The breeding story of Yu Jiayun, a large-scale livestock farmer in Dahongshan

    There is a model well known to every pig farmer, a pig-breeding leader who in 8 years built a million-yuan fortune by raising piglets, and after becoming wealthy himself, led and helped develop more than 100 specialized pig-farming households across the entire town, with each household increasing its annual income by more than 5,000 yuan, doubling the number of pigs raised compared with before 2002. He is the pig-raising champion of the Dahongshan Scenic Area - Comrade Yu Jiayun, only 39 years old.

Pig farming carved out a whole new world

    Starting from running a rice and flour processing mill in 1999, he built piglet pens and raised 30 pigs as a sideline supporting the processing mill, never expecting to net 5,000 yuan that year, more than the mill's main business income. Having had a first taste of the sweet rewards, he actively began planning to expand the pig farm and take the path of specialized pig farming. This opportunity was finally seized by a man who was prepared. In 2002, national pig prices fell sharply, with piglets costing only 20-30 yuan each. He keenly sensed that after pig prices hit rock bottom they were bound to rise sharply, so he boldly leased the formerly closed Hongshanping Village primary school for 30 years, converted it into 38 pens, and bought 300 piglets for fattening. By the time they were ready for market, pig prices had indeed risen sharply, and that year's net profit was more than 70,000 yuan. With capital and experience, he became even firmer in his thinking and confidence about expanding the operation, but at the same time he also discovered that after pig prices rose, local piglets were in tight supply and of backward breeds, which could not secure maximum returns or allow expansion of production scale. Introducing improved-breed pigs for self-breeding and self-raising was the only way to expand production scale. From 2003 to 2004, he successively introduced more than 100 improved-breed boars and sows of Sig, Duroc, Landrace and Large White from Ji'an County in Hebei and from Jingshan County in his own province, producing more than 800 high-quality three-way crossbred pigs for market each year and achieving annual net profits of over 100,000 yuan. Because improved-breed pigs have a high feed-to-meat ratio, while the vast majority of pig farmers lost money in 2005, his pig farm remained slightly profitable and he took advantage of the low market to introduce large numbers of breeding sows. In 2007, he set a historic record of 100 breeding pigs on hand and more than 1,500 fattening pigs sent to market. His pig farm also gave him generous returns, generating more than 500,000 yuan in net profit. He built a new house, bought a car and a computer, and lived a moderately prosperous life. Pig farming let him carve out a whole new world. 
                    
    Relying on science and technology for development 
                    
    In the process of developing the breeding business, he attached great importance to investing in science and technology, relying on science and technology for development, and earnestly studied professional knowledge. Through training, study and assessment, he obtained the qualification of assistant veterinarian in 2003. He is a demonstration household for the extension of livestock science and technology in the Dahongshan Scenic Area. He actively cooperated with the district livestock department in promoting the "Duroc, Landrace, Large White" three-way pig improved-breeding system, and assisted in holding livestock science and technology training classes, passing on compound feed and rapid pig-raising methods based on his own practical experience. In ordinary times he taught himself "Scientific Piglet Raising", "Pig Disease Prevention and Treatment Manual" and other science and technology books; he actively invited professional and technical personnel from the county and township and technicians from feed companies to give on-site guidance, processed and blended mixed feed himself, changed the traditional and backward fattening methods, and practiced scientific pig raising. In terms of breeding stock, he introduced and bred improved-breed pigs and selected economical crossbred three-way pigs; in terms of epidemic prevention and treatment, he strictly implemented prevention and disinfection systems, regularly disinfected inside and outside the pig farm, and implemented new epidemic prevention procedures to eliminate the occurrence of infectious diseases, shortening the fattening period to within 4 months, with a relatively high feed conversion rate and marketing rate. The pigs he raised could gain 1 kg of live weight on 2.5 kg of feed, be sent to market in 4 months, and be marketed in 3 batches per year. 
                    
    Growing rich without forgetting his neighbors. Yu Jiayun's scientific pig raising and rise to wealth set an example of becoming rich through science and technology in the Dahongshan Scenic Area, playing a very good demonstrative role. Many pig farmers in his own village and throughout the district came one after another to learn from him and seek his advice. He always kept in mind that "one family being rich does not count as rich; only when everyone is rich is it truly rich", and without reservation passed on to them his mastery of rapid fattening scientific pig raising and epidemic prevention and treatment techniques. He also helped them introduce the "Duroc, Landrace, Large White" series of fine breeding pigs from Ji'an in Hebei, Jingshan in Hubei and other places, promoted the three-way pig crossbreeding system, and helped his neighbors grow rich together. The mixed feed scientifically blended at his family's grinding and processing mill was not only used to feed his own pigs but also sold to other pig farmers in his village and throughout the district. Some poor households had money to buy piglets but no money to buy feed; he was always happy to help, voluntarily offering to provide feed first and take payment after the pigs were sent to market. For example, fellow villager Wang Chengbo raised 80 pigs at home but, because of family hardship, had no money to buy feed. When Yu Jiayun learned of this, he voluntarily delivered the mixed feed he had blended to his door and told Wang Chengbo to pay after his pigs were sent to market. Another example is Gao Wanyu of Yujiawan Village, whose 40 pigs all caught influenza. Yu Jiayun voluntarily invited a senior veterinarian from the veterinary station and technical personnel from a feed company to make a house call for consultation, and brought out his own medicines to treat the pigs free of charge. The pigs were cured, and Gao Wanyu sold them 2 months later, making a profit of 15,000 yuan. That is how he takes pleasure in helping others and enthusiastically helps people. Under his help and leadership, more than 150 farming households across the entire town have already embarked on the road to wealth through scientific pig raising.