Canadian Charolais Animals Complete a Trip of a Lifetime

Neil Gillies

While in conversation with Garner Deobald in early November 2011, he enlightened me that he had signed an agreement to export a plane load of Charolais animals to a cattle operation in central Kazakhstan, which was due to depart in mid-December. Obviously this was good news, especially after the frustration with the Russian project that didn’t materialize as expected. This statement was followed with the question; would I be able to go and represent the Canadian Charolais Association in this export venture? Not surprisingly, I agreed  to sign on with the project primarily as an opportunity to assist with supporting the export of Canadian Charolais into a new developing market, and also because I have always taken advantage of the chance for a new adventure.

This is a story of how that adventure unfolded. Firstly, a few facts on the country and the parties involved. 

Quoting from WorldAtlas.com, ‘Kazakhstan is at the crossroads of Asia and Europe and is the 9th largest country in the World. It is bordered by the Russian Federation on the N.W. through to the N.E. China to the S.E. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to the South and the Caspian Sea to the S.W.’

Kazakhstan gained independence in 1991 and during our trip the 20th anniversary of the independence was celebrated on December 16th, 2011. The president, Nursultan Nazarbayv has been at the helm for all of those years and is regarded in high esteem for his accomplishments in improving living conditions in the country, and on the whole increasing trade during the 20 years.

The parties involved with this export mission were Hawkeye Land & Livestock Ltd., which is a family run operation, utilizing Garner Deobald primarily working to obtain the agreement, while Lori and Kylie Deobald attended to many of the logistical and administrative aspects of this venture. Hawkeye also collaborated closely with Rod and Kristi Guilford of Xports International Inc. from Clearwater, Manitoba. Rod and Kristi have been involved with the export of Canadian genetics to Eastern Europe and central Asia for a number of years and their experience was invaluable and much appreciated on this project.

The company that purchased the animals is called Agrofirm “Dievskaya” Ltd., which is owned by Oleg (pronounced Aleg) Vladimirovich Danilenko, and his son Oleg (Aleg) Olegovich Danilenko. 

The important connection was initiated when a request was made to Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) by an incoming Kazakh delegation to the Farm Progress show in June, 2011 in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Kazakh’s group request was to tour some Charolais farms during their visit, so STEP contacted Hawkeye Land & Livestock Ltd. and Garner agreed to assist with their request. He toured them to the Howe and Rosso Charolais farms in the Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan region and according to Garner, the group was impressed with the cattle operations and this greatly influenced the purchase of Canadian animals.

Among the delegation was Vyacheslav Bobryshev (Slava) who represents IP Consult (International) Ltd., who is mainly involved with the importation of farm machinery into Kazakhstan, and Oleg Vladimirovich Danilenko, who is owner of Agrofirm Dievskaya Ltd. Slava’s translation abilities were instrumental in  brokering an agreementbetween the two companies.

The following information is supplied by Hawkeye Land & Livestock Ltd. and relates to some facts and statistics on the quarantine of the animals. There were 33 contributors ranging in numbers from 1 head to 60 head (10 bulls, 50 heifers) from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The cattle were delivered to the quarantine stations at Oak Lake and Crystal City, Manitoba during the week of November 7th, 2011. Testing included: tuberculosis, paratuberculosis, brucellosis, leucosis, chlamydiosis, bluetongue, campylobacteriosis culture test (bulls only), trichomonosis - microscopic examination (bulls only). The animals were vaccinated against leptospirosis, infectious bovine rhinotreachitis (IBR), bovine viral diarrhea and bovine respiratory syncytial virus not earlier than 6 months and not later than 20 days prior to export. In total they would have gone through the chutes 7 times. We had a low percentage show a false positive. 5 in total, 3 paratuberculosis, 1 TB and 1 blue tongue; they were all retested and came up negative. Even showing up as a false positive they are ineligible to go. We also had 4 free martins when we palpated the heifers. A number of the heifers needed to be re-tatooed as the original wasn't legible. 5 Kazakh representatives, Oleg Olegovich Danilenko (owner), Slava (consultant), Amangeldy Kuibagarov and Khabidlla Abzhanov (cattle managers), and Shattansha Zhuzenov (university professor) from Agrofirm Dievskaya visited Canada from November 30th to December 2nd to inspect the animals and provide a final seal of approval. They had the opportunity to select the required numbers for the shipment from the cattle that had been assembled for them. Garner commented they selected them the way I would have; in other words, they sorted off the poorer cattle.

Now having dispensed with most of the introductions, the journey started in Winnipeg on December 11th, 2011, where Garner and I joined up in the late afternoon at a hotel close to the airport as a staging point, waiting for the cattle to arrive. At 6.30 p.m. we went over to Dryden Air which is situated in the cargo area at the S.E. side of the airport, and at 6.45 p.m. five cattle trucks arrived at the facility to be unloaded and processed. 

Processing consisted of unloading the animals from the liners and loading them into the crates they would be travelling in to Astana, Kazakhstan. The crates were 8 x 10 feet in size and as per regulations each shipment had to be newly fabricated. On first impression they did not look all that substantial, however on closer inspection the design seemed sturdy enough. Starting with an aluminum deck, plywood and two by four studding formed the walls and roof which was held in place by metal brackets. The binding agent being some heavy nylon strapping over every stud that was finished off with heavy nylon netting covering the top and sides of the crate that was anchored at the bottom.  

The total procedure involved representatives from Korean Air, who were charting the weight of each crate of animals in accordance with the loading specification for the plane. Rod Guilford took on one of the most important positions (and also one of the dirtiest) by coordinating the unloading of the animals so that the weight of each crate was within acceptable limits. The truck drivers all assisted with the unloading process. Kristi Guilford, along with helper Jacki McCannell, recorded all of the animal tags which corresponded to the animal’s tattoo for each crate. The crew from Dryden Air consisted of 7 people and they assisted with the loading of the animals in the crates and then ferried the crates out to the loading apron. A representative from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) was on hand to oversee operations, and Garner operated a series of chute gates and assisted loading the crates. My task was to take the pictures so we would have a pictorial record of the event as it unfolded. The total process was impressive as everybody understood the role they had to play and in approximately three hours, 34 crates

consisting of 310 animals weighing 106,000 kg were all lined up on the concrete apron waiting for the plane to arrive.

At 10.00 p.m. we went back to the hotel to clean-up, check out, park our vehicles in the hotel compound and at 1.00 a.m., the hotel shuttle driver delivered us back to the cargo area.  At 1.20 a.m. we received word that  the plane had landed, and with our security passes attached, we were taken out to the apron just as the Korean airlines 747 taxied in. The temperature was minus 14 degrees Celsius.

Not having been in that close a proximity to a plane of that size before it was just a smidgen intimidating to be standing virtually underneath looking up. For a moment I was probably a tad bit star struck and had to give myself a pinch to bring myself back to reality. The cargo doors opened up, including the huge nose section, the fuel truck arrived with of 190,000 lb. of fuel, and the loading of the animals commenced.

As you can see from the pictures the loading was certainly a slick operation as the crates were brought alongside a hydraulic lift, rolled on to the lift on a series of rollers, lifted up to the height of the cargo door and then pulled into the hold on another series of rollers. From there a hydraulictracking system moved the crates down the length of the hold. On the top deck 28 crates were lined up two abreast, one single crate was in the nose and 5 crates were in the belly section. This shipment had the distinction of being the largest in head ever shipped out of the country (this record only lasted one day as a shipment of Herefords exceeded the number of head the next day). 

With the animals and fuel loaded the crew was given the green light at 4.15 a.m. to depart for the 7 and one half hour flight to Brussels, Belgium. We shared comfortable accommodations with the crew of 5, which was accessed by a folding ladder in the main hold.

We landed in Belgium and the temperature was plus 4 degrees, the cargo doors were opened to help cool the cattle and 165,000 lbs of fuel was pumped aboard. After a 4 hour stop on the apron we left Brussels at 10.30 p.m. local time (the time change was 7 hours ahead). The flight time to Astana was 6 and one half hours with a time change of 5 hours. As there was no in-cabin entertainment and sleeping was sporadic, I tackled a novel called the “Sisters Brothers”.

About 3 hours out of Astana the Captain came back for a chat and mentioned that it was minus 31 degrees at our destination and very matter of fact asked – can the cattle handle that temperature? We assured him they could, however we were not so sure about us. The temperature in the hold was 16 degrees and the humidity was starting to form on the roof of the hold and run down the walls. Garner tried to convince one of the crew members to turn the heat

down in the hold…to no avail. He was more concerned with mopping the walls with absorbent pads.

Finally we landed in Astana; it was 10.15 a.m. on December 13th. We taxied to the apron where we could see a hive of activity as the ground crew, trucks with cattle handlers, scurried about on our arrival. As the cargo doors were opened the conflicting air masses created a mass of fog which immediately blurred the camera lenses. Once again the pictures tell the story as the first crates unloaded are almost engulfed in steam. Welcome to Kazakhstan, girls and boys!

In the next 30 minutes or so I witnessed a few unforgettable images that will be etched in the trips memory memoirs. As soon as the doors were opened I was off, camera in hand to record the moment. The first few minutes I circled the plane snapping shots at random, my attention was averted as a huge Soviet looking fellow dressed in a full length dark green trench coat with red braids on each shoulder, black shiny boats and a fine looking mink type hat was approaching the plane. As he mounted the stair well to the plane he started waving his hand and at first I thought he was waving in greeting… alas he was telling me to stop taking pictures. The language barrier did not help in this case so I decided that caution was in order and I put my camera away. For the next few minutes Garner was egging me on to take his picture, however my own preservation was my main thought and I decided against it. A trip to the gulag would not look good. Thankfully, he finally wandered off.

Meanwhile, as I walked over to observe the transfer of animals from the crates to the various modes of transport that would take them to their final destination, a heifer nonchalantly walked around the front of the truck. Yikes, an escapee! In the space of five seconds every conceivable negative thought flashed through my mind from her running across a runway with a plane approaching to a frolic in the parking lot outside the airport arrivals area. Luckily she seemed fairly mellow and with the assistance of a few other bodies we herded her into a fenced compound. In due course a forklift operator took an empty crate over to the compound and placed it in a corner and with a little coaxing she jumped back in. I was impressed with the handling of this situation as on more than one occasion I have witnessed bungled attempts at corralling animals in similar situations in Canada.

The 747 was unloaded and all of the crates were waiting their turn to be loaded into the trucks. Most of the trucks were grain trucks with pup trailers and the loading process was going to take some time as the animals had to be coaxed into jumping from the crates into the trailers. Although a slow process, the handlers exhibited patient

stockmanship skills to achieve this task. When each truck was loaded they stretched a light tarpaulin over the top of the trucks to shield the animals from the cold wind for the journey ahead.

The journey was far from over as the heifers still had 750 kms to get to their final destination, of which the final 100 kms were on dirt roads. It was 5 p.m. before all of the trucks were loaded and in convoy they started out for the farm. Garner and I were a little anxious for their welfare as the animals had not had feed or water for about 48 hours. 

With our documents checked and our luggage rounded up, Slava took us into the city and we booked  flights for the following morning to Kostanay, the closest airport to the farm. We booked into a hotel and following a short rest Slava hosted us to dinner of a traditional Kazakh dish which featured horse meat, potatoes, pasta and onions. The experience was “two thumbs up” and this was another first for me as I have never tasted horse meat before.

Wednesday, December 14th Slava drove us to the airport for our one hour flight to Kostanay. We were picked up by Andrey Shmyrev, one of Slava’s associates, and Ily’as Naimanov, our interpreter and set out on the two and a half hour trip to the ranch. The temperature was minus 25 degrees Celsius.

Through cell phone coverage we knew that the truck drivers had stopped for fuel and a nap during the night and were just ahead of us. After we had turned onto the dirt road to the farm from the Kostanay highway we caught up with the trucks who had stopped for a break beside the road, and to our delight the animals were peering out from under the tarpaulins and they looked remarkably alert and curious. The final stretch of road was slow going and all of the vehicles frequently left the road and travelled in the fields to make better time. At last we reached the farm sign and stopped for a photo opportunity. The farm encompasses the village of Dievka that has 250 residents of which 150 worked on the farm. The topography would mirror any of the flattest land on the prairies, literally a horizon in each direction, so the animals were coming to an environment very much like the western prairie region of Canada. The total acreage of the farm was 265,000, three quarters of which would be grain land and the balance would be pasture and hay land. The main crop in this area would be high quality hard spring wheat with protein levels of 18% in 2011.

Garner and I were taken into the village for a luncheon with the owner Oleg Vladimirovich Danilenko and we were welcomed in true Kazakh style – a vast array of food and a few toasts of cognac hoisted supporting speeches on the future success of Canadian Charolais in Kazakhstan.

As lunch wound down we could hardly restrain our restlessness to go and inspect the animals and see how they had held up after their arduous trip. It was now almost exactly 60 hours from when they had been loaded onto the liners in Manitoba without any feed or water. When we arrived at the pens the trucks had finished unloading; the word was positive from the cattle handlers as they were impressed with how vibrant the animals had behaved coming off the trucks. It was described like a group of animals being let out in the spring after being cooped up

Andrey Shmyrev (Slava’s Associate), Garner Deobald, Ily’as Naimanov (Translator)

Native Auliekolsaya breed which has about 33% Charolais blood

Farm sign of where the cattle are going

Local farm village of Dievka. Main mode of transportation is walking.

all winter in a barn. About 10 cattle handlers were separating the bulls from the heifers, and with camera in hand I slowly walked among the animals. The pens were well bedded with straw and the animals had found the hay, which they were pulling out and chewing with gusto. When they found the water running into long troughs on either side of the pen they were inhaling big swigs with obvious pleasure. For travelling that long a distance the cattle looked in really good shape. There did not appear any lameness, injury, snotty noses, dull eyes or floppy ears and when Garner and I had some time alone later we both remarked on how pleased and relieved we were with the overall health of the cattle. In my opinion  pre-conditioning really works.

After viewing the animals the cattle managers toured us through the feed resources available and we discussed what kind of regimen to feed the new arrivals. They wanted the animals to gain two and a half pounds a day and although none of the feed had been tested, we collectively decided to offer the animals some loose hay and grain silage and about 4 lb. of whole oats per day.

We had brought with us a scale head so they had designs on building a crate to fit on the scale so they could monitor weight gains of the animals.

Next we toured through a set of about 100 cow calf pairs, which in my mind exhibited a strong resemblance to the Charolais breed. Upon questioning we were informed that they had about 33% Charolais blood. Garner had been provided with some information by Shattansha Zhuzenov (University Professor) regarding the history of cattle breeds in Kazakhstan. The Charolais type animals are referred to as the Auliekolsaya breed and there are approximately 20,000 head in the country. The professor went on to say the Auliekolsaya could have been developed/founded at Dievskaya. In discussion with Garner following this viewing, the animal husbandry was obviously good so we need not have any fears as to the care of the new Charolais arrivals, and the quality of cow calf pairs was superior to what I was expecting, having viewed some of the pictures Garner had taken on a previous trip. Obviously the pictures had been  taken elsewhere. 

The professor provided some other information regarding the cattle population in Kazakhstan. Prior to 1929 Asian type of cattle made up the cattle population. In 1929 the first Hereford cattle were imported from Uruguay, which were followed by three more import shipments. Today the White Faced breed makes up a large part of the actual cattle numbers in the country and there are 80,000 purebred White Face animals in Kazakhstan.

As dusk was settling, Andrey, Ily’as, Garner and I were taken to a guest house in the village which provided us with an opportunity to freshen up and prepare for the evening’s activities.

Once again we were joined by Oleg and his driver and another vast spread of food was laid out for us to

enjoy. Oleg showed us some of the amenities of the guest house, including a full sauna complex complete with cold plunge pool (these facilities were utilized to finish up the evening). During dinner we quizzed Oleg with many questions pertaining to the ranch and his plans for the new Charolais herd. As dinner wound down, Garner presented Oleg with a copy of all of the CCA registration papers that had the CCA seal embossed, and also a copy of all the registrationpapers translated into Russian. We relayed to Oleg that the CCA would be willing to provide registration papers and a genetic evaluation (at cost) on all future offspring if they so desired.

Following this we presented various gifts on behalf of the Association. These included a  painted tile of a Charolais Bull and Charolais cow calf, two different books showing a pictorial illustration of Canada, and various Charolais keepsakes.This was followed by a photo opportunity, cognac toasts to the future of Charolais in Kazakhstan, and continued discussion on  Charolais animals.

Thursday the 15th and the temperature is minus 27. As a result of still having trouble with the 12 hour time change, I awoke early and finished the Sisters Brothers novel and started the novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

This morning we had a meeting with the two cattle managers and discussed a host of topics ranging from ongoing feed rations, the collection of weights and measures, and a discussion on how EPDs are computed. After some discussion an agreement was reached that the explanation of EPDs on our website would be translated into Russian, and they requested we send a semen tank filled with semen on a range of bulls –specifically easy calving bulls. At the conclusion of this meeting it was back to the main building for another large spread of food.On this occasion we were presented with traditional Kazakh gowns, and as you can see from the picture they make Garner

and I look very distinctive. They were obviouslya special gift and we felt honored to have received them. We finished up the meal with more cognac toasts to the future of the Charolais animals in Kazakhstan, then returned to Kostanay to conclude the banking arrangements. As we passed the corals on the way to the city we stopped once again to check on the animals. News travels quickly as a news reporter with camera in hand was canvassing the owners/cattle workers for information on the Charolais animals. Whereas yesterday the animals were scouting out their digs, today they were mainly resting in the deep straw chewing their cud. Upon inspection all seemed to be in good health and at home in their new surroundings. Once all of the banking finalities had been taken care of we checked into a hotel and freshened up, ready for our final meal with Oleg, Andrey, Il’yas, Garner and I. Once again the experience was excellent and we cannot say how much we appreciated the hospitality, it almost made us think we were the buyers not the sellers. As usual we finished with a series of cognac toasts on the success of the Charolais animals at Dievskaya before returning to the hotel. Friday, December 16th. The temperature was still in the high minus twenties as we made our way to the airport for the flight back to Astana. The flight was delayed due to technical issues so we spent the better part of the day waiting at the airport. To kill the time, Garner had a fitful nap as I continued reading my novel. When we did return to Astana, Slava was ready to pick us up and after we checked into the hotel we enjoyed a German style dinner as we filled Slava in on our experiences at the ranch. Saturday, December 17th. The temperature is minus 27 degrees. As we basically had a free day, Slava had graciously offered to take us on a tour of the city. Garner and I had both commented during our few days in Astana at the scope of the new buildings and ongoing construction in the city; it was very impressive. As it was a long holiday weekend due to the December 16th Independence day there was a good attendance at most venues in spite of the cold weather. We visited an upscale mall that was full of Christmas shoppers and as we mingled with the crowds the products for sale would mirror what we would see in Canadian malls, except the hat shop (see picture previous page). We finished up the day having dinner at a Uzbek restaurant. The very congenial Slava was most generous with his time as he arranged for our accommodations and kept Garner and I well fed and watered during our visit. We developed a humorous banter between the three of us as he ferried us from point to point while in the capital city of Astana. Without doubt we appreciated his efforts to look after our needs during the visit and we owe Slava a heartfelt thank you for his hospitality. Sunday, December 18th. Early rise at 2.00 a.m. for the flight back to Canada. Temperature minus 28 degrees. This part of the trip was a long drawn out affair taking 30 hours to arrive back into Winnipeg. I finished the novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In conclusion: Garner had been to Kazakhstan before this trip and in September of 2011 he had travelled over with Rod Guildford and an importation of Hereford cattle, so he had some experience of what to expect. Seeing as it was the first time for me everything was a new experience so I look upon these excursions as an adventure simply because you never know what to expect, or whether you will have the opportunity to repeat them again. Hopefully, my recollection of the events will provide the reader with a feeling of what this journey was like, and what we experienced delivering a group of animals literally half way around the world. I will end with an email that Slava sent to Garner over the Christmas break, which to me reads like a satisfied customer. ‘I’m regularly in contact with people from AGF Dievskaya and they’re sending to you hello and best wishes. Animals are very energy-full and healthy.’

24 hours in their new home and the cattle are completely settled in.