/ArticleFile/File/D8C439E5-1285-4425-AF32-0D090482DE13/H:\Russia Project\AKKOR Articles\2017 Articles From AKKOR\AKKOR Letter to Iowa Farmers January 2017 English 170202.pdf

AKKOR Letter to Iowa Farmers

January 2017

Dear Iowa Farmers!

It is already the end of January 2017. Time flies. From your most recent letter we have learned that the IFBF was recognized at the AFBF Annual Meeting with a prestigious PINNACLE Award. Four years in a row of such recognition is a huge achievement and we send our heartfelt congratulations your way!

While your Annual Meetings are over, we are getting ready for the 28th AKKOR Congress that will be held in Moscow on February 16 and 17, 2017. We’ll let you know how it went in our February Letter.

In the meanwhile, we have stepped up our dairy incentive program.  With economic sanctions still in place, we need to produce more quality dairy products.With that thought in mind, earlier last year AKKOR launched a national competition “The best family dairy farm 2016”.

AKKOR in conjunction with the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, AgBank of Russia, the national Leasing company, and the AKKOR Milk Club launched a national completion for the title of “The Best Family Dairy Farm of 2016”. The Rules of the competition were posted on the AKKOR website.

The main purpose of this competition was to draw attention to the importance of family dairy farms and to their effectiveness. It was also important for us to determine what role family dairies play in solving important social and economic issues in rural areas, as well as their contribution to rural development and in rural revival in general.

The AKKOR main office staff in Moscow as well as regional AKKOR branches worked together to attract family farm in participating in this first competition of its kind.

There were three steps in the completion: 1. Singling out family farms; 2. Moving the best to the next stage; and 3. Determining the winners in each category.

Twelve regional offices took part and by the end of December 2016 they submitted their final protocols with the scores.

32 family farms were selected to enter the second stage of the competition. It is worthwhile mentioning that among the selected 32 dairy farms there were some that participated in the national program “Family Dairy Farms” (the ones that qualified for national subsidies) and others – were independent private farm owners.

There were four categories of farms: 1) The Best Dairy of 25 heads herd; 2) 26 to 50 heads herd; 3) 51 to 100 heads herd; 4) 101 to 200 heads herd;

Three winners were determined in each of the categories. Valuable gifts and prized for the winners were provided by such sponsors as: the Russian Leasing Company, one of the top Russian banks; a major agricultural machinery building plant; an Ag. Services company. The Agricultural Bank of Russia acted as a general sponsor.

January 27, 2017 was the day when the results of the national competition were revealed.

Pictured below are members of the competition evaluation panel  Headed by a long-time friend, the AKKOR Deputy Executive Director, Olga Bashmachnikova, Fr. Deputy Minister of Russian Agriculture and Director of the National Scientific-Research Agrarian Institute, Prof. A. Petrikov, AKKOR first President, Prof. V. Bashmachnikov, General Manager of “Capital-Prok” and AKKOR Milk Club expert, S Tananova, Rural Development Chief  with the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. V. Kalinin, and  head of the Dairy and Biotechnology Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, Ms. L. Zernayeva.

Selection Committee members were responsible for evaluating the candidates according to certain criteria: 1) Farm administration and efficiency (twelve factors were taken into account) was evaluated by the North-Western Scientific Research Center; 2) Each Selection Committee member evaluated each of the contenders   based on 19 factors; and 3) Evaluation of dairy farms based on the profit ratio of 1 liter of milk (~ 1\3 gallon) per a cow including labor costs.

Based on this comprehensive evaluation system, the winners represent a vast geography: from Siberia, to Chechnya (in the Caucasus), to Central Russia, to the Republic of Tatarstan (which the IFBF delegation visited about 5 years ago), to the Volgograd Region – AKKOR’s President’s homeland.

Some worthy candidates were disqualified because of the veto that the competition sponsors, - Leasing and Lending organizations, imposed on some family farms.

Are you interested to know what those awarded prizes are?

Well, 1st place winners in all four categories will get an APPLE Mac-Book, a Canon “mirror” camera, hay-rolling rakes. And, in the smallest category (up to 25 cows) the winners will get an automated milking line instead of the camera.

2nd place holders will get an ASUS Flip iPad and a Canon mirror camera.

3rd place winners will receive a Canon mirror camera and an iPad

4th place holders – Tablets with a DOK station

To extend our gratitude to all other participants, they will receive a Certificate of Appreciation and an Alcatel tablet.

The award ceremony will take place during the upcoming 28-th AKKOR Congress.

With that, wish us well with the running and outcomes of our Congress and till we meet again in March.

 Olga Bashmachnikova,

AKKOR Deputy Executive Director