Kangping lambs raised in separate groups, each earning 100 yuan more

You have seen classes divided in schools, but you may not necessarily have seen lambs raised in "split classes" on rural farms. On August 7, a reporter came to Ma Hongzhang's farm in Qianshan Village, Liushutun Township, Kangping County, and saw spacious pens arranged neatly in rows, with the words "newborn lambs," "one to two months," "three months," and "ready for market" written at the entrances respectively, just like a breeding school.

The reporter followed Ma Hongzhang into the sheep house marked "newborn lambs." Inside, it was divided by fences into pens of equal size, and in each pen three or four little white lambs were playing, making one unable to resist touching the fluffy little sheep. They were so cute!

"This kind of pen is much better than the old sheepfolds. Each one is a standard pen 60 m long and 10 m wide, not cold in winter and not hot in summer." Ma Hongzhang proudly told the reporter about this breeding school of his. "I also specially added ventilation equipment on the roof of the sheep house, which not only allows the air inside the sheep house to circulate, but also prevents the flock from getting sick."

Nowadays, there are more than 600 sheep living on the farm. According to their size and growth conditions, Ma Hongzhang raises them separately. This not only ensures the nutritional supply and growth rate of each sheep, but also improves economic benefits. "Last year, I sold more than 800 sheep, and the net income per sheep reached more than 300 yuan. Each one raised in 'split classes' brings in more than 100 yuan more than those raised free-range!" Ma Hongzhang explained the benefits of "split-class" raising.

Making money personally was not Ma Hongzhang's ultimate goal. As a village cadre, he saw hope in pen-fed sheep raising, and so he had the idea of establishing a cooperative to lead everyone to prosperity together. In early 2013, he and the village cadres gathered the whole village together and introduced his sheep-raising experience to everyone, letting the whole village see the hope of becoming prosperous and building a moderately prosperous life. Before long, villagers came to Ma Hongzhang's home and voluntarily asked to join the cooperative to raise sheep in pens. Under Ma Hongzhang's leadership, 70% of the farmers in Qianshan Village raised sheep, with an average annual income increase of more than 600 yuan per person. Sheep raising has become one of the industries for increasing income and prosperity in Qianshan Village. The village now has 2 standardized farms, with more than 4,000 sheep raised.