Building upon the achievements of the beef cattle breeding program from previous years, in 2024, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center implemented the model "Intensive beef cattle farming with support for product consumption linkage" in Hai Phu commune, Hai Lang district and Trieu Thuong commune, Trieu Phong district. The results of this model will serve as a guideline for expanding and developing intensive beef cattle farming throughout the province.
The intensive beef cattle farming model in Long Hung village, Hai Phu commune, Hai Lang district is developing well - Photo: PVT
Mr. Tran Kim Quang, from Long Hung village, Hai Phu commune, Hai Lang district, was selected to participate in the model. Mr. Quang's cattle farming model is supervised and monitored by officials from the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center in coordination with community agricultural extension teams in the communes. They provide technical guidance on care, feeding, feed mixing, processing, feed storage, disease prevention for beef cattle, and handling livestock waste as fertilizer for crops. The BBB (3B) crossbred cattle were selected based on the standards of beef cattle in Quang Tri province, aged 10-12 months, with an average weight of 230 kg/animal, and a scale of 10 animals/location.
The cattle are cared for, fed, and given a balanced daily diet according to standards appropriate for their age and developmental stage, adjusted according to weight gain and actual farming practices. The diet is formulated based on the potential and advantages of each locality, ensuring adequate nutrition at a low cost. In addition, the cattle are supplemented with macronutrients and micronutrients using mineral lick blocks.
In particular, the model uses high-protein fish meal, replacing industrial fishmeal, to balance the nutritional content in the cattle's diet, helping them digest food more easily. Through the breeding process, it has been shown that this breed of cattle has good growth potential, high resistance, and a significantly larger physique compared to other breeds.
Mr. Tran Kim Quang said: “Previously, my family raised several breeds of cattle, but we found them not very profitable. After learning about this 3B breed and receiving support from the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, I found it to have many advantages. The cattle have a good growth rate, beautiful appearance, are omnivorous, and easy to raise. Currently, I have two markets in Hanoi and Quang Nam province placing orders. The price varies depending on the time, but the two markets I'm linked with will buy at a higher price than the market, creating a long-term business relationship. In the future, my family plans to increase the herd size and expand this farming model.”
Through monitoring, intensive farming of BBB crossbred cattle shows an average weight gain of 0.9 kg/animal/day, equivalent to 27 kg/animal/month. The weight gain potential of BBB crossbred cattle is 1.3 - 1.5 times higher than that of local breeds such as Zebu crossbred cattle and Brahman crossbred cattle.
Based on monthly monitoring results, the average weight of the model cattle at the two locations reached 520 kg/animal. With the current selling price of approximately 80,000 VND/kg live weight, after nearly 10 months of raising, the revenue of each model exceeded 445 million VND, bringing in a profit of nearly 110 million VND/model. In reality, raising BBB crossbred cattle yields 1.5-2 times higher profits than raising Zebu crossbred cattle, providing a significant source of income for rural workers.
The implemented model has had a positive and significant impact on all three aspects: economic , social, and environmental. Utilizing agricultural by-products, grass, and corn biomass as silage, and storing straw, creates an abundant and nutritious feed source for livestock, meeting year-round dietary needs. This reduces initial investment costs and increases economic efficiency. Using locally sourced breeds for beef cattle farming is a key factor in limiting disease spread, reducing acclimatization time, and keeping breeding costs low.
With intensive, large-scale livestock farming, the cow manure will be collected and composted using biological agents to create fertilizer. This large amount of organic fertilizer will be used to fertilize the orange orchards on the farm and other orange orchards in the province, creating an organic, circular model that adapts to climate change and meets the requirements of developing agriculture in an organic and circular direction.
In Thuong Phuoc village, Trieu Thuong commune, Ms. Truong Thi Hang, the owner of a livestock farming model, said that in 2019 her family planted 3 hectares of Xa Doai oranges with yellow flesh, supported by the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center under the new rural development program.
Last year, when the oranges officially entered their main harvest season, thanks to the manure from our family's intensive cattle farming model, which was treated with microbial preparations and used as fertilizer for the orange trees, we saved about 45 million VND per year on fertilizer. Because the oranges were fertilized entirely with organic fertilizer, they grew well and produced high-quality, fragrant fruit.
The leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Environment assessed: This is a linked farming model that solves the problem of output, bringing economic efficiency to livestock farmers, and has the potential to create a new profession in intensive beef cattle farming linked to product consumption. The Department of Agriculture and Environment will continue to advise the province on policies to support farmers in developing this model, such as providing breeding stock, supporting the cultivation of grass to create sources of green fodder for intensive cattle farming, transferring advanced techniques, and seeking product consumption linkages, thereby stabilizing income for households.
According to Tran Can, Director of the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center: From 2020 to the present, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center has successfully inseminated 23,824 crossbred cows using imported beef cattle semen, resulting in the birth of over 5,000 crossbred beef calves annually. This serves intensive beef cattle farming both within and outside the province, bringing in an estimated income of 70 billion VND for cattle breeders throughout the province.
In particular, at the end of 2023, Hanoi City donated 3,000 doses of BBB bull semen to Quang Tri province. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Department of Agriculture and Environment) assigned the Agricultural Extension Center the task of distributing 2,500 doses of BBB bull semen donated by Hanoi City to Quang Tri province in 7 communes across 4 districts: Vinh Linh, Gio Linh, Trieu Phong, and Hai Lang. Currently, crossbred calves have been born, ensuring quality and serving beef cattle farming in the future.
Mr. Can added that in the coming time, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center will continue to implement the program to improve the beef cattle herd in a concentrated manner. This includes expanding the model of intensive beef cattle farming, bio-secure fattening, and implementing demonstration models for farmers to learn from and replicate; helping farmers understand the benefits of improving breeds and applying intensive cattle farming techniques in the form of organic, circular farming models, from breeding stock to feed.
Establishing standardized farms and developing closed-loop chains and linkages in cattle breeding and beef production in the province will contribute to ensuring disease safety, environmental hygiene, and economic efficiency; successfully implementing the policy to support the development of certain crops and livestock to create key products with competitive advantages in Quang Tri province during the 2022-2026 period.
Phan Viet Toan
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/ket-qua-kha-quan-tu-mo-hinh-nuoi-bo-thit-tham-canh-192766.htm
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