Greenhouse Pig Farming Leads to Prosperity: Take a Look If You Want to Get Rich

Previously I had only seen greenhouses used for growing vegetables; seeing pigs raised in a greenhouse with my own eyes was a first. The author observed that Xiang Lianfu's pig shed resembles a vegetable-growing greenhouse, with 2 arch sheds made of bamboo pole frames, covering more than 480 sq m, each divided into 14 pens, with each pen measuring over 10 sq m. The arch shed is 2.8 m tall, covered with a layer of white plastic film on top, with roll-up curtains on both sides that can be freely adjusted, making the greenhouse pig house both cost-saving and practical. Groups of adorable piglets greeted us with oinks.

I had assumed the greenhouse would be stuffy and suffocating, but unexpectedly the pig-raising greenhouse was so well-ventilated and bright. Xiang Lianfu's wife, Li Caixiang, explained: Above the greenhouse's brick wall, 1 m-high screen windows are installed, and the plastic film draped over both sides of the greenhouse serves as roll-up curtains. During the day, when the temperature is high and it is stuffy, the curtains are rolled up to allow air circulation inside the shed and also to avoid moisture; at night, or during cold and windy weather, the curtains are lowered, and the shed stays very warm. This is the insulation effect of the plastic film. Even during the "sanjiu" period, the temperature inside the shed can reach 18 to 20°C, and at night it can be maintained at 10°C. Through ventilation adjustments, the film keeps the air inside the pens fresh at all times. The pigs lose less body energy, which speeds up their weight gain, and the pigs continue to fatten up and put on meat as usual in winter.

She also said that the pig farm pays great attention to environmental cleanliness and hygiene. The pig pens are cleaned and washed every day, and the pigs are also hosed down for baths every day. White lime is often scattered in the walkways to absorb moisture and also serve as disinfection. Therefore, during the pigs' growth process, apart from one vaccination when they were piglets, the adult breeding pigs have basically kept various diseases under control, reducing the loss rate to zero and ensuring the safe growth of the pigs.

When talking about the benefits of greenhouse pig farming, Xiang Lianfu spoke with great familiarity. He said: "The fat pigs raised in greenhouses produce ecological meat, pollution-free food. This is not just our own claim; it is the taste people get when they eat the meat. At my meat stall, the pork from greenhouse-raised pigs is snapped up by buyers. Over a year of raising them, more than 160 meat pigs are in short supply, with demand from the market, orders from vendors, and reservations from individuals, making them very sought after." "Without comparison, you don't know; once compared, the difference shows. My pork is fresh and tender in texture and delicious in taste."

"Your pork is so enticing. What is the secret?" the author asked.

Xiang Lianfu said that besides building the greenhouse pig house scientifically, doing a good job in environmental cleanliness and hygiene, and preventing and treating pig diseases, the most important part is choosing the best pig feed -- rice bran and barley. He contracted 400 mu of farmland, growing rice in one season and sowing wheat in another each year. The processed rice bran and wheat material are enough to feed the pigs well for a whole year. Using rice and wheat as feed, without adding additives, is a high-quality and low-cost feed source, ensuring balanced nutrition for the pigs and excellent meat quality.

Xiang Lianfu is not only famous for greenhouse pig farming and has developed considerable experience, but he is also a skilled hand at farming. Plowing, sowing, harvesting, and threshing -- he can handle every farm task. Rice transplanters, harvesters, and transport tractors -- his mechanized farm tools are basically complete, so his efficiency in agricultural production is also quite good. "Pig farming and grain farming achieve a 'win-win'; this is the result of creating a circular development model combining planting and breeding." Xiang Lianfu lowered his head and said with an embarrassed smile: "How could I understand all this? It was my daughter, a university graduate, who told me. She said that pig manure is washed outside onto the ground, where it naturally ferments and produces very good organic fertilizer, which can be directly applied to farmland to grow grain crops; after the grain is harvested and finely processed, it is used as excellent pig feed. This model of combining grain, planting, and breeding locally, with breeding providing fertilizer for planting and planting providing feed for breeding, is the circular model of self-contained planting and breeding."

When asked whether he had a "13th Five-Year Plan" for pig farming, Xiang Lianfu laughed heartily and said that he could not really call it a plan, but he did have intentions: within three years, convert the bamboo pole arch sheds into steel pipe frame greenhouses, double the pig pen area, maintain an annual pig inventory of 400 to 500 head, and strive to break through 200,000 yuan in economic benefits.

(San Nong Prosperity Network)