What are the advantages of raising sheep in the mountainous areas of Guizhou?

China has gradually shifted the focus of sheep production (especially mutton sheep production) from pastoral areas to mountainous areas, which is also greatly beneficial to sheep growth. This is mainly determined by the enormous pressure faced by pastoral areas and the unique characteristics of mountainous areas. Guizhou is a mountainous province, and the advantages of raising sheep in the mountainous areas of Guizhou can be divided into the following three points.

First, the mountainous areas of Guizhou have a relatively mild climate, abundant rainfall, and fertile soil. The growing period for plants is long and favorable, and there are relatively many sources of forage and feed, thus providing a great material foundation for raising sheep.

Second, the natural conditions in the mountainous areas of Guizhou are also relatively superior, and the level of sheep production is high. Most sheep breeds in mountainous areas have excellent reproductive traits such as early sexual maturity, estrus in all four seasons, and multiple births. Their reproductive efficiency is twice as high as that of pastoral areas, and the annual production efficiency of sheep is also higher than that of pastoral areas.

Third, sheep raising in the mountainous areas of Guizhou is generally mainly based on barn feeding, which not only does not cause ecological problems, but also brings great benefits to the healthy development of agriculture. Using crop straw for barn-fed sheep raising can not only reduce the air pollution problem caused by burning straw, but also provide a large amount of high-quality organic fertilizer for crop cultivation, which is also relatively beneficial to the sustainable development of agriculture.