Raising Deer in the Deep Mountains: The Road to Prosperity in Hongfeng Village, Dashiqiao, Yingkou, Liaoning
On February 22, following the winding mountain road to the depths of the mountains in Hongfeng Village, Huangtuling Town, Dashiqiao City, rows of standardized breeding sheds came into view. Entering the breeding farm, sika deer could be seen in small groups of three or five, leisurely eating feed. A total of more than 1,700 sika deer are raised here.
Li Xingwu, the farm manager, fed the sika deer straw as he explained: "Every part of the deer is valuable. Velvet antler, deer fetus, deer blood, deer meat, and bones and tendons all have high economic value." The deer on the farm can produce more than 400 fawns this year, with returns expected to reach around 2 million yuan. Velvet antler can be harvested at 2,000 kilograms, generating income of around 4 million yuan.
The establishment of the Liaoning Luqilin Cooperative has benefited surrounding farmers. More than 30 people from the village work here year-round, and when the deer farm has its "busy season," villagers can also take odd jobs at the cooperative. Villager Zhang Zhenrong came to work at the cooperative last autumn, worked 36 days, and received 3,600 yuan in wages. She said with a smile: "I am 60 years old, and I can still find this kind of work while staying in the village. I am content!" The deer farm consumes about 1,500 kilograms of corn feed every day, and also buys corn straw from farmers at 0.4 yuan per kilogram, giving farmers one more source of income.
Speaking about future development, Li Xingwu said, "There are many treasures in deer, but we have developed too few of them." Since the village committee led the establishment of the cooperative to raise sika deer last year, more than 300 member households have joined the cooperative, achieving a profit of 3 million yuan. After the Spring Festival, the cooperative plans to promptly conduct research and introduce technology to produce a series of products such as velvet antler blood wine and deer fetus paste, so that members can increase their income and more villagers can find employment nearby.