:16 GMT

The ongoing implementation of environmental regulations, called the European Green Deal, and low agricultural commodity prices have sparked numerous farmer protests across Europe. Dairy has not been immune as new regulations weigh on milk production. November EU milk collections fell to levels not seen in years, according to Betty Berning, analyst with the Daily Dairy Report.

Approved in 2020, the European Green Deal is a set of policy initiatives designed to help the trading blocreduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. The initiatives extend to many different sectors of the economy, including construction, biodiversity, energy, transportation, and food and agriculture.

“The protests occurring across the continent underscore farmers’ frustration with low revenues and increased restrictions,” Berning said. “While governments seem to be listening, it’s unclear whether meaningful action will be taken. Moreover, with environmental limits already in place in Ireland and the Netherlands, change could come too late to cause a significant shift in the trajectory of the EU dairy sector.”

November milk production in the European Union and the United Kingdom fell 2.5%, compared to a year earlier, to 26.6 billion pounds, based on preliminary data and estimates from Eurostat, CLAL, and the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). November milk production was the lowest for any November since 2018 and the fourth month in a row that volumes declined on a year-over-year basis. Ireland’s November milk collections plunged 20%, or 218.3 million pounds, to 882.4 million pounds vs. November 2022, as the country headed into its seasonal low.

“Ongoing environmental restrictions have been pushing production lower across Europe, and November’s production loss highlights the continent’s ongoing reduction in milk flows,” Berning said.

Through November 2023, annual year-over-year milk production was up a marginal 0.1%, with losses beginning in August. According to USDA’s October estimates, Europe’s trend toward declining output will continue into this year, with 2024 milk volumes forecast to drop 0.14% from 2023 levels to 320 billion pounds.

“German farmers took to the streets of Berlin in late January to protest rising taxes and a lack of subsidies,” Berning noted. “The demonstrations were part of ongoing farmer protests as Germany rolls out austerity measures to cover holes in its budget.”

Reuters and other news outlets reported that similar demonstrations have been occurring in other countries since late last year. Farmers in France, for example, have blocked roads around Paris as they call for “urgent action on low farmgate prices, green regulation, and free-trade policies,” according to Reuters.

Some headway could be occurring in France, where Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he will not reduce tax breaks for diesel fuel destined for agricultural use, one of the farmers’ chief grievances. He also said the government will distribute emergency funds more quickly and levy substantial fines on corporations that do not follow price negotiation rules.

“Farmers in Poland have voiced concerns over agricultural imports from Ukraine as well as over the European Green Deal,” Berning said. “Agricultural products from Ukraine have reportedly been flooding Poland’s market as demand remains low in the war-torn nation, causing Polish farm revenue to drop.”

For more industry news, read:

Ukraine’s Dairy Sector Still Devastated by Russian Invasion

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 13:00:00 GMT

More than a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the war continues to have devastating consequences on Ukrainian society and businesses, including dairy. On March 6, Ukraine’s economy ministry lowered the country’s forecast for 2023 gross domestic product (GDP) from 3.2% to 1%.

According to the Kyiv School of Economics, the damage from Russia’s war on the Ukraine has caused $143.8 billion in economic damage. The severe damage caused to Ukraine’s infrastructure system, including transportation and energy, has rippled through most business sectors, including dairy, according to Monica Ganley, analyst with the Daily Dairy Report and principal of Quarterra, a consulting firm in Buenos Aries.

“Dairy farms, especially those in the north and northeastern parts of Ukraine, have suffered extreme damage from the war,” Ganley said.

According to a recent report from USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, Ukraine’s dairy herd declined by more than 100,000 head, or 6.3%, to 1.49 million between January 2022 and January 2023. While the Russian invasion has accelerated contraction of the Ukraine’s dairy herd, the country’s dairy sector has been under pressure for decades. Since January 2021, the national herd has fallen by 232,000 cows.

“Many of Ukraine’s dairy producers run small operations, and without deep financial resources, they are heavily dependent on a continuous income stream from the sale of their milk,” Ganley noted. “When the war began in early 2022, many dairy processors were forced to shutter their operations and ceased paying producers. Without milk checks coming in, producers whittled down their herds.”

As Ukraine pushed Russian advances back toward the border, some of the infrastructure damage was repaired, and processors began to rebuild their operations. By late last year, many processors were, once again, open to taking in more milk. Ukrainian producers, however, have been reluctant to rebuild their herds because they are still operating in an environment of persistent uncertainty, she added.

“Dairy producers in Ukraine also cut back their operations due to labor shortages,” Ganley noted. “Many dairy workers left to fight on the front lines, and the exodus of 3 million people seeking refuge in nearby countries and elsewhere resulted in a shortage of available labor across the value chain.”

Curfews and logistical challenges created by road closures further exacerbated labor shortages, which created hiring challenges and new traffic patterns for agricultural goods.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been devastating in many ways and the country’s dairy sector has been just another casualty of the conflict,” Ganley said. “It will likely to years for the sector to rebuild.”

Battle For Ukraine: The Untold Farming, People And Infrastructure Stories From The Front Lines

Fri, 03 Mar 2023 21:50:56 GMT

Dressed in protective gear, Illinois farmer Howard G. Buffett bounced his way across frozen back roads, driving in well-worn tracks along the path to Bakhmut, near the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Even in an armored vehicle, the threats of landmines and munitions were ever present.

“In the first 30 minutes or so, as we were driving in, I started to count ambulances that were coming out,” Buffett recalls. “I lost count at 50.”

(Farm Journal)

As a global philanthropist, Buffett is no stranger to war zones and political conflict. His namesake, The Howard G. Buffett (HGB) Foundation , works across the world in places others can’t or won’t to address food insecurity, mitigate conflict, combat human trafficking and improve public safety.

“If people cannot feed themselves, and they cannot feed their family and a government cannot feed people, it breeds conflict,” Buffett explains. “When Ukraine fails, in terms of their ability to produce agricultural products, the world becomes less safe.”

PRODUCTION PROBLEMS

Prior to the invasion, Ukraine was the world’s biggest exporter of sunflower oil and sunflower meal, the fourth-largest exporter of corn and the fifth-largest exporter of wheat, according to USDA. All told, Ukrainian farmers were growing about 100 million metric tons of commodities.

“Ukraine, no matter what happens with the war, will probably see corn and sunflower production 40% to 50% be-low normal,” says Dan Basse, president of AgResource Company.

Ukraine is also a major wheat producer and global exporter. USDA estimates for 2022/23 wheat production will be down about 40% from a year ago. In the eastern areas where most of the conflict is happening, output will be even lower.

Nick Gordiichuk, a farmer near Kyiv, says winter wheat acres will decrease.

“We’re not sure about the functioning of [the grain export] corridor, and weather conditions weren’t good,” he says. “Many farmers are looking at crops that are easy to plant and do not require much fertilizer.”

(Farm Journal)

WAR ON AGRICULTURE

In the past year, Ukrainian farmers have learned it’s increasingly more difficult to grow, harvest and ship products abroad. From limited and high-priced inputs to a lack of labor, production problems appear to be a reality for the foreseeable future.

“A lot of farmers are fighting on the front line and die on the front line, which has a huge impact on how you continue to function in your agricultural sector,” Buffett explains. “This isn’t just a war on civilians, this is a war on agriculture.”

In 2022, the World Food Program (WFP) calculated nearly 350 million people across 80 countries were acutely food insecure. The war in Ukraine is a significant contributor to the surge in hunger and conflict.

“There’s more conflict in Africa today because there are more hungry people; the war in Ukraine has been a big contributing factor,” says Buffett, who has spent considerable time and resources in Africa.

Traditionally, Ukraine has been a major supplier of grain for WFP and many smaller, less stable countries across Africa and the Middle East. That ability has been severely impacted since the outbreak of war.

For U.S. farmers, it is hard to fathom what has happened to their counterparts in Ukraine, Buffett says.

“There are landmines on hundreds of thousands of acres,” he says. “More than $4 billion worth of commodities have been stolen; there’s infrastructure damaged and 84,000 pieces of farm equipment has been destroyed, and it’s not stopping.”

During USDA’s recent Agricultural Outlook Forum, Mykola Solskyi, Ukraine’s minister of agrarian policy and food said the country’s cultivated areas have decreased by about 25%.

“Farmers sacrifice their lives doing their job,” he says. “There are areas farmers cannot cultivate as a result of the war. A considerable amount of land is polluted with explosives.”

COMBINES IN COMBAT

Nearly every day, Buffett receives a photo of farm equipment destroyed by mortars or landmines.

“They just sent me one of a Komatsu D61 bulldozer that hit a landmine,” he says. “It blew the entire track off and blew out half the undercarriage. Thankfully the farmer was okay.”

That isn’t always the case, which is why his foundation is helping to provide detection hardware and expertise to begin the slow process of demining.

“We spent about $30 million on demining in 2022, and it’s going to go on for years,” Buffett says.

As equipment gets destroyed or stolen, sustaining agricultural production becomes nearly impossible without outside support.

“We were able to get 50 combines into Ukraine in about 30 days,” Buffett says. “The fun part of the story is that al-most all of them were originally destined for Russia.”

(Farm Journal)

Roughly 8 million Ukrainians are now living as refugees in Europe and another 6 million are displaced within their own country, per WFP. At last count, 18 million Ukrainians need humanitarian help with one in three facing food insecurity.

In 2022, the HGB Foundation spent $148 million buying equipment, helping feed people, financing food boxes and providing seeds for gardens.

NEVER AGAIN

Buffett’s foundation is also providing rapid DNA testing equipment and investigative teams to do the hard work of cataloging and recording the lives lost. From bodies buried in rubble to the discovery of mass grave sites like the one found near Kharkiv, the job is endless.

(Farm Journal)

“It’s a solemn experience to walk through a forest with 451 hand-dug graves,” Buffett says. “At one site the team said 70% to 80% of the bodies showed some kinds of torture, many with broken fingers or broken limbs.”

After hearing stories of elderly parents shot by snipers, Buffett knows the consequences and horrors of this war will eventually be uncovered.

“We are not learning from history,” he says. “The Holocaust was never again, and Rwanda was never again yet we are watching never again unfold in front of us.”

2023 AND BEYOND

As the conflict stretches into its second year, Ukrainian farmers are caught in the crossfire. For those who can plant, finding a buyer or processor is still a massive challenge.

A protected shipping corridor is set for renewal in mid-March but has seen a significant slowdown. Meanwhile, pushing crops east to Europe via rail comes with its own difficulties, including different track widths.

It’s why in 2023, the HGB Foundation plans to front $5 million to build new export hubs.

“They want to try to start moving grain in containers because the rail system can move lots of containers, and you can transfer them easily onto European trains,” Buffett says.

This year, Buffett says his goal is to spend $300 million in support of Ukrainian agriculture. That includes finding ways to provide lower interest rates for loans and moving equipment and inputs to areas in need.

(Farm Journal)

COMPASSION VERSUS COMPETITION

In five trips to Ukraine, Buffett says the experience of seeing the people, the land and the impact of war, has cast the situation in a different light.

“I know some farmers think they’re a competitor,” Buffett says. “That’s natural. If you want to think that way, that means your neighbor is also your competitor. Yet, we don’t treat our neighbor like they’re our competitor; we treat neighbors like neighbors.”

With a global lens, Buffett has witnessed how important Ukraine is to world stability. For him, it outweighs potentially lower prices when he hauls corn to the elevator in Decatur, Ill.

“It really isn’t a head-to-head competition,” he says. “Helping Ukraine is helping the world.”

Farm Journal Editor Clinton Griffiths is a TV newsman turned magazine editor with a passion for good stories. He believes the best life lessons can be found down a dirt road.

First-Hand Accounts of War’s Impact on Ukrainian Agriculture

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 11:00:00 GMT

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and resultant, ongoing battle now is entering its eighth month.

While much of the world has grown disinterested and weary of the ongoing war, the situation remains dire for those on the ground in Ukraine. And because Ukraine once was referred to as the “breadbasket of the world,” the war’s impact on global food production and availability comes in both ripples and shockwaves.

The UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) hosted a recent webinar on which guest Roman Slaston of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club shared insights on how the war would impact Ukrainian agriculture for years to come.

Slaston said Ukraine currently is harvesting 25% less corn for the 2022 growing season. But oilseed crop yields in Ukraine-controlled territories actually have been higher than expected. As farmers look to putting in the 2023 crop, oilseeds like sunflowers, soybeans, and rapeseed are expected to be more profitable than corn, wheat, or barley, and plantings will be shifted accordingly. Winter wheat and barley planting levels are set to be 25-30% lower.

Fertilizer applications are expected to drop by 40% or more in 2023, due to both cost and supply issues. Farmers currently are sitting on large grain stores due to closure of Black Sea ports for most of the summer, plus intermittent rail service. The result is current grain prices below the cost of production.

Larisa Guk, president of the Union of Agrarian Journalists of Ukraine, recently told a forum hosted by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) that low wheat prices are especially troublesome right now. “The logistic costs are higher than the grain price,” she stated. “There is a danger that farmers will simply refuse to sow winter wheat this fall.”

Fellow Ukrainian agricultural journalist Iuri Mykhailov told the same IFAJ audience that Russians have looted Ukrainian farms, stealing agricultural machinery, spare parts, fuel, and grain. They reportedly also have killed millions of chickens and tens of thousands of cows and horses.

“The fulfillment of numerous business contracts has been breached, which has caused a domino effect throughout the global food supply chain,” stated Mykhailov.

At the same time, Russia has incurred heavy losses of both troops and military equipment. “If the war continues, Russia’s economy inevitably will collapse,” Mykhailov predicted.

The journalists noted that even after the conflict subsides, it will take years to rebuild the production sites and infrastructure necessary to return Ukraine to its previous world agricultural standard. Many agricultural fields are mined, and some may never return to crop production due to heavy shelling and missile fire.

“Nobody knows when the war will end,” declared Guk. “Nobody knows when the ports will be unlocked. No one knows what the price of wheat will be and how much the fertilizers will cost. Farmers just want to grow bread and feed people.”

For more on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, read:

Lely Ceases Commercial Activities Throughout Russia and Belarus

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 04:12:56 GMT

Russia’s recent attack on Ukraine is the reason thousands of companies across the globe have recently cut ties with Russia. With Western sanctions intensifying, companies like Apple, Ford and Exxon Mobil have all announced they will suspend or halt business operations in Russia.

Lely, one of the leading dairy technology companies in the world, is now among this ‘banned business’ list, as they recently announced they will immediately cease commercial activities throughout Russia and Belarus.

“Lely is shocked by Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine,” the company said in a press release. “The Ukrainian people are in the midst of a war and face great uncertainty. Our thoughts are with the people directly affected by this crisis. Lely condemns Russia’s invasion and is immediately ceasing commercial activities in the region. This means that we will stop supplying robots to Russia and Belarus.”

According to NPR, Russia is buckling under a raft of severe wide-ranging sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies. The impact from these sanctions have deepened the country’s economic pain following its invasion of Ukraine.

“As a global supplier of dairy farm robots, we are aware of our role in global food supply, including in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus,” Lely says. “We want to do right by the interests of the population (food supply), cows (animal welfare) and the promises we have made to our farmers, among others. On the other hand, we condemn all forms of violence used by Russia in this crisis. The current actions are not compatible with our values, and this has made us decide to completely stop our commercial activities in Russia and Belarus.”

Lely says it will not unilaterally stop supporting existing farmers in Russia, Belarus and surrounding countries due to the only reason of supplying parts and maintenance products to existing customers who are not on a sanctions list. The company says this is in the interest of supporting animal welfare and acknowledging the role farmers have in the country’s food supply.

South American Exporters Having Trouble Moving Product to Russia

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 15:00:00 GMT

The unprecedented economic sanctions that have been levied against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine have started to disrupt South American dairy shipments to Russia. And it is unclear at this point, whether Belarus, Russia’s primary dairy supplier, will be able to fill the gap left by South American exporters who still want to trade with the country.

Russia is an important destination for South American dairy exports, and the trading relationship strengthened beginning in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and the United States, Europe, and others applied sanctions to Russia, according to Monica Ganley, analyst with the Daily Dairy Report and principal of Quarterra, an agricultural consulting firm in Buenos Aries.

The 2014 sanctions spurred Russia to ban imports of some products, including U.S. and EU dairy products, but did not apply to South America. Last year, Russia accounted for 11% and 7% of Argentina’s and Uruguay’s dairy exports in value terms, respectively, Ganley said, and Russia is a key destination for cheese, butter, and anhydrous milkfat exports from South America.

“The more stringent economic sanctions levied against Russia in recent weeks, however, have disrupted the flow of products from South America,” Ganley said. “Limitations on financial tools including access to the SWIFT banking system has left Russian buyers unable to pay for imported goods. The ruble’s deterioration has also rendered imported product relatively more expensive for Russia.”

In early April, some dairy exporters in Argentina and Uruguay reportedly had product en route to Russia. However, because of the issues resulting from Western sanctions, these exporters said they would delay future shipments until the current problems can be resolved, Ganley said. Thus, today’s battered supply chain, along with Western sanctions on Russia, will continue to disrupt the flow of dairy trade.

“With the loss of the Russian market, South American dairy exporters will search for alternative destinations,” she said. “While some of these exporters have already had success rehoming products in China, sellers will be keen to develop additional channels for distributing cheese and milkfat products that otherwise would have been bound for Russia.”

Whether Russia will be able to obtain the dairy products it needs is also in question. Since Russia implemented a ban on dairy imports from Western nations in 2015, ally Belarus, a country that has sent troops to aid Russia in its attack on Ukraine, has been supplying much of Russia’s dairy needs. But following last year’s drought, a shortage of soybean and other protein meals has developed in Belarus, and deliveries from neighboring Ukraine have been stopped.

Today’s geopolitical situation and the ongoing disruption in the flow of dairy products could put downward pressure on prices, but that would only slow the upward price trajectory, supported by concerns that global demand will continue to outpace supply, Ganley said.

Russia-Ukraine Crisis Could Lower Global Dairy Consumption

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 16:42:27 GMT

The Russian invasion of Ukraine could also have an impact on the dairy supply chain. In addition, inflation in dairy markets could begin to weaken consumption, especially in Russia and low-income nations. The analysis coming from Betty Berning with the Daily Dairy Report.

According to Rabobank, Russia and Ukraine are responsible for 18% of global corn exports, which is a key feed ingredient in dairy rations around the world. And that’s where the domino effect begins. As input prices rise, so do milk and dairy prices. Higher dairy prices could then threaten global consumption.

Some dairy companies, such as Lely, have stopped operations in Russia. Danone has closed one of its two plants in Ukraine, which could also have an impact.

Canada Exports

Canada is an important market for U.S. dairy products. How important? Exports to our neighbors to the north have grown by nearly 50% in just over a decade. That shows in this graphic from USDA’s Economic Research Service.

From 2010 to last year, total dairy exports from the U.S. to Canada rose 48% from just over $466 million to more than $691 million last year. The country’s proximity to the U.S. aiding in the export of items such as food, milk, cheese and infant formula.

By value, infant formula has been the top U.S. dairy product exported to Canada representing about 22% of the total.

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine to have Far-Reaching Impacts on Dairy

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 17:32:47 GMT

Russia’s unrelenting attack on Ukraine will worsen the ongoing disruptions in the dairy supply chain. In addition, inflation in dairy markets could begin to weaken dairy consumption, particularly in Russia and low-income nations.

Betty Berning, analyst with the Daily Dairy Report, said that while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will almost certainly reduce dairy consumption in those countries, “it will also impact the global dairy industry, not necessarily through supply and demand shifts, but by causing prices of critical inputs such as oil, natural gas, and fertilizer to increase.”

According to Rabobank, Russia and Ukraine are responsible for 18% of global corn exports, a key feed ingredient in dairy rations worldwide. As corn and other input prices rise, milk and dairy product prices will likely rise, too. Higher dairy prices will threaten global consumption, particularly of high-value dairy products.

“In Russia, as the ruble weakens and costs increase, dairy consumption could fall as consumers are forced to choose purchases carefully,” Berning said. Access to products could also be an issue, she said. Some dairy companies, such as Lely, have ceased operations in Russia, while Danone, which has suspended investments in Russia, has closed one of its two plants in war-ravaged Ukraine.

Russia is one of the world’s most deficient dairy countries, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. While per capita dairy consumption in Russia, on a milk equivalent basis, is a hefty 315.4 lbs. per person, according to Italy’s CLAL, it is still well below Europe’s 550 lbs. per person.

“Russia was forced to grow its domestic dairy industry after issuing an embargo against dairy products from the European Union, Australia, United States, and New Zealand in response to sanctions issued by those countries due to Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula,” Berning noted. “And outside investors have poured money into the dairy industry since 2015 to make Russia self-sufficient.”

Since the embargo, Russia has grown milk production by 15%, according to Rabobank. Even so, the country still imports much of its milk needs from neighbor and ally Belarus, which ships the majority of its milk into Russia.

Belarus was expected to produce more than 17 billion pounds of milk in 2021 and supplied Russia with 154.5 million pounds of butter and 615 million pounds of cheese in 2021, accounting for 60% of Russia’s butter imports and more than 85% of its cheese imports. Russia also relies heavily on imports of fluid milk, skim milk powder, whey, buttermilk, and yogurt, Berning said.

“The global supply chain has still not recovered from the ongoing pandemic-related disruptions, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has only compounded the situation,” Berning said.

Dairy Report: Danone Closes Factory in Ukraine, Lely Cuts Ties with Russia

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 19:30:00 GMT

Several companies around the globe are cutting ties with Russia amid its invasion of Ukraine. This includes several dairy related companies, including the French food group, Danone.

Company shares dropped 3% on Monday after Danone announced it was suspending investments in Russia. The company also closed one of its two factories in Ukraine, however, it did say it would continue to sell dairy and baby food in Russia. Danone generates about 6% of its sales in Russia and the Ukraine. It is the world’s largest yogurt maker.

One of the leading dairy technology companies in the world, Lely, says it is also cutting commercial activities throughout Russia and Belarus. The company said in a release that it was shocked by Russia’s military invasion of the Ukraine. The global supplier of dairy farm robots says it will continue to supply spare parts to existing customers in the country saying that otherwise cow comfort and food supply in the region would be compromised.

A Great Dairy Conference a World Away

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:52:30 GMT

Michigan State University Extension Educators traveled to Ukraine to present at the Dairy Congress in Kiev and work with dairy advisors who consult with producers.
By: Phil Durst, Michigan State University Extension

What do you look for in a valuable dairy conference? You would likely be interested in discussions of current issues, emerging technologies, and management strategies by successful producers and knowledgeable people in academia, industry, and government. In addition, a trade show where you can talk with industry representatives about products and services might be high on your list.

That would all describe the VIII Ukrainian Dairy Congress held in Kiev, Ukraine March 3-5 and at which two of my Michigan State University Extension colleagues, Stan Moore and Phil Kaatz, and I were invited to participate as speakers. The Congress (or “Conference” in our terminology) had sessions over two days with general sessions on economics and policies and breakouts sections on management and technologies, veterinary issues and milk processing.

More than 900 attended the Dairy Congress. The list of issues they addressed the first morning in a general session could have been taken from a U.S. dairy conference – it included milk price forecast, opportunities and limitations of increasing the export of dairy products and dealing with regulations. These issues were addressed by leading officials and experts.

Wisconsin dairy producer, Lloyd Holterman of Rosy Lane Holsteins, was also on the program to share his management experience and how they achieve high performance. Genetics, heifer health, vaccination, nutrition, grouping strategies, feed storage and more were some of the topics covered in sessions by speakers from Ukraine and five other countries.

I was invited to speak on two topics: “Dry Cow Management” and “Integrity in Business”. While the second topic might seem a surprise, understand that Ukraine for years was part of the Soviet system that doesn’t put a priority on truth or fairness. This is one of the reasons for the revolution last year to align with the west and the openness that is inherent in democracy. Unfortunately, the legacy of that way of doing business lingers on, yet there is a desire to change.

All presentations were translated by a linguist in a booth off to the side in each room. Participants could get a receiver and an earphone to listen to the translation.

A trade show had representatives, displays and equipment from 56 companies including field equipment, milking and dairy barn equipment, supplies, seed, feed, veterinary supplies, a lender and a law firm. Aside from the fact that everything was in Russian or Ukrainian language, you would have enjoyed seeing and talking about the products and services.

The third day of the Congress was devoted to visiting two farms approximately an hour’s drive from Kiev. The first farm milks 585 head using a 32 stall rotary parlor. At the second farm, a total of 925 head of Ukrainian black and whites, Ukrainian red and whites, and Holsteins were milked at two sites. At one site 400 were milked by DeLaval robots and 525 cows at the other site were milked in a 2 x16 parallel parlor.

Production at the farms was less than what we would expect for a U.S. dairy: 17,637 lbs. and 21,785 lbs. respectively. These, however, were examples to other producers of better management.

In 2014, I had spoken at the VII Congress in the days following the revolution in Kiev. It may seem that this year would be a more stable time than that year, however, the VIII Dairy Congress was held while the country and the dairy industry are in upheaval and even danger. In a separate article, “Ukraine dairy - A time of crisis” , I discussed the context of this Dairy Congress in terms of what is going on in the country and the economy.

My colleagues and I consider it a privilege to have been a part of this Dairy Congress and provide some help to the producers and advisors with the Ukrainian Dairy Producers Association there.