Relying on raising sheep to increase income and get rich, farmers have moved into small Western-style villas

Entering the home of 71-year-old Wang Yimin in Zhangwangzhuang Village, Yingang Township, Fengqiu County, Henan Province, the bleating of sheep is incessant.

Wang Yimin is an old farmer in the village, and at most he raised more than 50 sheep at home. He has many years of experience raising sheep, and when talking about the art of raising sheep, he speaks endlessly. According to him, compared with other livestock farming, the cost of raising sheep is relatively low. The sheep's staple food is green grass, leaves, straw, and so on, mixed with some poor-quality corn kernels, or oil residue such as bean cakes or peanut cakes, and the sheep can be raised plump and strong. Sheep eat crop straw, and sheep manure can be used to fertilize the fields, so nothing is wasted. In addition, with good epidemic prevention and good hygiene, the flock rarely gets sick, and the risk of disease outbreaks is relatively small.

Wang Yimin used himself as an example. Before raising sheep, his family lived in an old house several decades old, life was tight, and ordinarily they could not even bear to eat meat. After raising sheep, the family never lacked pocket money again, and when the market was good, they could even make a small profit. The elderly raised sheep and farmed at home, while the young worked outside to earn money, and Wang Yimin's family life became better and better. A few years ago, the family built a two-story small Western-style villa, and this year they also plan to buy a car. However, Wang Yimin also said that although raising sheep is profitable, attention must be paid to choosing the right breed. For example, Dorper sheep and Puer sheep have plump and beautiful bodies, and only need a small amount of grain feed mixed into the green grass feed to gain weight, bringing better economic returns.

Wang Yimin once did the accounts: raising several dozen sheep brings higher income than planting more than ten mu of land. Although the sheep market has been sluggish in the past two years, overall the returns are still somewhat better than farming. “The policies for farmers to raise sheep are really good now. Villagers willing to raise sheep can each receive 2 free lambs, and the township epidemic prevention station also regularly comes to the home free of charge to give the sheep vaccinations.”

Lu Lu excerpted from "Pingyuan Evening News"