Veteran Ning Shuming Becomes a Farming King Through Entrepreneurship in the Deep Mountains

Feeding the chickens

Admiring the chicks

Deep in the mountains of Xiashi Village, Qinghe Township, there is a nearly 1,000-mu "livestock farm" where more than 20 cattle, more than 20 sheep, over 2,000 free-range chickens, and hundreds of pheasants roam freely. This is the stage where a post-90s veteran strives -

Recently, the reporter came to Ningbo Group in Xiashi Village, Qinghe Township, and after walking another 1.5 km along a winding mountain road, arrived at the Liangshang Livestock Farm on the mountaintop. Before us stretched continuous peaks with tall mountains and dense forests, and several prefab houses, chicken coops, and cattle sheds built along the mountain. A young man in a short-sleeved shirt was feeding the chicks, his whole body soaked with sweat. Seeing us arrive, he put down the chicken feed and came over to greet us. This young man is Ning Shuming, a post-90s veteran.

Born in 1991, Ning Shuming is a very capable young man. In 2010, while still studying at a vocational secondary school, Ning Shuming retained his student status and actively responded to the national call to enlist in the military. During his two years of service, he was commended many times. Recalling this experience, Ning Shuming feels very proud. He said: "The reason I can start a business today is inseparable from the training and cultivation I received in the military." From the fiery "great school" of the military, he absorbed nourishment, developing a strong physique and the good habit of being diligent and enterprising.

After being discharged, Ning Shuming worked as a security guard in Wuhan. The hardships of life did not make him give up his habit of learning, and gradually he came to understand a great deal about business practices and entrepreneurial experience. At the end of 2012, after Ning Shuming saw a news report in the newspaper about becoming rich through deep-mountain farming, he was deeply moved. Thinking of how his hometown's natural environment was very suitable for farming, he keenly sensed that this was a very good entrepreneurial opportunity. After careful consideration, he decided to settle down and return to his hometown to do farming.

In April 2013, Ning Shuming's farm began preparations. It is located on the high mountain in Ningbo Group of Xiashi Village, and the mountain land was temporarily given to him for free by local farming households. In the early days of starting the business, there was not a single road to the mountaintop, so daily necessities and materials were all carried up by him on his shoulders and back. "Starting a business at the beginning was really hard. I ate and lived on the mountain all year round. The materials needed for my 3 prefab houses, 5 chicken coops, and 4 cattle sheds were all carried up by me and my family. To make transportation easier, last year I repaired this mountain road. Now an agricultural vehicle can drive to the mountaintop, making transport in and out much more convenient," said Ning Shuming.

Once the "stage" for entrepreneurship was set up, Ning Shuming introduced 20 goats from elsewhere for the first time. In order to master a series of sheep-raising techniques, Ning Shuming bought a large number of relevant books to teach himself, frantically making up for his lack of theoretical knowledge, and often searched online for relevant information. He also went around to observe and ask questions at the homes of large farming households, visiting them one by one to learn from them as masters. Relying on the tenacity unique to a soldier, after more than a year, Ning Shuming went from an outsider who was merely interested in goats to an expert in raising sheep.

With the initial trial a success, Ning Shuming pressed the advantage and immediately introduced more than 2,000 free-range chickens and 21 cattle, with the farming scale doubling year after year. Today, Ning Shuming has become a well-known farming expert in the surrounding area. Many farming households seek him out to learn farming techniques from him, and he teaches them all free of charge.

In the eyes of many people, farming is a dirty and tiring job, and most people are unwilling to do it. However, Ning Shuming gave up working in the city and willingly went to the deep mountains of his hometown to devote himself to farming, enjoying it endlessly. "To get rich through farming, you still have to take the scientific path." Using the wild environment of the forest, Ning Shuming successfully explored a path of ecological farming, leaving the surrounding people deeply impressed.

Talking about the future, this post-90s young man already has his own plans. "Next year, my scale will expand further, and I will also establish a professional farming cooperative to lead the villagers to get rich together."