Chongqing pig farmer fulfills his dream of prosperity

Recently, a reporter walked into the Xianhua Pig Farm in Group 1 of Nanya Village, Nanya Town, and saw that inside the spacious pig sheds, more than 20 pig pens separated by stone slabs were very clean, with not a trace of odor to be smelled. The plump and sturdy pigs, upon hearing the sound, rested their two front hooves on the stone slabs and squealed loudly. The owner scooped a ladle of feed into the pig pen, and the big fat pigs scrambled to eat.

The owner of this pig farm is named Guo Xianhua, 49 years old this year. Over 13 years, he went from 3 simple pig sheds and 10 pigs to a pig farm now covering more than 200 sq m, and finally fulfilled his dream of prosperity.

Oil press owner switches to raising pigs

Guo Xianhua previously ran an oil press at home. Fellow villagers brought rapeseed to his oil press to be processed into rapeseed oil. During peak season, he had to process more than 2000 jin of rapeseed every day. As the number of farmers growing rapeseed gradually decreased, fewer and fewer people came to process rapeseed oil.

Guo Xianhua felt that the pig farming industry was not bad, so he decided to change trades. In 2003, he transferred the oil pressing machine. Although his wife Tan Daihui felt uncertain, she was very supportive of her husband's action. "Raising pigs is not easy, and the work is extremely complicated. Rain or shine, you have to worry about the pigs' fodder, and there is no rest time all year round."

At the beginning, Guo Xianhua bought books on pig raising to learn techniques. When he encountered difficult problems, he went to the Nanya Town Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station to seek "reinforcements." He could handle some minor problems himself. "After raising pigs for a long time, you know which aspects to pay attention to. Once the measures are in place, raising pigs goes very smoothly."

Opening a noodle workshop to lower farming costs

Guo Xianhua used the money earned from raising pigs to expand the pig farm, and also built his own house into a multi-story building, moving the whole family into a "comfortable nest."

"Raising pigs has risks, and investment requires caution." Guo Xianhua said that 13 years of pig raising experience made him understand the meaning of this saying. "When the price of piglets keeps rising and the price of live pigs occasionally falls, after deducting feed costs and not counting labor, I can only break even."

At Guo Xianhua's home, the reporter saw dried noodles packed in plastic bags neatly stacked on wooden boards, a full 300-plus jin.

"Your family runs a pig farm and also a noodle workshop?" The reporter was somewhat surprised.

"The dried noodles were made just a few days ago. We sold more than 100 jin. People around here all like to buy our family's noodles." Tan Daihui said.

It turned out that Guo Xianhua took advantage of the spacious roof of his home, bought a dried noodle machine, and opened a noodle workshop. The wheat he purchased was made into noodles, and the wheat bran was used as pig feed.

"After raising pigs for so many years, the work has become smooth." Guo Xianhua said that opening a noodle workshop is a way to lower the cost of raising pigs, and selling dried noodles can also increase part of the income.

Summing up scientific pig raising experience

Guo Xianhua said that this year the pig farm only raised 110 pigs. The price of piglets is nearly 20 yuan per jin, and the cost of buying a piglet home is 800-1000 yuan. After culling a batch of sows last year, the 8 newly bred sows have successively become pregnant with piglets. By the second half of the year, every pig pen will be full.

"Some farmers, when they encounter a bad market, cull and abandon raising pigs, then rush when prices rise, but by then it is already too late." Guo Xianhua has a complete set of experience in pig farming. He views the rise and fall of live pig prices with a calm mind. "Do not chase when expensive, do not be lazy when cheap" became his catchphrase.

"Running a pig farm also requires careful calculation. We have not hired anyone. My wife and I do everything. When we have a bit of spare time, we go out to haul pig feed or cut grass. Although it is quite hard, I believe that as long as we persist, we will be winners." Guo Xianhua said that the Xianhua Pig Farm once raised more than 300 pigs at its peak. When the market is good, annual income can reach more than 100,000 yuan, fulfilling his dream of prosperity.