Shawano ag company strikes deal with Chinese dairy operation

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A Wisconsin agricultural company will work with a large-scale dairy operation in China.

Cooperative Resources International of Shawano has struck a long-term deal with the Flying Crane Dairy to provide management expertise, and ways to improve the genetic levels of their cows.

CRI vice president Keith Heikus says it will let their cows “breed back better and faster.”

Flying Crane plans to build 10 new dairy farms in the Heilongjiang region of China.

The number of dairy cows in China has jumped from four million to 10 million since 2001.

Heikus says the Chinese government wants to increase the nation’s use of dairy products, especially by children.

The agreement comes after Gov. Jim Doyle’s trade mission to China and Japan earlier this month.

Heikus says the deal could significantly raise the international profile of Wisconsin’s dairy industry.

Tags: wisconsin, dairy, china