Farmers in Nghe An province install large sound systems for their cows to listen to music all day long.

The cattle fattening model of Mr. Tran Ngoc Bay's family in Ngoc Son commune, Quynh Luu district. Photo: Viet Hung.

Taking advantage of his family's vacant land, in early 2018, Mr. Tran Ngoc Bay began constructing barns for fattening cattle. After two months of construction, the livestock facility was completed with a design of 30 barns, each measuring 180 square meters.²During this time, he invested in purchasing feed grinders, electronic scales, installing electric fans, cameras, etc., to support his livestock farming; the total investment in building the barns was approximately 300 million VND.

Once the model was complete and fully equipped, Mr. Bay went to mountainous communes like Tan Thang and Quynh Thang to buy lean cows that could grow quickly to raise and fatten at home.

Mr. Bay said that the cows purchased from local households are all very thin, averaging about two years old. Female cows fetch a purchase price of around 14-15 million VND per animal; male cows fetch a higher price, from 20-30 million VND per animal. After purchase, these cows are weighed for monitoring, and after about 45 days of "fattening," their weight increases significantly.

"The skinny cows we bought need special care to grow quickly. Besides feeding them grass, milk, and straw, we supplement their diet with starchy microbial feed to provide nutrients for their growth. Without starch, even if the cows eat grass or straw, it will be difficult for them to gain weight," Mr. Bay shared.

Currently, Mr. Bay's barn consistently maintains between 20 and 30 cows. Photo: Viet Hung

After carefully raising and fattening the cattle, Mr. Bay's family sold their first batch to slaughterhouses. On average, he earned a profit of about 2.5 - 3 million VND per animal after 45 days of raising. With a rotational farming system, Mr. Bay's family supplied 1-2 animals to slaughterhouses every day; after deducting expenses, his family earned a profit of over 50 million VND per month.

Currently, Mr. Bay is focusing on expanding his herd. In addition, he is collaborating with local households engaged in cattle farming to purchase their produce and provide a market for their cattle.

According to Mr. Bay, linking with other households to jointly raise cattle will help people generate additional income. After only about 1.5 to 2 years of raising, farmers can sell their cattle and earn about 20 million VND per animal. His family also benefits from slaughtering and distributing clean food to other provinces. More importantly, linking with other households helps limit the size of family farms, preventing the development of large herds that could negatively impact the environment.”

Large speakers are placed above the animal enclosure. Photo: Viet Hung

More specifically, to help the cows grow faster, Mr. Bay recently installed two large speakers in the barn so the cows can listen to music while eating.

According to his sharing, after visiting dairy farms in several places, he saw that they also played music for their cows. Therefore, after the visit, he immediately applied this to his family's herd. Playing music for the cows creates a habit; whenever there is music, they focus on eating, which inspires the cows to gain weight quickly.

Mr. Ho Van Lap, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ngoc Son commune, said: "The model of fattening cattle to provide clean food is the first of its kind in Ngoc Son commune and Quynh Luu district."

The local authorities will create all the necessary conditions for Mr. Bay's family to expand their cooperative; build a centralized slaughterhouse and expand its area. Regarding documentation and procedures, including environmental assessment, the local authorities have also instructed the family to ensure that livestock farming complies with regulations.