Since last July, Jamie O’Shea of Granton has been overseeing a large beef cattle operation in the Tver Region of Russia, about five hours northwest of Moscow. The farm, called Verhnevolzhsky Cattle Breeding Complex, hired O’Shea in hopes his Canadian expertise would help bring the struggling operation up to the standards we enjoy here.
Home for Christmas and New Years, O’Shea spoke to the St. Marys Journal Argus about his experiences so far. He says he’s found his stay rewarding, yet undeniably challenging.
Growing up on his family’s beef farm, O’Shea started showing heifers at the age of 12 and developed an interest in livestock. When the family operation diversified in more recent years to include fruits, vegetables, and entertainment farming, Jamie stuck with cattle.
He had been working for a number of different companies when the opportunity to go to Russia came up around Thanksgiving, 2010. After getting all of the paperwork and visas worked out, he left last July.
“The way we do things here is not how they work there,” he says, adding that culture shock and getting used to the Russian work ethic have been among the biggest hurdles he’s faced.
“Here, most operations will have around 20-30 cows. There, they have 1,200-1,500 and, along with that, all the problems that come with bigger operations,” says O’Shea.
He notes that Russia has been in a state of disarray and confusion since the fall of Communism in 1991. “Not everyone has been able to grasp the idea of free enterprise...Many of the people who grew up with Communism were not taught to think for themselves, and now they can’t.”
O’Shea points out that, in Canada, an operation of this size might have around 10 employees but, in Russia, the farm employs between 150-200. “It shocked me at first...but the Russian mentality is that you have one job, and that’s what you do. No one does more.”
He notes that the large number of employees doesn’t affect the farm financially, because Russian workers work for so little.
“The average worker just gets through the day. There’s no will to improve things...to move up in the world.” O’Shea says one of his biggest challenges has been motivating the workers; and the managers, being Russian, aren’t much help. “It’s an interesting society. They’re very proud of their country, but they’re also very skeptical. Many are unsure that things will ever change...They’ve been doing it one way for 700 years, so why change?
“‘That’s just Russia,’ they’ll say...it can be frustrating.”
O’Shea also notes that alcoholism is rampant among the working class. “In Russia, you’re either rich or poor; there is no middle class. I wasn’t prepared for the level of poverty that’s there.”
He says the experience thus far has helped him put things in perspective. “It definitely makes home look good...I realize now how good we have it in Canada. It’s definitely a different view when you take a look over the other side of the fence. To see what we feel is important here in Canada, and compare to what’s important in Russia...there, it’s eating.”
According to O’Shea, traditionally in Russia the beef industry has been fed by the byproducts of the dairy industry — mainly old dairy cows and bull calves.
“The government wants to feed its own country...but the quality of eating wants improving.” He says you wouldn’t typically get steaks and roasts from the traditional Russian beef industry; that the animal is usually ground. “If you get a steak in a fancy restaurant, it’s probably been shipped in from another country.”
O’Shea has a full-time translator with him. “Sometimes it can take 10-15 minutes to get a few sentences out,” he says. “It can be interesting.”
“I definitely miss things from home, but I wouldn’t say I’m homesick. I miss social interaction. I’m used to talking to different people every day, but there I just talk to my interpreter.”
O’Shea says he doesn’t go out and visit people at night either, or even watch TV. “I have a decent Internet connection, though. One thing I really miss is playing hockey once a week.” When asked about hockey, he says it’s popular in Russia, but the closest town doesn’t have an arena. “The weather there is like it’s been here: pretty mild. A lot of freezing and thawing. They might scrape off an outdoor rink, but the weather’s not cooperating.”
Unlike most examples of Russian literature, though, all is not doom and gloom. Although progress has been slow, O’Shea knows the changes he’s helped to bring about will pay off in the long run.
“We’ve introduced stricter culling; they were keeping animals around that had long been unproductive. We’re working on nutrition, which is a struggle based on the way they prepare feed.”
He says there’s no reward or penalty based on the quality of products so, after spending the summer producing less-than-spectacular feed, everyone ends up being paid the same regardless. “Then they wonder why their animals are doing poorly...it’s a vicious cycle.”
While he was brought in for his expertise on genetics, breeding, and animal care, O’Shea says the bulk of his time has been spent correcting basic husbandry issues. “We’re working on basic cropping, fertilizers,” he says, adding that the issues they hired him to deal with are no good without the basics.
“I see the potential. I know what (the farm) is capable of. The majority of the animals have been exported from Canada, so they have the genetics. They have some very good facilities too; there’ve been considerable investments made...It’s just a matter of making proper use of it.
“I’m helping them learn. Once I’m gone, they’ll have to do it themselves. Improvements are coming, but in very small increments.
“In the future, we’ll have to figure out how we’re going to feed the world...It’s going to take a long time for Russia to realize their potential. Until then, North America is going to have to lead the way. Our research is valued by other countries.
“It’s interesting how small the world is now,” he says.