The Dairy Farming Experience of Large-Scale Dairy Farmer Xu Yue

    Longpan Village is located 3 kilometers southeast of Bailongqiao Town. According to historical records, the village was built in the Yuan Dynasty, and because there are two streams in the village like two dragons, it was named "Longpan". When people mention Longpan Village, the first thing they usually think of is its outstanding new rural construction. Since the village renovation was completed in early 2005, the village environment has taken on a completely new look. Streams flow through the village and around the alleys, spreading throughout the whole village. Six bridges of different sizes and designs span the winding, meandering streams, creating a beautiful scene of "water flowing in front of every home, osmanthus fragrance behind every house". It is known as Jinhua's small "Old Town of Lijiang" and has also been rated as a Charming Village of Jinhua City and a Demonstration Village for Comprehensive Moderate Prosperity Construction. But people usually overlook one point: the reason it was rated as a Demonstration Village for Comprehensive Moderate Prosperity Construction is not only its beautiful environment, but also its rational industrial structure - Longpan Village is a widely known specialized dairy farming village.

Recently, the reporter walked along the tree-lined village road into Longpan Village and saw that in several farms, herds of black-and-white dairy cows were either foraging or drinking water, and some were strolling leisurely; the farmers were either milking or tending to sanitation, a busy scene everywhere... Here, the reporter met Xu Yue and Tang Haiying, a husband-and-wife pair who are the village's large-scale dairy farmers. They raise more than 130 dairy cows, have a net income of two to three hundred thousand yuan each year, and live quite comfortably.

Tang Haiying told the reporter that they have been raising dairy cows for more than 20 years. In 1982, the spring breeze of reform and opening up swept across the land south of the Yangtze River, and people went out to work one after another to increase their income, but Xu Yue took a different path and began raising dairy cows. According to Xu Yue's recollection, the first dairy cow he raised was bought back from Nanchang, Jiangxi. At first, he only raised one dairy cow, then slowly summed up experience and gradually expanded the scale of breeding. Since 1990, China's milk market has flourished, and at this time, Xu Yue's breeding scale also continued to expand.

With more dairy cows, selling the milk became a problem. "Our milk is all sold uniformly to Jiale Company," Tang Haiying said. In 1995, in order to broaden the sales channels for milk, Xu Yue decided to go to major dairy companies to promote his milk, and the first company they took a liking to was Jiale Dairy. "Because Jiale was a state-owned enterprise, at that time we felt that state-owned enterprises were more reliable," Xu Yue said. So they found Chen Jianhua, who was then the base section chief of Jiale Dairy, and promoted their milk to him. Unexpectedly, Xu Yue's step went very smoothly, and Chen Jianhua immediately agreed to purchase his milk on a regular basis. Once the sales path was opened, Xu Yue and Tang Haiying's dairy farming business took off unstoppably and soon exceeded a scale of 100 cows. That same year, Xu Yue also set up the Longpan Village milk station to help villagers sell their milk uniformly to Jiale Company.

"The reason Jiale Dairy purchased our milk was mainly because the milk was of good quality," Xu Yue said. "From then on, I became firmly convinced of the belief that quality wins. I strictly managed feed, sanitation, medication, and many other aspects to further improve the quality of the milk, and any milk produced by sick cows was resolutely disposed of. In this way, the quality of my milk was all very high, so for more than ten years it has maintained good sales, and the breeding scale has also gradually expanded."

In recent years, the dairy cow market has fluctuated dramatically, and many dairy farmers' enthusiasm has been hurt, leaving them doubtful about the prospects of dairy farming. However, Xu Yue and Tang Haiying, the husband-and-wife pair, remain unwavering in their devotion to dairy farming and still have a special affection for it. "We are now thinking about how to expand the scale of our breeding," Tang Haiying told the reporter. And the other dairy farmers in Longpan Village, like Xu Yue and Tang Haiying, are continuing to lead their dairy cows forward on the road to moderate prosperity.