Sunflowers give TH milk its distinctive character.

(Baonghean.vn) - Having been present in Phu Quy (Nghe An) since 2010, TH Dairy Food Joint Stock Company now owns nearly 40,000 dairy cows of imported breeds. To ensure a food source for the cows, many types of raw materials have been planted on an area of ​​more than 2,000 hectares. In addition to common crops such as elephant grass, Mombasa grass, corn, sorghum, sugarcane, etc., there is also another special food crop: sunflowers.

Phu Quy is resplendent with sunflowers - Photo by Le Thang

Known as the flower that faces the sun, the sunflower has long been used in traditional Eastern medicine for various purposes such as improving digestion, calming nerves, and stabilizing blood pressure. Sunflowers are also widely cultivated for their seeds and to enhance the beauty of nature. However, many people may be surprised to learn that the sunflower has another use: as a food source for livestock, specifically dairy cows.

From sowing to harvesting, sunflower plants take approximately 90 days.

Therefore, these days, anyone passing through the raw material area of ​​TH Milk Food Joint Stock Company will see vast fields of vibrant yellow sunflowers. According to Master Nguyen Le Thang – a crop management officer of the company, sunflower plants, with their porous core and upright yet soft stems, are very well adapted to the soil of Phu Quy. In 2012, TH Milk Food Joint Stock Company began experimentally planting sunflowers in Nghia Dan district. Initially, they planted about 2 hectares, and this autumn-winter season, the area has reached 30 hectares.

Visitors passing through Phu Quy region are always captivated by the sunflower fields.

Sunflower plants have a short growing season, from sowing to harvesting in 90 days, with flowering occurring after about 55 days. This is the time when sunflowers develop a unique characteristic rarely found elsewhere in our country. Similar to other plants like corn, sorghum, and Mombasa grass, the entire stem, branches, flowers, and leaves of the sunflower are chopped and mixed in appropriate proportions with other ingredients, then fermented to create silage, which becomes a food source for dairy cows.

During the sunflower blooming season, no fewer than 1000 people visit each day to take souvenir photos. (Photo by Ngo Toan)

With the extremely favorable weather and soil conditions of Phu Quy, mature sunflower plants can reach a height of 1.5 to 2 meters, with flower diameters of 30 cm or even 40 cm; yielding 50 tons per hectare. Importantly, it not only supplements a rich source of nutrients and minerals for dairy cows but also contributes to TH Milk Company's ability to secure its raw material supply and create a difference for its milk products, which are produced and processed using a state-of-the-art technology process with fresh and clean standards.

Dao Tuan