Nghe An highlands proactively prevent hunger and cold for livestock

Cover and warm the buffalo and cows

With many years of experience raising buffaloes and cows, Mr. Tho Cha Nhia's family in Na Nieng village, Tri Le commune (Que Phong) has proactively applied measures to prevent hunger and cold for the buffalo herd. Mr. Nhia said: My family is raising 4 buffaloes, now is the time to fatten them up to prepare for sale at the end of the year and Tet. The family grows over 1 hectare of elephant grass, stores straw to ensure food for livestock; proactively covers the barn, puts straw on the floor, lights a fire to warm up and adds salt water and minerals to increase the resistance of the buffalo herd during the cold days.

As a highland commune of Que Phong district, Tri Le commune has over 5,000 buffaloes and cows. Mr. Lu Van Cuong - Chairman of Tri Le commune People's Committee said: To ensure the development of livestock, the commune mobilizes people to raise buffaloes and cows in barns, gradually eliminating the practice of grazing cattle; implementing the model of growing elephant grass as animal feed. Up to now, the whole commune has over 100 hectares of elephant grass, proactively providing food for large livestock, especially in winter. At the same time, it propagates and guides households to implement measures to prevent hunger, cold, and diseases for livestock.

Mr. Bui Van Hien - Vice Chairman of Que Phong District People's Committee said that right from the beginning of the cold season, along with reviewing and checking the disease situation... the district's Department of Agriculture also promoted propaganda and mobilized people to pay attention to taking care of their family's livestock, avoiding the risk of hunger, as well as freezing to death due to unsafe barns.

In the highland commune of Muong Long (Ky Son), the winter temperature is 3-5 degrees Celsius lower than in the lowland communes, and buffaloes and cows often freeze to death in the winter. Therefore, the Mong people here have experience in preventing hunger and cold for livestock. Vu Giong Va's family in Muong Long 2 village raises 6 commercial buffaloes and cows. Va shared: In the winter, the weather here is always very cold, so the barns are always covered with tarpaulin and firewood is burned to keep warm day and night. For food, in addition to storing straw, the family also takes advantage of garden land and hill land to grow elephant grass, so the cows are well fed.

Mr. Lau Ba Cho - Vice Chairman of Muong Long Commune People's Committee said that livestock farming is one of the main sources of income for the people here. Currently, the whole commune maintains and develops a herd of over 4,000 livestock. The commune actively mobilizes people to raise livestock, including the raising of livestock and poultry in the village's conventions and covenants so that people commit to implementing them. The commune has directed the farmers' association and commune veterinary officers to guide people in preventing hunger, cold, and epidemics for livestock; organize full vaccination of all types of vaccines to prevent winter epidemics; closely inspect and monitor livestock to prevent epidemics from occurring.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ky Son district said that currently, most livestock households are conscious of investing in building solid barns for buffaloes and cows in the cold season. This is considered an effective solution to help localities maintain the number of livestock herds each year and reduce the risk of disease for livestock. In addition to ensuring enough warmth, local authorities also encourage people to prepare food and water sources for livestock.

Currently, the whole district of Tuong Duong has nearly 17,000 buffaloes, more than 34,000 cows, 24,444 pigs, and nearly 445,000 poultry. Every year, the district has directed localities to expand the area of ​​​​elephant grass to raise buffaloes and cows with an area of ​​​​414 hectares, the rate of households raising cattle in cages in the district is over 70%. Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa - Head of the district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: In winter, in mountainous communes such as Nhon Mai, Mai Son... cold weather often occurs, the lowest temperature can drop below 3 degrees Celsius, frost appears. Therefore, from the beginning of winter, the district has focused on directing functional departments and offices to regularly update weather developments, promptly provide information on the media so that all people know and proactively prevent and combat severe cold. Establish working groups to go to localities to guide, inspect, and urge the work of preventing and fighting cold for people, livestock, poultry, etc. to minimize the level of damage.

Proactively prevent hunger and cold for livestock

According to the forecast of the hydrometeorological agency, from December 2024 to February 2025, cold air is likely to be active and cause severe cold spells, accompanied by frost and ice. At the end of November, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Official Dispatch No. 5243/SNN-CNTY on proactively preventing and combating hunger and cold in livestock in the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop.

To proactively implement measures to prevent and combat hunger and cold for livestock, especially in mountainous districts, direct specialized departments and communes to focus on reviewing the total existing livestock herd, especially for buffaloes and cows roaming freely in the forest to have a plan to prepare barns, reserve food for livestock and have appropriate plans to prevent and combat hunger and cold. Along with that, cull and reduce the herd before the cold season, especially for old and weak buffaloes and cows, depending on the conditions of confinement and providing enough food for the livestock herd, households need to maintain a number appropriate to their breeding capacity.

Establish a working group to go to the grassroots to direct, guide, inspect and urge the work of preventing and combating hunger and cold, focusing on mountainous and highland areas, where livestock are at high risk of being affected by hunger and cold. Instruct livestock farmers to proactively monitor and promptly report when livestock die due to hunger and cold. Localities proactively use reserve budgets to promptly deploy work of preventing and combating hunger and cold for livestock. Integrate programs and projects to support materials and funding for poor livestock households, policy households, etc. to reinforce and cover barns and purchase supplementary feed for livestock.

According to the recommendations of the Department of Agriculture, on days when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius, absolutely do not let buffaloes and cows work or graze freely; need to bring buffaloes and cows into captivity for control, care and management; apply the regime of late grazing, early return, should use sacks and blankets to make cold-proof coats for livestock. In addition, on very cold days, need to boil warm water for buffaloes and cows to drink, add salt to increase metabolism and improve resistance.