From city to countryside, Feng Haijiang of Xichuan returns home to start a business and get rich

Goat milk is warm in nature, nourishes the blood and moistens dryness, and can be used as an adjunct treatment for conditions such as kidney deficiency, chronic gastritis and hyperacidity. At the same time, goat milk is also a unique natural antibiotic, with supportive effects in preventing and treating pneumonia and other respiratory diseases, treating the stomach and intestines, and beautifying and calming the nerves. Feng Haijiang, who grew up in Xichuan County, Henan Province since childhood, noticed the natural benefits of goat milk and the fact that dairy goats are highly adaptable and easy to raise, so he contracted more than 50 mu of land in Yanjiagou Village, Maotang Township, Xichuan County, and in 2008 built a dairy goat farm. At present, there are more than 300 head on hand, 70 milk-producing goats, a daily output of 235 kg of fresh milk, sold at 11.5 yuan per kg, and still in short supply.

Feng Haijiang, 35 this year, worked in coastal cities after graduating from high school in 1996. The arduous experience of working away from home allowed him to accumulate rich social experience and also accumulate a certain amount of capital, and he began to look for a project to get rich. In 2008, he went to Fuping County, Shaanxi Province, the breeding source area of dairy goats, and introduced 30 purebred Guanzhong dairy goats and 3 Swiss Saanen bucks. Feng Haijiang said: "In Fuping, dairy goats are mainly raised by free-range grazing. Although we don't have that much green grass here, we have plenty of alfalfa, and alfalfa is high in protein and is a superior feed for dairy goats." But due to lack of breeding experience, two goats died not long after they were bought.

Looking at the dead goats, Feng Haijiang was heartbroken, but no matter how much he checked left and right, he could not find the cause of death. The next day, he went to the county animal husbandry bureau to consult experts. Through testing, the truth was learned: it turned out that goats are ruminants, and after eating their fill, they have a process of chewing the cud for digestion. Feng Haijiang did not understand this, and fed too much pure grain at one time, so the goat's stomach was too full, the saliva stuck the grain together, it could not be brought back up, and it could not chew the cud, and the goat was suffocated to death.

Having learned his lesson, Feng Haijiang consulted local goat raisers and learned a "local" method of mixing feed, that is, after putting in the various feeds, stirring them evenly with a wooden stick, and he also hired two technicians. At the same time, based on the milk-producing characteristics of dairy goats, he used local alfalfa and red dates to research his own feed made by mixing alfalfa, corn, wheat bran, soybean meal, red dates and salt in different proportions. The goats grew sturdy and produced plenty of milk. To let the goats live more comfortably, he built them a colored-steel goat shed with ventilation from north to south, and in winter a stove was even lit inside the shed for warmth.

"This kind of goat is easy to raise, just feed it on time and in the right amount. Because of the need for milk production, the amount of feed given each day is one and a half times the daily amount for ordinary goats. From birth to giving birth to kids, a dairy goat needs 1 year, which is more than 3 months longer than ordinary goats. There are two vaccinations a year to prevent disease." As Feng Haijiang spoke, he looked at his watch, and it was already time for the afternoon milking. "Goat milk should not be boiled; it is best steamed, because boiling will 'boil away' a lot of the nutrients. Many people do not like the gamy smell of goat milk. Just put a grain of apricot kernel in when steaming, and after it is steamed, the gamy smell can be removed."

This year, the fresh goat milk produced by his dairy goats is sold to Zhengzhou, Xi'an, Wuhan and other places, and the returns are very considerable. Facing the future, Feng Haijiang is full of confidence. He plans to go to Henan University of Science and Technology in a few years to study artificial insemination technology for dairy goats and further expand the scale of his dairy goat breeding.