What are the special breeding projects? A quick guide to common types

At present, there are many special breeding projects in our country, and quite a few special breeding projects are relatively suitable for development, such as fur animals including rex rabbits, mink, foxes, raccoon dogs, and muskrats; poultry including pheasants and pigeons; freshwater specialty breeds including turtles, bullfrogs, loaches, and river mussels; and specialty marine products including sea cucumbers, abalone, and prawns, all of which can be given appropriate attention for development. For those special breeding animal species that have not yet become established and whose numbers and uses are especially rare, development should be carried out cautiously. Below, the editor will introduce some common special breeding projects for everyone.

Beef cattle farming

From the perspective of domestic market demand, people's consumption habits for livestock products are gradually changing, from mainly eating frozen meat in the past to fresh, diversified, nutritious, and scientific options. The consumption structure has also shifted from the past single category of beef, mutton, and other livestock products to specialty, high-quality, and rare livestock products. Consumption frequency has increased, and what used to be meat seen only during the New Year and festivals and regarded as a luxury has become an everyday dish. Farmers can also buy meat at the market at any time. From the perspective of the international market, after entry into the WTO, China's livestock product trade has entered a global scope of large circulation, large cycles, and a large market, and fluctuations in world market demand also affect the domestic market. In the world meat market, beef, mutton, and dairy products account for a relatively large share of consumption, while pork and poultry meat account for a relatively small share.

China's beef cattle and their products all have quite strong competitiveness. In particular, six major local excellent breed cattle such as Nanyang cattle and Qinchuan cattle have many advantages, including beef that is tender and juicy with good flavor. For their shortcomings such as slow growth and development and low average daily gain during fattening, we can use excellent foreign beef cattle breeds such as Simmental, Limousin, German Yellow Cattle, and Piedmontese for improvement, and then fatten the crossbred offspring. In this way, we can both produce high-grade, high-quality beef and increase the economic income of cattle farmers (farms).

According to a survey of cattle farming production areas in the Central Plains beef cattle belt, short-term fattening of beef cattle for 3-4 months can yield a profit of 500-600 yuan per head. At the same time, we must organize deep processing of beef well according to the needs of domestic and international markets; arrange production according to the direction and scale of market demand; and change concepts, adjust thinking, and win by quality. Only in this way can we achieve the goal of increasing farmers' income and getting rich on the path to a moderately prosperous life. For example, although it is also beef, the feeder cattle produced by farmers sold on the market bring in only a little over ten yuan. In contrast, the beef produced by Changchun Haoyue Halal Meat Industry Co., Ltd., using advanced technical equipment from 7 countries including the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark, earns more than 30 million US dollars in foreign exchange through exports annually. The best cuts sell for 100 yuan per kilogram in the Middle East market, while the worst cuts can still sell for 18 yuan/kg in the domestic market. Moreover, after deep processing, bovine eyes can be made into biological medicines, each vial of which can sell for hundreds of US dollars, making the economic benefits very attractive.

High-yield dairy cow farming

In developed countries, annual milk consumption per person is above 300 kg, and the world average per capita milk consumption is 94 kg, while China's per capita figure is only 8.4 kg, and Henan's per capita figure is only 3.1 kg. How huge the gap is between China and other countries! After entry into the WTO, with the development of China's economic construction and the gradual improvement of people's living standards, China's dairy industry is bound to develop at a high speed. At present, the state is promoting the “Student Milk Plan.”

If every primary and secondary school student drinks a glass of milk every day, then China's annual milk output would have to double. In China, raising one high-yield dairy cow can reach an annual milk yield of 7 tons, with a feed-to-milk ratio of only 0.25:1. The annual output value of each dairy cow is 13,000 yuan, and the net income is about 8,000 yuan. If a farmer raises 10 high-yield dairy cows per year, the annual income can be 80,000-100,000 yuan. A dairy cow is a “money tree.” Therefore, vigorously developing the dairy cow farming industry in large and medium-sized cities and their suburban counties (cities), and then comprehensively upgrading the processing of dairy products, will bring very considerable economic benefits.

Boer goat farming

In recent years, China's agricultural regions have vigorously developed goat farming, and many farming households have made a big “goat fortune.” Many excellent local goat breeds, such as the Saanen dairy goat, Lubei goat, Huanghuai goat, Taihang fur goat, and Funiu white goat in the north, are all excellent breed resources for developing the goat farming industry. Although local excellent goat breeds all have advantages such as strong adaptability and tolerance of roughage, they also have shortcomings such as small body size, slow growth speed, and low reproductive performance, so their economic benefits are limited. If foreign large meat-type goats (such as Boer goats) are introduced for crossbreeding improvement to produce commercial meat goats, the economic benefits can increase severalfold.

Since 1995, China has introduced the meat-type goat originating from South Africa, the Boer goat, for raising, and has carried out crossbreeding improvement with local goats, achieving notable results. For adult Boer goats, body weight is 84.5-90 kg for rams and 75.5-80 kg for ewes, with multiple births per year and multiple kids per litter, an average annual production of 3.6 kids, and a ewe kidding rate of 207.8%.

According to reports, when Boer goats are crossed with Lubei goats, commercial goats gain 180-220 grams per day, twice as fast as local goats. At 9 months of age, the body weights of rams and ewes reach 46.4 kg and 39.3 kg respectively, on average about 58.4% higher than local goats. Raising one Boer goat can yield an annual output value of 500-700 yuan, with net income increasing by 300-400 yuan. Raising one Boer crossbred goat brings higher economic benefits than raising 2-3 pigs.