Self-Made Wealth Queen Zhao Rong - A New Approach to Getting Rich by Raising Pigs in Greenhouses

    [Golden Ideas for Getting Rich] Was it the hard-working dedication that could not fundamentally change her straitened circumstances that spurred her on? Was it her unique business sense and far-sighted market vision that made her successful? Was it her careful and detailed analysis of market prospects that transformed her? In fact, success is never accidental - all of this together made Zhao Rong a self-made wealth queen through pig farming. 

    In order to master scientific techniques and professional experience, she studied books and exchanged experience with peers; in pursuit of high-quality, low-cost feed, she traveled far and wide to inspect and compare options; to establish long-term cooperative relationships with distributors, she took the initiative to contact buyers and purchase in large quantities. 
 
    The growth of her farming operation meant she was no longer content with the status quo. She increased her investment, built greenhouses, raised the annual number of fattening pigs sent to market, and further increased her family's income. When talking about the advantages of raising pigs in greenhouses, Zhao Rong recites them as if counting her treasures, listing one benefit after another - and she has indeed walked the path to prosperity through greenhouse pig farming. 

    A Case of Getting Rich 

    Zhao Rong - an ordinary female agricultural worker of the 129th Regiment of the Seventh Agricultural Division. 

    In 1994, Zhao Rong and her husband Zhang Maochun contracted several mu of land in the company. Although the couple were both capable and hard-working, if they wanted to completely escape their financial straits as soon as possible, they had to find another way. At that time, Zhao Rong, with her business savvy, set her sights on the breeding industry, foreseeing that the future live pig farming market would reveal tremendous potential and infinite business opportunities. 

    So the couple put their heads together and spent 300 yuan to buy 5 piglets. It was precisely these 5 little piglets that brought Zhao Rong and her husband a profit of more than 2,000 yuan that very year, almost equal to the income from their contracted land. Having had a first taste of success, Zhao Rong went on to make careful and detailed plans: buying piglets was not only costly but also heavily dependent on the market, and it was difficult to grow the operation substantially in a short time. So in the second year, when they had seen modest returns, Zhao Rong and her husband, building on their experience of raising piglets, tried raising two sows. 

    After two years of breeding and raising their own stock, by 1998 Zhao Rong's household was sending an average of nearly 50 fattening pigs to market each year. 

    In order to master scientific farming techniques and professional breeding experience as quickly as possible, Zhao Rong studied assiduously and paid attention to every detail. Besides teaching herself from books, she often exchanged knowledge and sought advice from peers and veterinarians. When buying feed, in order to find high-quality, low-cost feed sources and ensure the pigs' balanced nutrition and excellent meat quality, she personally traveled to various places to inspect and compare, going as far as Tacheng. To establish long-term supply-and-marketing relationships and honest cooperation with distributors, she took the initiative to contact buyers and purchase in large quantities, ensuring a stable source of goods. 

    As the family breeding operation grew day by day, Zhao Rong was no longer satisfied with the "small-scale operation" of 50-60 head sold per year. So she broke with the old and established the new, increasing her investment costs; she tore down the original small pig pens and put the newly built greenhouse pig pens into use. That very year, she went directly from the original 2 sows to 10 sows; from the original average annual market output of 50-60 fattening pigs to an average annual output of 200-250 head; and in the eight years up to 2008, their family's annual income was consistently above 80,000 yuan.  

    Although raising pigs in greenhouses was not her family's patent, whenever the benefits of greenhouse pig farming are mentioned, Zhao Rong beams with delight and talks endlessly. According to her, greenhouse pig farming first lowers the cost of raising pigs and shortens the pig-rearing cycle. Especially in winter, using greenhouses to raise pigs can raise the temperature of the pig shed - even during the "sanjiu" period, the temperature inside the greenhouse can reach 18-20°C, and stays above 0°C at night, greatly reducing the loss of the pigs' body energy, speeding up weight gain, and enabling the pigs to fatten and put on meat as usual in winter. Compared with traditional pen housing, they can be sent to market at least 2 months earlier. The benefits of greenhouse pig farming also lie in being able to uncover the film and ventilate at any time, keeping the air inside the pen fresh over the long term. This improves the pigs' disease resistance and ensures their safe growth. In summer, the greenhouse film is removed and the pigs grow freely, which is both safe and trouble-free. At the same time, greenhouse pig pens are easier to clean, saving manpower. 

    Years of hard work made Zhao Rong a veritable wealth queen and a heroine of the 129th Regiment. In 2006, Zhao Rong even took her precious daughter on a trip around Hong Kong, China - although the trip cost more than 30,000, Zhao Rong still felt wonderful about it, and she also planned to take the whole family to Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and other places for another thoroughly enjoyable vacation in 2009! 

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