The breeding story of Lu Qinglin, a large-scale improved pig farmer

    Lu Cang Village in Shejiaxiang Township has a history of more than 10 years of pig raising. Driven by Lu Qinglin, an improved-breed farmer, the village has now developed 47 farming households, with an average of 50 pigs per household. At year's end, 1100 pigs are on hand, with 2600 marketed annually. Farming households earn more than 30,000 yuan in net income per year, making it a well-known specialized pig-raising village. 

    Lu Qinglin, a large-scale improved-breed farmer, knows well that traditional pig-raising methods cannot achieve relatively high economic returns. To expand the pig industry, improved breeds and science and technology must be introduced. He traveled to various places to inspect and learn advanced pig-raising experience. To set a good example and reduce risks, he invested 35,000 yuan and went to Beijing, Qingzhou, Jining and other places, introducing 7 purebred improved breeding pigs of the Duroc, Large White and Landrace breeds, including 5 breeding boars. To promote and popularize purebreds, the 2 "American Large White" breeding sows he newly purchased would be able to farrow in autumn, and each purebred piglet produced is worth 2,000 yuan. Under the guidance of the county animal husbandry bureau, in the spring of 2007 he built the Wudi County Improved Breeding Pig Artificial Insemination Station. Last year, more than 2,600 artificial inseminations were performed, with breeding households extending to Chezhen, Wudi Town and the western townships of Zhanhua County. After his new breed pigs were crossbred with local sows, market weight was reached nearly one month earlier than with traditional pig raising, and he himself earned more than 100,000 yuan in income. At the end of 2008, Lu Qinglin newly purchased a minivan to provide more timely services to farming households. After improvement, pig-raising efficiency increased markedly. Artificial insemination fully utilizes the high-yield genes of excellent breeding boars; traditional raising yields a net income of 100 yuan to 150 yuan per pig, while raising in warm sheds provides a suitable growth temperature year-round and doubles the net income per pig. 

    Villager Lu Wenqi adopted scientific pig raising, keeping 9 sows, all of the excellent Large White and Landrace breeds, self-breeding and fattening, and using artificial insemination at Lu Qinglin's breeding station. In 4 months, a litter of pigs could be marketed, with 160 marketed annually and a net income of more than 40,000 yuan. Villagers happily say that in other places pigs are sold by the head, but here piglets are sold by weight, and a 2-month-old piglet can sell for 600 yuan. 

    To further standardize the development of the pig industry and cultivate a brand, Lu Cang Village established a pig-raising association. The association organizes farming households to participate in technical training at the Agricultural Correspondence University and the Agricultural Broadcasting School, invites technicians from the county and township animal husbandry departments to teach villagers knowledge such as feed formulation and disease prevention, regularly organizes pig-raising households to carry out technical exchanges and consultations, jointly discusses pig-raising experience and studies pig-raising methods, with unified management and unified epidemic prevention. Now, all farming households have mastered the prevention and treatment of common pig diseases, achieving the goal that minor illnesses do not require leaving the village. Village Party branch secretary Lu Yuping said that the village two committees are planning to build a breeding community south of the village, covering 100 mu, with unified planning, which can accommodate 120 farming households.