Brent Landis
Agriculture Services Coordinator
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Lancaster
Chamber
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Phone: (717) 397-3531 ext. 62
E-mail:blandis@lcci.com
INVESTMENT
OPPORTUNITIES IN RUSSIA
FOR THE
AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY
The globalization of agricul
ture is one of the biggest chal
lenges agriculture continues to
face. Future growth in interna
tional markets shows promising
signs for U.S. agriculture, which
produces more than half of the
world’s food production, while
providing a quarter of the
world’s total agricultural ex
ports.
Our country’s population
spends between 10-11 percent of
its household budget on food.
This helps illustrate enormous
potential for food exports to de
veloping countries such as
Russia, which spends between
80-90 percent of its household
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more information, call our hotline at 1-800-208-4094, visit our web site
at www.dowagro.com/midwest or see your retailer. And see why
fop Notch is fast becoming a best-seller.
, . _ . „ ~ _ _ .. . . Alwavs read and follow label directions Dow AgroSaences LLC,
Trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC Top Notch is a restricted use pestade Amaya
9330 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268-1054 Illustrations obtained from Weeds of Nebraska and me Great Plains
■
budget on food and has a market
of 150 million customers.
Russia’s economy is showing
a positive growth trend with a
new measure of stability after
nearly a decade of an unstable
economy. Their import market
is growing and shows signs to
possibly repeat its 1994 growth
pattern, when it became the fast
est growing food market in the
world. Thanks to high oil prices,
Russia expects a seven percent
annual growth rate in 2001.
The Ruble devaluation has
dramatically lowered local busi
ness costs. Foreign direct invest
ment from the European Union
is growing, which will continue
to help strengthen Russia’s
economy. The administration of
President Putin has declared its
intention to improve the busi-
ness climate and seek more for
eign investment.
The third-quarter report for
the 2000 U.S. agricultural ex
porters to Russia is $l2O million,
from which poultry encom
passed a 70 percent share. There
are signs that Russia’s imports
may expand past the single com
modity stage. This may include
niche markets in the food pro
cessing industry. Multinational
food processors are sourcing
more raw materials locally.
Russia is likely to regain its
place as a strong and dynamic
market for U.S. agricultural and
food exports because the limited
capability of Russia’s agricul
tural industry to meet their do
mestic demand for food
products.
To better inform the agricul
ture industry and other inter
ested businesses about the
opportunities and benefits of ex
porting to Russia, The Lancaster
Chamber of Commerce and In
dustry will be hosting an inform
ative seminar, “Investment
Opportunities in Russia for the
American Agriculture Indus
try,” Friday, March 16 from 1
p.m. to 4:30 p.m. This seminar is
coordinated by the USDA and
the Pennsylvania Russia Busi
ness Council and sponsored in
part by the South-central Penn
sylvania International Network
(SPIN). The event will present
AgroSciences
Top Notch
information on the current Rus
sian agribusiness market and
how Mid-Atlantic area busi
nesses can safely explore these
opportunities.
The seminar is ideal for any
businesses that offer products or
services related to agriculture,
businesses that are interested in
the Russian market, or individu
als interested in investment op
portunities in Russia.
Representatives from the USDA
along with selected technical ex
perts from the field will be
present to discuss these many
opportunities.
Following this seminar, the
USDA and U.S. Agriculture In
ternational Development
(USAID) will sponsor a trade
Penn State Dairy
Housing Plans:
Second Edition
ITHACA, N.Y. Good dairy
housing provides animals with a
clean, dry, and comfortable area
for resting, eating, drinking,-and
exercising. In addition, it is cost
effective to build and maintain,
provides safe and efficient work
ing conditions for caretakers,
and protects the environment.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 10,2001-A25
mission to Russia (specifically
Rostov, Samara, and Lipetsk) to
explore new trade opportunities.
These agencies have worked fo*-
several years to pave the way for
U.S. investment and trade in se
lected Russian regions.
The cost of the seminar is $35
for Lancaster Chamber and
PRBC members and $45 for
non-members. To register or for
more program details, visit the
Chamber Website at
www.lancaster-chamber.com or
contact Brent Landis at (717)
397-3531, ext. 134, or e-mail
blandis@lcci.com. You can visit
the Pennsylvania-Russia Busi
ness Council Website for more
information at www.fita.org/
prbc.
Penn State Dairy Housing Plans,
NRAES-85, (originally pub
lished January 1998), offers 29
plans developed by faculty and
staff of the Department of Agri
cultural and Biological Engi
neering at The Pennsylvania
State University and Penn
State Cooperative Extension. The plans pro
vide information that can help plan a more
successful freestall barn, heifer barn, or dry
cow and maternity housing facility.
A revision of Penn State Freestall and
Heifer Housing Plans (1994), this 106-page
publication offers 12 freestall housing plans,
six heifer housing plans, four dry cow and
maternity housing plans, and seven plans for
details and components. For this edition all
plans have been revised to incorporate the
latest recommendations for freestall design,
ventilation, and cow movement. Also in this
edition are introductory discussions for each
section and a list of suggested readings.
The freestall section offers plans for vari
ous two-row, three-row, four-row, and six
row freestall barns. Included in the heifer
section are plans for bedded pack housing,
counter-slope housing, single-slope housing,
and three types of heifer freestall barns. The
section on dry cow and maternity housing
contains ideas for housing dry cows in bedded
pack groups, multiple pen barns with drive
though feeding, pre-fresh/maternity pen
areas, convalescence areas, and post-fresh
housing facilities.
Included in the detail and components sec
tion are sidewall curtains/drainage, watering
locations, floor surfaces, feed barriers, free
stalls, and ventilation openings. The plans are
drawn for specific numbers of animals, but in
most cases they can be changed to accommo
date the numbers of cows or heifers needing
housing.
It is available for $l5 per copy (plus ship
ping and handling) from NRAES. For more
information or a free publication catalog,
contact NRAES by phone at (607) 255-7654,
by fax at (607) 254-8770, or by e-mail at
nraes@cornel). Visit the Web site at
vww.nraes.org.
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