Successfully raising a 'giant' breed of cows, the cooperative director pocketed billions

After graduating from the University of Physical Education and Sports (formerly Ha Tay) in 2010, Mr. Tran Trong Tan helped his family with farming , while learning about effective agricultural production models on mass media and the reality of getting rich of some models in neighboring areas.

After a period of experience with farming and gaining experience, in 2015, Mr. Tan decided to start a business with a cow breeding model. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and qualified, but due to lack of experience and techniques in raising cows, in the first batch, Mr. Tan lost nearly a hundred million.

Raising 3B cattle for fattening brings high economic efficiency to La Hien Agricultural and Commercial Cooperative and its members.

Although his business failed, Mr. Tan received encouragement from his family and relatives and was always determined to overcome difficulties. Through research and study, Mr. Tan realized that 3B cows are a foreign breed of cows with large weight. There are 3B cows that when fully grown can reach a weight of up to 750 kg, even up to 900 kg, some can weigh up to a ton if raised with the right techniques. So in 2016, Mr. Tan decided to switch to only raising 3B cows for fattening and developing large numbers.

To have cows to raise, Mr. Tan had to go to provinces and cities such as Hanoi , Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh to buy cows about 6 months old to fatten for testing. Each cow is about 6 months old, weighs about 150 - 180kg, and is worth 24 - 26 million VND. When the cow is about 12 - 15 months old, it is sold for 40 - 50 million VND, depending on the weight.

After the first batch, Mr. Tan realized that the advantages of the 3B cow breed are that it is easy to raise, rarely gets sick, and requires little care. In addition, the price of 3B cows is stable, on average from fattening to selling, the farmer can make a profit of 1 - 1.6 million VND/head/month.

The first batch of positive results regained Mr. Tan's confidence. In 2018, Mr. Tan switched to commercial 3B cattle farming, importing cattle to fatten for a few months, and selling them when the price was right.

Mr. Tan shared that the 3B cow's food is mainly grass and bran, the amount of food depends on each stage of the cow's development. It should be noted that the proportion of concentrated feed must always be 1% of the cow's body weight.

"Normally, the cow's diet should be fed normally in the first few months, and then about 3 months before selling, then the cow should be fattened. At that time, the cow will be fed more, with a weight of 3kg of bran/day. On average, each month, a 3B cow will eat about 600,000 - 800,000 VND in bran," said Mr. Tan.

To proactively provide food for cows, especially in winter, Mr. Tan ferments grass and sugarcane shoots with salt and sugar to store for 8-12 months. On average, every two acres of elephant grass can provide enough food for 3 3B cows for 3 months in winter.

In addition to roughage such as grass, Mr. Tan also uses beer dregs, bean dregs, and wine yeast to feed the cows. Thus, 3B cows will grow very quickly, each cow can gain 25 - 30 kg/month if well cared for. Especially during the breeding process, Mr. Tan uses biological bedding so the barn is always clean, dry, and does not pollute the environment.

Establishing cooperatives to support ethnic people

After a period of developing his family's economy, Mr. Tan realized that local agricultural products often had unstable prices due to the lack of stable output. In 2019, Mr. Tan and 7 other members of the commune, of which 6 members were Tay ethnic people, established La Hien Agricultural and Trading Cooperative, with a total contributed capital of 500 million VND.

The main activities of the Cooperative are raising buffalo, cows, pigs, deer and growing fruit trees (custard apple, longan). With the method of linking according to the value chain of goods, from production to consumption, the Cooperative's activities quickly achieved efficiency and found stable output for its products. From 2019 to present, on average, the Cooperative has consumed 65 breeding cows and 30 deer each year, with an annual revenue of over 1.2 billion VND.

Mr. Tan said that currently the price of 3B cows is stable at 97,000 - 98,000 VND/kg and he is exporting them to almost all provinces and cities. In addition to providing 3B cows, Mr. Tan also provides technical guidance and undertakes to purchase beef cattle for those in need of support.

To expand the cow raising model, the cooperative has invested in building and putting into use a 250 m2 barn system, which can raise up to 40 - 50 3B cows, and is preparing to expand the area for raising deer to improve production and business efficiency, creating more jobs for local workers.

“The establishment of the cooperative not only helps members improve production efficiency and find stable output, but also creates regular jobs for 15 local workers with an average income of 6-7 million VND/person/month. In the coming years, the cooperative hopes to create more jobs and increase income for members and local people, especially the Tay ethnic people where I live,” Mr. Tan shared.

SOUTH

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