Dear International Customer,

Thanks for contacting the Dairy One Forage Lab. We appreciate your interest in our forage analysis services and welcome the opportunity to serve you.

Two major challenges of conducting business internationally are shipping and transit time. Information contained in this letter and the accompanying guidelines should help decrease the amount of time that your samples spend in transit.

Forage Sample Kits are available upon request for shipping costs only. The sample kit contains the plastic sample bag, sample information sheet and envelope.

To send samples internationally, every shipment must be accompanied by the appropriate paperwork. This is to ensure the smooth passage of samples through US Customs and to avoid any unforeseen delays. Accompanying is a copy of our USDA Permit (#61640). You may photocopy the permit as often as required. Please be sure to include a copy with every shipment.

Documents pertaining to the shipment should be placed in an envelope taped to the outside of the package. The envelope should be clearly labeled "US Customs Documents." The envelope should contain:

1. USDA Permit #61640
   
2. A complete list clearly identifying all samples in the shipment.

Do not put the envelope inside the shipping box. Customs will not open the box to retrieve the documentation and your shipment will not process. It may be destroyed or shipped back to you. Always clearly label and affix the envelope to the outside of the package.

Proper sampling is the first step of the analysis process. Please be sure to collect a good representative sample. Collect 12 - 20 subsamples of the feed to be analyzed and combine them in a clean plastic bucket. Mix thoroughly, and take a composite sample from the bucket. We need to receive at least 300 grams of wet sample (400 grams of pasture) or 100 grams of predried sample.

We strongly recommend that silage and pasture samples be dried prior to shipping. This will prevent spoilage that could occur if the samples are delayed in transit. When pasture and silage samples are dried, include a note that states "These are predried samples of silage or pasture to be used for analytical purposes only. All samples will be incinerated upon completion of the analysis."

Payment in US funds should accompany all samples. The majority of our international customers prefer to pay by VISA or MasterCard. Write the account number, the expiration date and signature as it appears on the card in the appropriate section of the Sample Information Sheet. Using your credit card will insure the prompt processing of your samples. It insures that the proper amount is paid as well as taking into account the current exchange rate.

If you plan on analyzing 50 samples or more per year, an agribusiness account can be established in your name. You will then be billed monthly and prompt payment is appreciated. Your account balance can also be charged to your credit card.

Please contact me (Fax: 607 257-1350; E-mail, pauls@dairyone.com) if you have any questions. We appreciate the opportunity to do business and look forward to working with you.

Best Regards,

Paul K. Sirois
Forage Lab Manager