Singing a new pastoral song on the grassland
In midsummer, when you walk into Tianzhu Tibetan Autonomous County, Wuwei City, Gansu Province, you will find yourself in an ecological painting. The majestic and mysterious Maya Snow Mountain comes into view, with a green-brown mountain and a touch of white snow; on the green carpet-like grassland, purple fragrant chai flowers bloom in patches, and the trees on the hillside are lush and green; from afar, the leisurely strolling white yaks and sheep are like white pearls scattered among them.
It's a good time for grazing! In Tucheng Village, Saishisi Town, Tianzhu County, Liu Guijun, head of the Manlaga Breeding Professional Cooperative, drove more than 100 white yaks and more than 300 sheep into the pasture. "Now we only graze on the pasture for three months in the summer, and the rest of the time we keep them in pens." Liu Guijun told reporters that there is little grass in the mountains, and in the past, grazing all year round could only support less than 100 livestock. Cows and sheep are running all over the mountains, and there are losses in livestock when it snows in winter.
Although the grazing time is shorter, Liu Guijun's livestock output has increased. "When grazing all year round, more than 1,000 kilograms of barley is enough for winter feed, but the income is also low." Liu Guijun calculated that last year, he spent more than 300,000 yuan on feed for 9 months of confinement, but he still sold more than 1,000 cattle and sheep throughout the year.
In Tianzhu County, many herders, like Liu Guijun, are experiencing the changes brought about by the model of "breeding in pastoral areas, fattening in agricultural areas, and complementary farming and animal husbandry". In the past five years, Tianzhu County has invested 170 million yuan in animal husbandry development, supported and cultivated 40 leading agricultural enterprises, 504 farmers' professional cooperatives, and 2,787 family farms, and built a total of 28,000 breeding greenhouses, laying a solid foundation for the development of grassland animal husbandry.
Tianzhu County is located at the eastern end of the Hexi Corridor. The Qilian Mountains National Nature Reserve and Liancheng National Nature Reserve account for 64.4% of the county’s land area, and its ecological status is extremely important.
It is understood that grassland is the largest type of surface resource in Tianzhu County, but the natural grassland area is only 5.871 million mu, of which 4.271 million mu is in grass-livestock balance area, with a theoretical carrying capacity of 823,000 sheep units, and 1.71 million mu is in shrub grazing forest land, with a theoretical carrying capacity of 400,000 sheep units. These natural grasslands can only carry 1.223 million sheep units per year.
"In addition to the grass-livestock balance areas and shrub grazing woodlands, we also have 300,000 mu of artificial grassland with a theoretical carrying capacity of 300,200 sheep units, and the theoretical carrying capacity of 202,600 sheep units of crop straw used as feed. The theoretical livestock carrying capacity of the county has reached 1,725,800 sheep units." Qi Wanzhen, deputy director of Tianzhu County Animal Husbandry Technology Extension Station, said that in 2023 the county's actual livestock carrying capacity was equivalent to 1,630,700 sheep units, with an underload of 95,100 sheep units, and the grass and livestock maintained a dynamic balance.
From the actual situation, Tianzhu's animal husbandry is not only not "overloaded", but also has a little "surplus" space. This is due to the vigorous transformation of the animal husbandry development mode and the promotion of the "breeding in pastoral areas, fattening in agricultural areas, and agricultural and animal husbandry complementarity" model.
An Weiguo's fattening farm is located on a vacant lot in the suburbs of Huazangsi Town, Tianzhu County, and currently has more than 600 yaks in stock. "These yaks are purchased from pastoral areas. If they are only grazed, yaks will grow slowly, and yaks aged 3 to 5 years old will only weigh more than 200 kilograms." An Weiguo said that he buys yaks every year when they are in good condition, and fattens them for half a year before selling them. The weight of the yaks can double to more than 400 kilograms.
In An Weiguo's view, although the cost of fattening in stalls is high, the effect is fast. "The feed I use is mainly corn, bran, straw and silage. Although the cost of a cow is about 16 yuan a day, the meat yield is much higher than grazing, and it can be slaughtered in half a year." An Weiguo believes that combining traditional extensive grazing with refined stall farming is equivalent to transferring the consumption of grassland by livestock to the pens. Not only is the profit good, but it can also greatly reduce the pressure on the grassland.
In recent years, Tianzhu County has continuously expanded the scale of forage cultivation, and the area of forage cultivation such as oat grass has expanded from 30,000 mu in 2005 to 300,000 mu in 2023, with the rate of improved forage varieties reaching 85%. The county produced 183,000 tons of crop straw, and the feed utilization rate reached 72.6%.
Not long ago, Tianzhu County was selected as a county for the national grassland animal husbandry transformation and upgrading project. It is understood that Tianzhu County will scientifically plan the "five major system projects" around strengthening the protection and restoration of natural grasslands, building high-yield and stable high-quality forage bases, building modern grassland ecological pastures and large-scale breeding farms, building excellent breeding stock and forage seed expansion bases, and building disaster prevention and mitigation forage storage and transportation systems.
With the implementation of the project, it is expected that by 2027, the comprehensive vegetation coverage of natural grasslands in Tianzhu County will increase from the current 88.6% to more than 89%.
"In the past, many people were unwilling to raise livestock in stalls. On the one hand, it was because of the tradition of grazing, and on the other hand, it was because of the high cost and investment of raising livestock in stalls." Yang Rujie, deputy director of the Tianzhu County Livestock Breeding Research Institute, analyzed that it is necessary to protect the grassland ecology while ensuring that herders increase their income. While changing the breeding methods, it is necessary to find ways to broaden the channels for people to increase their income. The "Tianhua Meat Sheep" was bred for this purpose.
In March this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released a batch of new breeds and supporting systems approved by the National Committee for Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources, among which Tianzhu County's "Tianhua Sheep" was listed. This means that the first new breed of sheep in my country that adapts to the high-altitude climate and has been cultivated by Lanzhou University and Tianzhu County for 15 years has an "identity card".
"Tianhua mutton sheep are made of Gansu alpine fine wool sheep as the female parent and South African meat Merino sheep as the male parent. They have excellent genes from both and are suitable for breeding in northern pastoral areas and agricultural and pastoral interlaced areas." Yang Rujie said that under the same breeding conditions, 6-month-old Tianhua mutton sheep can produce 1 catties more wool and 20 catties more meat than the original alpine fine wool sheep, and the lambing rate of basic ewes can reach 135%. This is equivalent to an increase of about 200 yuan in income for a commercial sheep, and an increase of 900 yuan for basic ewes.
Qin Yuliang, a herdsman from Duolong Village, Dachaigou Town, Tianzhu County, is a witness to the birth of Tianhua mutton sheep and also a beneficiary. "I have more than 1,400 sheep, but only more than 2,000 mu of grassland. Sheep cannot grow well if they are not well fed in the mountains. To do indoor breeding, you need good breeds." Qin Yuliang said that since 2013, his farm has been involved in the improvement and expansion of Tianhua mutton sheep. "This breed is large, has a high meat yield, produces a lot of wool, and has a high twinning rate. Basically, three lambs can be born in two years."
In the pen, Qin Yuliang pointed to a group of Tianhua mutton sheep eating feed and said, "These are lambs born last winter. In 7 months, they have grown to more than 60 kilograms. In the past, winter lambs of alpine fine-wool sheep only weighed 20 to 30 kilograms at this time of year. In the past, a 6-month-old sheep that could produce 30 kilograms of meat was considered a good sheep. Tianhua mutton sheep can produce 60 kilograms of meat. If you do the math, is the increase in income obvious?"
In recent years, Tianzhu County has been expanding the breeding of Tianhua mutton sheep throughout the county, and the number of new breeds raised has reached 400,000. "A good ewe means a good litter; a good ram means a good slope." Yang Rujie told reporters that the Tianzhu County government pays for the free provision of breeding rams for the people's breeding herds. Currently, Tianzhu County has established 308 Tianhua mutton breeding and promotion herds in 19 towns.
It is understood that Tianzhu County has established a three-level breeding system of "core breeding farm, breeding farm, expansion farm and expansion group", and has established 129 artificial insemination points in the county. Through the demonstration and promotion of the "synchronized estrus artificial insemination" breeding technology and the "early weaning and rapid fattening of lambs" full-house fattening technology, it has comprehensively promoted the "two-year three-industry" high-quality and efficient breeding and the "breeding in pastoral areas, fattening in agricultural areas, and agricultural and animal husbandry complementarity" scientific and efficient ecological breeding model, allowing more breeders to enjoy the results of scientific and technological transformation.
Yang Rujie said that the efforts of breeding and promotion will be accelerated. By 2025, 500 breeding and promotion groups of the new Tianhua mutton breed will be established, and the number of new mutton breeds will reach 800,000, which will drive the transformation and upgrading of the county's sheep industry and high-quality development.
Xu Shitao is the head of Haoshunyuan Family Farm in Tianzhu County. At the head of his bed, there are thick production data books and breeding files. Opening these folders, the type, flower shape, calving situation of each basic cow, the variety, fertilizer used, growth of each crop, etc. are clearly recorded. Through years of continuous trial, observation and improvement, Xu Shitao has found a way to breed, raise and sell his own products.
"In the past, feed was imported from outside, and the logistics cost was too high." Xu Shitao told reporters that he planted 500 mu of oat grass last year, and the local supply reduced the breeding cost. Moreover, compared with ordinary straw, oat grass has higher nutritional value. This year, he transferred land and planted 2,300 mu of oat grass. "In semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral areas, exploring ways to combine planting and breeding can improve breeding efficiency."
In Lanzhou New District, more than 100 kilometers away from Tianzhu County, Xu Shitao has also opened four mutton soup steamed bun restaurants. Through the video in the store, you can see his breeding base in Kecha Village, Saishisi Town. "Last year, more than 4,000 sheep were sold, most of which were used in my soup steamed bun restaurant." Xu Shitao said that in the traditional industry model, lambs are born in winter, grazed in spring and summer, and sold in autumn. Now people's concepts are gradually changing. Through breeding in pastoral areas and fattening in agricultural areas, it is possible to achieve staggered sales and year-round supply.
Xu Shitao's exploration is a microcosm of the transformation and upgrading of grassland animal husbandry in Tianzhu County. In the next few years, Tianzhu County will further extend the industrial chain, cultivate leading enterprises in the deep processing of Tianzhu white yaks and Tianhua mutton, drive the development of the entire animal husbandry industry chain including breeding, planting, breeding, processing and sales, and create a modern animal husbandry industrial park with plateau characteristics dominated by cooperatives and family farms.
According to the implementation plan of the national grassland animal husbandry transformation and upgrading project in Tianzhu County, 50,000 mu of forage will be planted in 16 townships including Haixi, Songshan and Dachaigou, and related ancillary facilities and equipment will be provided; one forage storage, transportation and distribution center will be built in Huazangsi Town and one in Songshan Town; at the same time, 190 modern grassland ecological ranches and standardized scale farms will be built.
In addition, Tianzhu County will also significantly enhance the market competitiveness and product added value of plateau-specific animal husbandry by establishing a modern deep processing production line. It is expected that by 2027, the annual slaughtering and processing capacity will increase from 75,000 heads to 220,000 heads, and the processing output value will increase from 54.2 million yuan to 95 million yuan. Qi Wanzhen introduced that after the completion of the project, the scale of indoor breeding in the county will increase by more than 10%, and the per capita disposable income of farmers will increase to 15,535 yuan, of which the income of herbivorous animal husbandry will increase from 41% to more than 45%.
