Pingliang Jingning's cattle industry helps farmers get on the road to prosperity
Not long ago, Zhang Yonghong, a villager from Xicha Village, Gucheng Township, Jingning County, sold one of his family's cattle for more than 14,000 yuan. Holding a thick wad of hundred-yuan notes, old Zhang said happily: “No need to go out to work; raising cattle at home can earn big money just the same.”
Xicha Village in Gucheng Township is crisscrossed by gullies and ravines, with frequent natural disasters. Because it is pure mountainous terrain, drought is especially severe, and combined with poor local transport and blocked information, the people's lives were once extremely difficult.
The only abundant resource in the whole village is 2948 mu of cultivated land, which has traditionally been used mainly for corn, potatoes, purple alfalfa and other traditional crops and forage grass. In 2012, Xicha Village was fortunate enough to receive assistance from the Jingning County Maintenance Station. Based on Xicha Village's strengths and characteristics, the station precisely formulated a assistance plan to drive the people to prosperity through developing the cattle-raising industry.
Today, cattle raising has become the leading industry of the people of Xicha. Just like Zhang Yonghong's family, villager Zhang Suibing's family raises 12 cattle. He told the reporter that in a year without leaving home, buying a few cattle can earn him 70,000 to 80,000 yuan.
While mixing feed with his wife, Zhang Suibing pointed to the mountain of corn stalks piled beside him and said: “With these, there's no fear in raising cattle. Once the two pregnant cows give birth to calves, the family will have 14 cattle. It's a bit busier, but the economic returns are really good.”
“In the past, the elderly at home were often sick, living conditions were poor, and we had a lot of debt. People often came to the house to demand payment, and back then I really felt awful. Now, through raising cattle, I've renovated the house and also bought a four-wheeled vehicle to run transport. Life is much better.” Zhang Suibing said.
There are not a few villagers like Zhang Suibing who, through raising cattle, have renovated new houses and bought new vehicles. At present, cattle-raising households in Xicha Village account for 65% of the total number of households, with 2319 head on hand.
Standing in a standardized cattle shed, villager Chang Zhizhong pointed to a sleek-coated, plump calf and said happily: “Do you see how beautiful my family's Charolais calf is? This year, the two old cows will also give birth to new-breed calves.”
It is understood that, in order to increase economic returns, the village has vigorously introduced new breeds of cattle such as Charolais, Limousin and South Devon, which have short feeding cycles, fast weight gain and considerable economic returns. In 2016, the village added 20 high-standard large cattle-raising households and 100 new-breed calves.
Village Party secretary Liu Yucai has served as a village cadre for 30 years. In his sixties, he had originally reached the age to enjoy a comfortable life, but now he still runs around for the people, seeking cattle-raising funds and vigorously promoting new cattle-raising techniques. “We must turn the grass all over the hills and fields into money through raising cattle, so everyone can live a good life.” Secretary Liu said.
Pointing to the village's 6.4-kilometer flat road, Secretary Liu told this writer that this road was built with assistance from the county maintenance station last year. It changed the village's past situation of having no road to travel, and most importantly, it allows cars to move freely and transport cattle out of the mountains to be sold.
Since the maintenance station paired up to assist Xicha Village, the station's cadre Yang Wen has eaten and lived in Xicha Village, conscientiously formulating various development plans for the village, seeking funds, organizing the people to build roads, laying drainage pipes, and inviting technicians to train in cattle-raising techniques…… He told this writer that the path everyone chose at the beginning to help Xicha Village develop the cattle-raising industry to escape poverty and become prosperous was the right one.