From breeding cows to ducks

(Baonghean) - If in the past, Con Cuong district had a movement to build rural roads, in 2013, the spearhead was determined to be implementing household economic models. Currently, raising breeding cows in Chi Khe commune and raising Quy ducks in Mau Duc commune are effective models...

From Chi Khe breeding cows...

Up to now, 15 households implementing the VA06 grass planting model and raising breeding cows in Lam Khe village, Chi Khe commune are very happy because the results are clearly visible. Not only are the cows growing well, but most of them are close to giving birth, even in 2 families, the cows have given birth to calves. This is most clearly felt in the family of Mr. Vi Van Nghe, the household has both mother cows and calves in the barn. Mr. Nghe said that his family is the luckiest of the 15 households because when he received the "pregnant cow", only nearly 4 months later he had another calf. Taking us to visit the mother cow and calf, now about the same size, he excitedly said that now in Lam Khe village, many families have built barns to raise cows and set aside land to grow VA06 grass. "In Chi Khe, the forest has been contracted to households, there is no more land to raise buffalo and cows to graze freely, so raising cows in barns is a very good option. No worries about theft, if they get sick, you can call a veterinarian, and there is VA06 grass for food... Everyone can see the effectiveness, so many people in my village are following this practice" - Mr. Nghe was excited.

Leaving Mr. Nghe's house, we visited Mr. Luong Ba Duyet's house, where the cow was almost due to give birth. After we "verified" it, he took us to visit the grass garden. It was strange to hear that the grass growing area was called a garden by the people of Chi Khe, but when we saw it, it was true. Because almost every grass growing area is surrounded, fenced and has a very careful gate. Mr. Duyet's garden must be nearly a thousand square meters wide, with lush green VA06 grass. Following Mr. Duyet's garden are a series of grass gardens of other households densely packed along the riverbank. Joining us was Ms. Phan Thi Thanh Viet - Head of the Commune's Agriculture Department, she said: "The model of growing VA06 grass and raising cows in cages in Chi Khe commune has many goals, of which, increasing people's income and eliminating the habit of raising buffaloes and cows in open pastures are the two most important goals. And these two goals have both been achieved...".

It is known that the cost of implementing the VA06 grass planting model and raising breeding cows was divided in half by 15 families, the State paid 50%, and the households paid 50%. According to Village Chief Kha Van Dan, the criteria for registered households were to have labor, not be rich, but not too poor to have money to contribute. Lam Khe villagers democratically voted to select 30 households that met the standards. After that, the commune government organized a public draw to select 15 households to implement the model. With the attention and monitoring of the District New Rural Coordination Board, commune officials, and veterinarians, the households that have raised cows since the end of 2012 have shown good results, so many people in the commune have followed suit. Mr. Dan said: "For a newborn calf, households immediately receive about 7 million VND, so everyone is very happy...".

... to the duck Quy Mau Duc

During the workshop on expanding the Quy duck farming model in the direction of biological safety held in Thong Nhat village, Mau Duc commune on December 12, 2013, 20 households participating in the model and Mau Duc commune officials began to hope that one day their land would create its own duck brand. In fact, when seeing the Quy duck flocks weighing an average of 1.2 - 1.5 kg, and knowing that nearly 3 months before they only weighed 100 - 150g, everyone believed that the hopes of Mau Duc officials and people were completely achievable.

Talking to Mr. Ngo Tien Minh, Head of the project team to raise Quy ducks in Mau Duc commune, with the caution of an elderly person, he said that the model has had relatively successful results. "Relatively" because if people do not have measures to prevent and control epidemics, this breed of poultry will have difficulty surviving. Furthermore, it is necessary to pay attention to food sources, find outlets and many other problems that may arise... With Ms. Lang Thi Hoa, it is different. She recounted in detail the day the ducklings were brought back, unfortunately, the weather was cold, the staff had to instruct how to care for them, how to keep them warm, how to feed them, how to prevent epidemics... including the story of the ducks that unfortunately died, which made her regretful. She said: "At first, raising Quy ducks was not simple, but now it is good. Everyone says we have to keep many ducks for laying eggs and hatching to increase the flock...".

Quy duck flock of Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hoa's family.

According to research, in Mau Duc commune, people's lives are still difficult, rice and corn productivity cannot be increased any further, so it is very necessary to introduce livestock and poultry suitable for the locality. Mau Duc has many ponds, so the New Rural Coordination Board of Con Cuong district has chosen to introduce Quy Chau duck breed for people to raise on a trial basis. After 3 months (from September 22, 2013), it has been proven that Quy Chau duck is completely suitable for the climate conditions of Mau Duc, and the direction of increasing the herd and expanding it to households throughout the commune is the goal of the cadres here.

In Con Cuong district, there are not only models of breeding cows and raising Quy ducks, but also other models that have achieved quite good results such as the model of planting meters in Chau Khe commune, raising black pigs in Yen Khe commune... But even so, the staff of the New Rural Coordination Board of Con Cuong district are still worried. Young intellectual Luong Van Canh - Bachelor of Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, a new employee of the New Rural Coordination Board of Con Cuong district, confided: "The board's force is thin, there are many young people, the localities are still confused in implementing the model, the funding source is limited... therefore, to replicate the models is not simple. The plan is that all staff of the board must stick closely to the grassroots to work with households to implement the model well, then focus on extensive propaganda work among the people so that everyone can clearly see the benefits and follow...". What young intellectual Luong Van Canh confided is a right direction, because not far away, the model of raising cows in cages in Lam Khe village is being widely replicated by the people of Chi Khe commune.

Nhat Lan