Once he plowed fields with cattle, now he makes his fortune raising cattle

In Guanping Village, Jiaoshi Town, Fuling District, Wang Dejian's name is quite well known - before, he was just a farmer who relied on cattle to plow the fields, toiling with his face to the soil and his back to the sky; but now, he is a well-known large-scale cattle raiser, living a leisurely and comfortable life. In his own words, whether past or present, it was cattle that made him, so he wants to keep this "moo-ving" business going forever.

A migrant worker returns home to start a cattle-raising business

Recently, when the reporter came to Wang Dejian's home in Group 3 of Guanping Village, he was carrying a full basket of sweet potato chunks to feed the cattle.

Wang Dejian, 48 this year, is a native of Jiaoshi. Looking at his "moo-ving" business now, you might not imagine that he was once a migrant worker who left his hometown to make a living.

Wang Dejian said that although his family also raised cattle before, it was for plowing the fields, and the main source of income still came from selling crops. "At that time the family had five or six cattle." He told the reporter that the reason for raising so many cattle was that the family had more than 7 mu of land. "We planted corn, mustard tuber, rice, and so on, and in a year the per capita gross income was more than 1,000 yuan."

Later, Wang Dejian's two sons gradually grew up, his father was old and sickly, and the family expenses grew larger and larger. "Just relying on the money from selling crops was definitely not enough." Wang Dejian said, so they had no choice but to sell the calves born to the family's cows, with each one priced between 500 and 1,000 yuan. "In a year, the per capita gross income doubled, reaching more than 2,000 yuan."

As living standards rose day by day, Wang Dejian increasingly felt that he could not make ends meet: "The two sons need to go to school, my father is sick and needs money for treatment, and money is needed everywhere." In early 2007, Wang Dejian decided to go out to work. In Fujian Province, he applied for a job at a brick factory as a brick carrier, earning more than 10,000 yuan a year.

In 2012, Wang Dejian's eldest son graduated from university and started working, and his father passed away due to old age. The reduced financial pressure at home gave his shoulders a bit of relief, so he thought about returning to his hometown to start his own business. After discussing it with his wife, Wang Dejian returned to his hometown and began raising beef cattle.

Wang Dejian was full of drive, personally handling every task, and he also bought books on breeding to read. "The first batch was 30 calves, which cost 150,000 yuan, all my savings." Wang Dejian said that after careful care, the calves grew very well. By the end of the year, he kept the cows for breeding and sold all the beef cattle. "I sold nearly 10 cattle, big and small, with an income of more than 100,000 yuan." The rewards for his efforts also strengthened Wang Dejian's confidence in continuing the cattle-raising business.

Establishing a beef cattle farm

Opening up sales channels and striving for a better life

In the second half of 2012, Wang Dejian applied to establish the Chongqing Fuling District Guanping Beef Cattle Farm and received 35,000 yuan in support funds.

"I took this money and bought six or seven calves and some feed." Wang Dejian said that due to the limited capacity of the cattle pen, his total number of cattle is controlled at around 30; when he sells some, he introduces new ones, and when calves are born, he sells them in time. Now, he sells at least nearly 30 adult cattle and calves each year, making a profit of more than 300,000 yuan; after deducting breeding costs, the net income is more than 100,000 yuan.

Wang Dejian admitted that he encountered many difficulties in the early days of starting the business, but hard work ultimately pays off, and now his sales channels have been opened and his annual income is very stable. "My cattle are all fed with grain, the meat quality is good, and it is loved by everyone. Agricultural products should also emphasize quality." Wang Dejian said cheerfully.

In the early days of raising cattle, Wang Dejian also paid attention to environmental protection, forming a "cattle-biogas-vegetables" circular model, that is, using the biogas produced from cattle manure for cooking, and after treatment the cattle manure becomes organic fertilizer used to grow vegetables. "Before, my family used firewood for cooking, but since raising cattle, we have never cut firewood again." Wang Dejian said.

Now, nearby villagers all come to Wang Dejian to "learn from him," and he is happy to pass on his cattle-raising experience to everyone and help everyone start businesses. "I plan to expand the breeding scale to 100 cattle in the next 3 years." Wang Dejian said he will do his best to help everyone raise cattle together and achieve common prosperity.