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Success Story
Helping Belarusians
build better dairy farms
Volunteer Aids Agricultural Businesses
Photo: CNFA
USAID volunteer, David Kammel (left),
inspects cow housing facilities with local
Belarusian hosts.
“We really appreciate the
recommendations from
David Kammel and are
thankful to USAID for
bringing him to Belarus.
...Now we are very close
to achieving the goal of
becoming the best dairy
design firm in the country,”
said Alexander German,
owner of SIS.
SIS, a Belarusian company that provides consulting services
to agricultural businesses shifted its focus several years ago to
designing cow houses. During the summer of 2009, the company
was involved in the reconstruction of eight dairy farms and the
building of an entirely new dairy complex. However, the market was
quickly changing and SIS specialists were in need of further training
in order to become leaders in this niche of the Belarusian market.
Specifically, SIS specialists needed to become better acquainted with
modern cow housing design, to learn how to work as independent
consultants, and to receive recommendations for further development
of their company.
USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer program, which connects farmers in
developing countries with experts from the US who share knowledge,
sent David Kammel, an agricultural engineer who has done vast
research on the designing and building of milking centers, to assist
SIS and share his specialized knowledge. Kammel traveled from
Wisconsin for a two-week volunteer assignment in Belarus.
He visited with SIS specialists and provided several training
sessions. Each session addressed a different aspect of cow housing
technologies and milking practices. In addition to his training
sessions with the SIS staff, Kammel met with some of SIS’s current
and potential clients. These visits allowed him to look at actual
facilities and provide specific recommendations, ranging from the
design of various kinds of barns to ventilation systems that would
ease summer conditions.
During his time in Belarus, Kammel developed strong relationships,
including one with Alexander Lapotko from the Livestock Department
of the Belarusian Research Institute of Animal Breeding. Lapotko
greatly enjoyed the exchange and is planning a visit to the US, which
will allow him to become better acquainted with American dairies.
The Belarusian specialists have noticed the benefits of the exchange
with their American counterpart. Alexander German, the owner of
SIS said, “We really appreciate the recommendations from David
Kammel and are thankful to USAID for bringing him to Belarus.
He offered possible solutions that we had not been able to receive
previously. Our company continues to grow our client base and
number of employees. Now we are very close to achieving the goal
of becoming the best dairy design firm in the country.”
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