October 22, 2010
In Mudanjiang, China – some 6,200 miles away from the JibuPlots™ site in Kenya – Land O’Lakes, Inc. recently began a series of demonstration plots aimed at improving quality alfalfa supply and facilitation in China. By providing a tool for both crop growers and dairy farmers, these demonstration plots are another step for Land O’Lakes in China as it continues to address animal performance and milk quality issues, as well as looks at new opportunities in the dairy nutrition value chain.
Through a four-way alliance comprised of the international business division of Land O’Lakes, Forage Genetics International, a commercial grower from the city of Jiamusi, and the China Academy of Sciences Heilongjiang Division, the project aims to develop awareness and promote production of quality alfalfa and other forage crops through a collaborative research and development relationship. All parties mutually agree that improving alfalfa quality and increasing production and facilitation of forages like alfalfa and corn can significantly improve inefficiencies in China’s dairy herd.
Similar to Kenyan farmers, the greatest hindrance for dairy farmers in Mudanjiang, which straddles China’s northern border with Russia, is animal nutrition. “Chinese farmers are increasingly paying for animals with top genetics, but their volumes suffer from the poor forage their cattle eat,” explained Christopher Darling, who is overseeing the Land O’Lakes, Inc. demonstration plot project, and other commercial efforts in China.
Alfalfa was chosen because it can be grown even on difficult-to-cultivate marginal land – an important consideration, since only 15 percent of Chinese land is arable. Darling said that his group would like to expand into corn silage, given the impact it can have on improved milk volumes, but this is confounded by the fact that Chinese corn production is nearly exclusively for grain and human consumption.
“Milk and dairy consumption is booming in China, and it’s highly correlated with growth in income and GDP, even more than fish and chicken consumption,” said Darling. At the same time, he believes the country’s massive, inefficient herd is draining limited agricultural resources. “On average, the entire herd in the U.S. produces 9.5 tons of milk each year per animal, but it’s only 2.5 tons in China,” he noted.
In addition to the site in Mudanjiang, another demonstration plot just outside of Beijing in Hebei province’s Sanhe city is being set up in collaboration with a more than 5,000 head dairy farm. Darling and his team are looking even further into the Western Provinces of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia and Gansu, where the sandy soil, relatively dry conditions, and relatively low population densities of the region could enhance the commercial production potential of alfalfa in China.
Following the 2008 food safety problem, when thousands of children fell seriously ill after consuming Chinese powdered milk adulterated with melamine, the country has significantly expanded its focus on using appropriate agricultural technologies to increase production and meet demand.
Darling and his team are optimistic about Land O’Lakes future in China. “We are expecting that dairy development and calls for quality and efficiency in the dairy industry will trickle upstream into forage crop production, which will positively impact our seed business, animal nutrition profile and our feed value.”
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