Family farms operate in diverse ways, with pig farming alone generating annual returns of over 1.6 million yuan

By the end of 2012, family farms in Songjiang, Shanghai, had grown to 1,206 households, and Wuhan had also cultivated 167 demonstration family farms, each with annual incomes of over 200,000 yuan. So what exactly are these family farm models like? We might as well look at a few examples to see how they do it.

Although the concept of "family farm" was proposed for the first time in this year's No. 1 Central Document, in fact, both Songjiang in Shanghai and Wuhan have piloted and promoted grain family farms of 100 mu to 150 mu. By the end of 2012, family farms in Songjiang, Shanghai, had grown to 1,206 households, and Wuhan had also cultivated 167 demonstration family farms, each with annual incomes of over 200,000 yuan. So what exactly are these family farm models like? We might as well look at a few examples to see how they do it.

Sample one: Pig farming

Annual returns 1.6 million yuan

Business approach Using science and technology to raise pigs

In 2008, Yu Kemin saw pork prices soaring and decided to return to his hometown to go into agriculture. He borrowed nearly 600,000 yuan from relatives, invested a total of 1 million yuan, and set up a small pig farm.

In 2010, a swine fever outbreak struck suddenly, and several hundred pigs all died within 3 days. Because of this, he learned the importance of scientific pig farming: "People cannot enter and leave the pigsty at will, because they will bring in human pathogens." He specifically signed up at the Wuhan Agricultural School to study pig farming, and also trained his whole family into qualified keepers.

In 2012, the 200 sows he raised farrowed smoothly, the piglets for rearing sold out completely, and together with 2,000 finished pigs on hand for rearing coming to market, last year's annual income was 1.6 million yuan, and this year it is expected to be even more.

Yu Kemin also learned to recycle pig manure, building an 80-cubic-meter medium-sized biogas digester and a manure and sewage treatment system. Next, Yu Kemin also plans to open a farmhouse resort offering food and lodging.

Sample two Grain-growing farm

Area 115 mu

Crop variety Rice

Annual returns Over 100,000 yuan

Business approach Combine production with marketing, and take the premium and branded route

Shen Wanying, 37 this year, is a villager of Jinsheng Village, Shihudang, Songjiang. Before returning home to farm, she was an urban white-collar worker. Starting in 2008, Shen Wanying ran a family farm together with her father, and in 2010 she formally took over from her father, becoming a new female family farm owner, and her current operating area has already reached 115 mu.

At Shen Wanying's home, she took out a vacuum-packed rice bag printed with her own trademark, a design composed of the two characters "Wan" and "Ying," which Shen Wanying designed herself. "Right now, many rice brand logos use rice, straw hats, and other field-related elements, but I wanted to design a special logo that is truly my own."

Shen Wanying said that at present, the trademark "Wanying" is in the acceptance stage. Shen Wanying's goal is to build a brand that truly belongs to the local farmers of Songjiang and to turn farming into a true career. Shen Wanying said that by taking the premium route, her annual income has also doubled. "If all ordinary rice were planted, the net return on these 115 mu of land in one year might be only a few tens of thousands of yuan, but through the self-production and self-sales model and creating premium packaged rice, the annual income now reaches over 100,000 yuan."

Sample three: Grain growing + pig farming

Farm area 200 mu of farmland, 3 mu of pig farm

Annual returns Total annual income from farming and raising livestock 200,000 yuan

Business approach The integrated crop-livestock family farm model of "grain growing + livestock raising"

In Yaojing Village, Maogang Town, Songjiang District, Li Chunfeng and his parents contracted 200 mu of farmland and also manage a pig farm covering 3 mu, making him a veritable family farm owner. A small room next to the pig farm is the place where Li Chunfeng "holds the fort" day and night.

On Li Chunfeng's farm, the eye-catching pig farm can be seen at a glance, housing about 500 pigs and equipped with modern ventilation, cooling, and manure and urine collection and utilization facilities.

According to Li Chunfeng, the construction of the pig farm was all invested in by the government, and the feeding and management method adopts all-in-all-out, with 500 pigs per batch, 2.5 batches raised each year, and an annual output of 1,300 to 1,400 pigs. "In this pig farm that we manage, the average annual return per pig is 50 yuan, so the annual income from pig farming reaches 60,000 to 70,000 yuan."

This kind of integrated crop-livestock family farm of "grain growing + livestock raising" not only brought more income to Li Chunfeng's family, but also, by promoting the return of pig manure and urine to the fields, saved part of the cost of buying fertilizer and reduced the cost of farming. The return per mu of farmland is about 700 yuan, and the total annual income from farming and raising livestock is about 200,000 yuan.