Deer Farmer Liu Yongcai's Experience in Raising Red Deer

    June 24 was the happiest day for Liu Yongcai and his wife, red deer farmers in the 148th Regiment of the 8th Agricultural Division. His wife Wang Xiuzhi was weighing the freshly cut deer antler on a scale and said happily, "It's a full 14 kilograms!" It turned out that one of the red deer they raised had produced 14 kg of antler. This was the highest yield in the 12 years since Liu Yongcai and his wife began raising red deer, and the total antler output was expected to reach 300 kg.

Liu Yongcai was originally an ordinary cadre in the agricultural products sales department of the 148th Regiment. Having worked in sales for many years, he was experienced and broad-minded. On another business trip to Northeast China, he learned that raising red deer was very profitable, so he got the idea of raising red deer.

In 1997, Liu Yongcai borrowed money from various sources, raised 120,000 yuan, and bought 12 Tarim red deer from southern Xinjiang all at once to try raising them.

At first, because of a lack of farming technology and experience, an unfamiliarity with the red deer's living habits, and very simple equipment, not only were the costs high, but there was almost no profit to be seen. In early 1998, a male deer suddenly showed symptoms of diarrhea. Because he had no experience or skills and could not treat it himself, he hired a veterinarian from the 2nd Agricultural Division. He not only covered the round-trip airfare but also had to pay high treatment costs. He spent several thousand yuan, but in the end the red deer still died because treatment was not timely. A male deer was worth more than 10,000 yuan, and on top of that he was carrying debts of more than 100,000 yuan from raising red deer. Facing huge losses and his family's blame, Liu Yongcai secretly resolved that he must get out of the predicament and build up his red deer farming.

He realized that red deer farming was a technical job and that enthusiasm and drive alone were not enough. That year, Liu Yongcai sent his wife Wang Xiuzhi to study in the veterinary medicine program at **Radio and Television University. At home, he raised red deer while buying books and CDs to study red deer farming techniques earnestly, and he spared no expense in inviting experts to his farm for technical guidance.

As for Wang Xiuzhi, she could also be called a strong woman. In 1992, while working at an enterprise in the regiment, she lost her right arm in a mechanical accident. Naturally strong-willed, she also had a deep interest in red deer farming. However, she had only a junior high school education and was already over 40. Now going to university was easier said than done. Undoubtedly, she had to put in more effort than others.

Wang Xiuzhi said that at the time she was the oldest student in the class, studying was very difficult, and every day she had to spend more time than others doing her coursework. Some classmates advised her, saying, "You're already so old. If you really can't manage, then don't study anymore." But Wang Xiuzhi understood in her heart that only if she had the skills herself could she develop red deer farming well, so she gritted her teeth and kept studying. Hard work pays off. In 2001, Wang Xiuzhi successfully obtained her graduation certificate and veterinary qualification certificate. Now she can not only accurately diagnose common diseases that occur in red deer, but also cure them. Her husband Liu Yongcai also achieved success in his studies at home, providing reliable technical support for their red deer farming.

After several years of hard work, Liu Yongcai became familiar with the red deer's living habits and feeding techniques. He also mastered artificial breeding technology. He also introduced sika deer and crossbred them with red deer. This hybrid breed was not only large in size and strong in disease resistance, but also had high antler yield and good quality, with very good market potential.

The problems of farming technology and disease diagnosis and treatment were successfully solved, the farming scale was continuously expanding, and the output of products such as antler and deer blood was also increasing year by year. By rights, Liu Yongcai could now rest easy and make a lot of money, but things did not go as hoped. The next problem gave Liu Yongcai and his wife even more of a headache.

Because publicity was inadequate, no merchants came to his farm to buy deer products at all. Occasionally some small vendors came, but they could not offer a good price, and the amount they purchased was also very small. Helpless, Liu Yongcai had to carry his products around looking for markets. He traveled to almost all the medicinal material wholesale markets and special product trade fairs in the interior, but it was to no avail.

In 2003, through an introduction by a friend, he attended a special product trade fair organized by the China Specialty Association. As soon as his deer products were exhibited, they attracted quite a few merchants. This time, Liu Yongcai also met many friends, and from then on his products opened up sales channels.

Now, Liu Yongcai's deer products have become hot-selling goods, and every year many merchants from the interior come to order his products. In order to further attract customers and increase the added value of the products, Liu Yongcai also invested in purchasing processing equipment to carry out deep processing of deer products. His processed products, such as antler slices, antler powder, deer blood wine, deer heart wine, and deer penis wine, can increase added value by more than 3 times. He also registered a trademark for his products. His "Nine Thousand Years" brand green deer products have already sold well across the country and are favored by consumers.