Along with getting the places winterized, prepping for production sales and tackling their daily tasks, the crews at both Stevenson Angus and Holden Herefords have had a unique project before them. They’ve been getting ready to literally ship and also fly cattle to Russia.
We spoke with Darrell Stevenson the morning of Sunday, November 21 as he was making his way from Delaware to Chicago. They had bid farewell to the cattle being shipped from the East coast and were heading to meet the cattle that would be flown from Chicago. Darrell told us that they loaded up 545 Angus and Hereford cattle onto a ship on Saturday. There were 53 bulls along on that voyage which will be about 25 days. Five quarter horses and a veterinarian, Dr. Craig Moore from Choteau, were also along for the ride.
There will end up being 6 more plane loads flying over in the next 4 weeks. These cattle will end up continuing on as a nucleus breeding herd for the entire country of Russia
Darrell explained that this is a relationship that has been three years in the making.
The following pictures show the cattle and horses being loaded into that ship.
These photos depict the final inspection before the first plane was loaded.
Pictures from Darrell Stevenson
© Northern Ag Network 2010
Haylie Shipp
