Ostrich farming in a mountain village earns half a billion dong.

(Baonghean.vn) - Diligent, quick-witted, and creative in economic development, Mr. Tran Dinh Van in Dien Luc hamlet, Ky Son commune, Tan Ky district, has successfully built a comprehensive livestock farm that generates an income of over 450 million VND per year. He is also the first household in Tan Ky district to raise ostriches, and the herd is initially developing well.

With nearly 5 hectares of hilly land, Mr. Tran Dinh Van has meticulously renovated and planned the area for livestock farming. He has dug ponds in over 3,000 square meters of low-lying land to raise fish such as grass carp, silver carp, and common carp. Thanks to his ability to source feed entirely from agricultural by-products, investment costs are low, and the fish grow quickly, providing clean food to improve his family's daily meals. He also sells over 1.5 tons of various fish to the market each year, increasing his family's income by 50 to 70 million VND.

Mr. Tran Dinh Van's integrated livestock farm.

On the hillside, Mr. Van also set up a wild boar farm. At the beginning of 2016, he raised 200 boars, and by this time, his family had sold 60, including 12 breeding boars to ensure a steady supply of offspring. Notably, his family recently added 10 ostriches to their flock. Raising ostriches involves high costs for breeding stock; each ostrich weighing 3kg costs 3 million VND. However, as wild animals, everything from building the enclosures to feeding them is very simple, mainly consisting of grass, corn, and cassava. After 5 months of raising them, it has been shown that they are easy to raise, gain weight quickly (over 10kg per month), require little care, and are tolerant of heat, cold, and disease.

Mr. Tran Dinh Van shared: "Ostrich farming is suitable for the local conditions, so I bought some to raise and initially had many advantages, promising high income. I am willing to share my farming methods with many other households to develop livestock farming.".

Ostriches are easy to raise and gain weight quickly, with each ostrich gaining about 10kg per month.

Through learning and accumulating experience in livestock farming, especially by mastering the biological characteristics of each animal species and applying the correct technical procedures for care, from feeding to living environment, Mr. Van's livestock have all thrived, bringing his family a total income of over 450 million VND per year. Currently, Mr. Van's livestock farm is one of 28 effective livestock farming models in Ky Son commune.

Mr. Chu Quoc Te, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Ky Son commune, said: "Ky Son commune is striving to achieve the new rural development goals by 2017. Therefore, the commune's Party committee and government encourage the development of high-income economic models. The economic model of Mr. Tran Dinh Van's family in Dien Luc hamlet, Ky Son commune, is a prime example. We are currently monitoring it to guide its replication throughout the area."".

From integrated livestock farming, especially the bold introduction of new animal breeds, Mr. Tran Dinh Van's model opens up a new direction for economic development for the people here. This will effectively utilize the strengths of the land, abundant rural labor, and feed sources from agricultural by-products, contributing to the diversification of livestock structure and promoting sustainable local economic development.

Cam Tu - Trong Hung

Tan Ky Radio