Be a leader in green agriculture and take the road to rural prosperity with local characteristics
Wang Haihe and the Hu sheep breeding base
Following the broad avenue forward, you enter Gaizhu Village in Zhuyang She Ethnic Township, where the mountains are verdant, the river is emerald green, and the fragrance of the fields greets you. Wang Haihe's Hu sheep breeding base is located right here, and Wang Haihe, the person in charge of the base, along with several keepers, is moving among the flock feeding the sheep.
Adapting to local conditions and taking the road of green breeding
Wang Haihe told the reporter that Gaizhu Village has a forest coverage rate of 78.2%, fertile soil with a high utilization rate, and abundant forage resources along field edges, stream banks, and around ponds and reservoirs, making it a typical ecological village. In recent years, the number of pigs, cattle, and sheep kept in surrounding villages has declined year by year, yet raising Hu sheep is very well suited to the area.
It was precisely because Wang Haihe recognized Gaizhu Village's unique ecological environment that he built a Hu sheep base of more than 2000 sq m. The base is fully equipped with sheep pens, feed management rooms, and manure collection and treatment ponds, and currently has more than 500 Hu sheep. He follows a green development path that combines breeding and planting. His base also grows more than 300 mu of sweet potatoes, and besides the green grass covering the hillsides, the Hu sheep eat green feed such as sweet potato vines and sweet potato waste residue. "These are all top-quality feed, more than 1200 tons in total, and the sheep fed with this feed have good meat quality and fetch a higher price." Pointing to the baskets of top-quality sweet potato vines and sweet potato waste residue before him, Wang Haihe said that in this way, planting and breeding promote each other: sheep manure is good fertilizer for growing sweet potatoes, and sweet potato waste residue is green feed for the sheep, which reduces costs and increases profit margins.
Zhuyang has a superior environment, the sheep eat purely natural feed, and the meat is tender and delicious. Around holidays, many customers come to reserve or buy Hu sheep. "The Hu sheep Old Wang raises are green and safe, and you can eat them with confidence. I buy several every year," Aunt Zhang, who came to buy Hu sheep, told the reporter.
Seizing the opportunity and opening up online sales channels
Although Old Wang's Hu sheep meat is of very good quality, agricultural products today are complete in variety and each has its own characteristics, and the local market has limited room. How to sell the products smoothly and still leave a certain profit margin became a major concern for Old Wang. Through multiple on-site investigations, Old Wang found that places such as Fujian have a relatively large demand for mutton, and since what he raises are green and safe "trustworthy sheep," many wholesalers come to him to place orders themselves. However, they band together to buy in bulk and drive prices down severely, so the profit margin is not large.
As more consumers recognize the "Internet+" marketing model and pursue branded products, Old Wang realized that at this critical period of market transformation, the "Internet + brand" model has become what people want. Last year, he registered the detailed information of his breeding base on the Zhejiang Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Traceability Platform. This platform was developed under the leadership of the provincial Department of Agriculture, with the purpose of ensuring consumer safety and serving industry development, using the Internet of Things and cloud data as technical support, and integrating functions such as government supervision, producer operations, and consumer services to build an agricultural product quality and safety traceability platform that connects vertically and horizontally. Through the image of the Hu sheep meat brand registered on this platform, Old Wang greatly enhanced his brand image, and seizing this opportunity, he quickly put the products on online stores, expanding product sales and increasing profits.
Integrating agriculture and tourism: beautifying the countryside and enriching the people
Wang Haihe told the reporter that Zhuyang has changed enormously today, achieving "roads to every village" and forming a one-and-a-half-hour tourism transportation circle. With the improvement of the environment, tourism in the village has also risen, and many tourists come to visit the She ethnic township. The Hu sheep breeding base has also aroused great interest among tourists, and while visiting the Hu sheep breeding base, tourists often buy several sheep as a group, which counts as taking home a specialty of the She ethnic township. "I came from Putian and came with friends as a group to see the She ethnic characteristics. I heard Old Wang's mutton is delicious, and I plan to take some home for my family to try," Mr. Zhang, who was buying Hu sheep, told the reporter.
Wang Haihe said that few people from Zhuyang go out to work, and the women basically farm at home. The rise of all-for-one tourism has broadened farmers' employment channels. At the same time, the Hu sheep base happens to need manpower, so it recruits local villagers to work at the base, hiring more than 30 people in peak season, so they can also earn some extra income. Why not do it? "Every peak season, Old Wang calls me over to help, and the income I earn just helps supplement the household expenses," Aunt Lei, who was feeding the Hu sheep nearby, said.
Live off the mountain if you live by the mountain, and live off the water if you live by the water. Under the guidance of new-era business concepts, by making full use of local resources and taking the road of distinctive development, it will be only a matter of time before the green mountains and clear waters of the She ethnic township become mountains of gold and silver.