Developing Hu sheep farming to become a leader in prosperity

"Although the New Year has passed, there are still a lot of people buying sheep. There is almost no rest from morning to night every day." Yesterday morning, Li Peiyou, head of the Hu sheep breeding base in Daizhuang Village, Zhaojizhen, Huaibin County, said happily while weighing sheep for customers.

Li Peiyou, 49 years old this year, has been raising Hu sheep for 4 years. He ran a brick factory and drove an excavator. When he was young, he dared to fight and work hard, but he repeatedly ended in failure. In 2011, on the recommendation of a friend, Li Peiyou invested more than 100,000 yuan to establish a Hu sheep farm. He built the outer wall of the sheep shed with bricks, separating the sheep shed, sheep feed, and sheep manure from each other, and the environment was clean and tidy. Thanks to proper management, the Hu sheep he raised rarely got sick, and his breeding journey could be described as smooth sailing.

"Hu sheep have a large body size and grow quickly. Adult sheep are 60% heavier than ordinary sheep. The meat is tender, the survival rate is high, they are not prone to illness, and they are suitable for pen feeding. I sell more than 200 head a year and can earn more than 100,000 yuan." Li Peiyou said, "The sheep raised in my family are all fed pure natural feed such as peanut vines and straw. Because it is all pure natural and pollution-free, our Hu sheep have more lean meat, better taste, and better nutrition." Li Peiyou's son, who was mixing feed, took over the conversation.

"Sheep raised in a purely natural way have fresher meat and higher nutritional value than sheep sold on the market, so they are naturally popular! Although the sheep market has been sluggish these two years and mutton prices have dropped a lot, I have not been greatly affected. Without even leaving home, the sheep are all bought up by people who come to the door. The quality is there, and the reputation is there too. Not a single repeat customer has been lost!" Li Peiyou said with a satisfied smile.

At present, the number of Hu sheep breeding sheep in Li Peiyou's farm has expanded from more than 100 at the beginning to more than 300 now. Even so, the Hu sheep produced by the farm are still in short supply on the market. This village is the county Party committee office's village-based poverty alleviation point. Last year, the county Party committee office actively secured a small loan of 80,000 yuan for him and built a 1-li-long road directly to the entrance of the farm. With a market and policies, Li Peiyou is thinking about further renovating the sheep shed and striving to increase the inventory to 800 head this year. Under his leadership, many farmers in the town have begun trial-raising ecological Hu sheep. As the "leader," Li Peiyou is marching forward with solid steps, leading farmers toward a new road to prosperity.