Guazhou County's Grass-Livestock Industry Experiences Rapid Growth

In recent years, Guazhou County in Gansu Province, China has prioritized agriculture and implemented the rural revitalization strategy, which has led to significant growth in the grass and livestock industry. The county has expanded forage cultivation, actively promoted the cultivation of high-quality forages such as silage corn and alfalfa, and implemented support policies to strengthen the grain and grass foundation for the development of animal husbandry. By 2025, the county aims to reach a forage planting area of 116,100 mu, including 18,200 mu of silage corn and 51,200 mu of alfalfa.

Key Takeaways:

• Guazhou County has established 14,000 mu of alfalfa demonstration bases, with an additional 1,000 mu of new high-yield and high-quality alfalfa demonstration bases to be added by 2025.
• The county will allocate 5,000 mu of grain-to-forage storage and establish two professional silage packaging companies, producing over 8,000 tons of whole-plant corn silage annually.
• Four pellet feed production lines will be established, processing over 20,000 tons of pellet feed annually, and commercial forage companies and bases will be constructed to promote the large-scale, standardized, and organized development of the forage industry.
• High-quality cattle and sheep breeds have been introduced, and the county party committee and government have issued documents providing financial incentives and subsidies for the introduction of foundation ewes and breeding rams.
• Through policies and projects, 916 Suffolk breeding rams, 8,800 Huyang foundation ewes, 2,200 Simmental foundation cows, and 10,000 doses of frozen semen from beef cattle were introduced.
• The county has promoted the "Aohu" and "Sahan" three-way crossbreeding model for secondary mutton sheep and improved beef cattle through frozen breeding.
• Precise technical services have been provided to solve difficulties faced by the livestock industry, and new technologies have been introduced to improve the quality of silage.
• Provincial-level, municipal-level, and county-level science and technology projects have been implemented to solve technical problems for livestock farms.

Statistics:

• By 2025, Guazhou County aims to reach a forage planting area of 116,100 mu.
• 14,000 mu of alfalfa demonstration bases have been established, with an additional 1,000 mu to be added by 2025.
• 5,000 mu of grain-to-forage storage will be allocated.
• Two professional silage packaging companies will be established, producing over 8,000 tons of whole-plant corn silage annually.
• Four pellet feed production lines will be established, processing over 20,000 tons of pellet feed annually.
• 916 Suffolk breeding rams, 8,800 Huyang foundation ewes, 2,200 Simmental foundation cows, and 10,000 doses of frozen semen from beef cattle have been introduced.
• A total of over 2,000 livestock farms have been trained.

Sources:

• Guazhou County Agricultural Key Industry Support Measures
• Guazhou County Government Website: https://www.guazhou.gov.cn/guazhou/c100161/202508/5454a4e1d5274ea0a5857f37d4235b69.shtml