3B cattle farming amateur

Lan Sen field in Vu Xa village, Ngo Quyen commune has always been used to grow rice, an area that has converted to small-scale, precarious livestock farming. In 2021, when people learned that someone had built a cow farm here, everyone wondered and discussed it. Many people did not understand why Mr. Doan, who had been a businessman in the city and had been away from home for many years, returned to try his hand at this risky job.

Leading us along the rice fields to the farm, Mr. Hoang Kim An, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Ngo Quyen Commune, proudly boasted that this was the largest and most modern cow farm in the district. "Mr. Doan was always busy with his company's business and then busy taking care of the cow farm, so it was difficult to arrange a meeting," said Mr. An.

As Mr. An said, we "many times" made an appointment to meet and then missed Mr. Doan, so we could only visit the farm. Looking closely at this cow farm, we became more curious about its owner and were eager to meet him to learn more about this circular agricultural model. Luckily, we met Mr. Doan on a pouring rainy day. The image of this businessman was completely different from our initial impression. Mr. Doan was quite young for his 40 years old, elegant and scholarly, so we understood why people were skeptical at first when he entered the livestock sector. However, his determined eyes showed his determination and enthusiasm for farming.

The moment when Mr. Doan decided to boldly invest in agriculture began when the Covid-19 epidemic broke out. At that time, to control the epidemic, trade was difficult, goods were congested. Agricultural products, which are seasonal and cannot be consumed, were congested and damaged. Then the story of handling agricultural by-products such as straw, stubble, tubers, excess fruits, etc., which pollute the environment, never ended. This made Mr. Doan hesitate, worry and urged him to do something to change his mindset about agriculture. Thinking and doing, in 2020 he pooled his capital to buy fields. When he had land in hand, Mr. Doan invested 3 billion VND to build livestock barns on an area of ​​4,500 ^m2 .

After researching and learning about many farming models, Mr. Doan decided to raise 3B cows. This is a super meat cow breed originating from Belgium, with many outstanding characteristics in terms of productivity and meat quality. According to Mr. Doan, cows are livestock that can maximize the advantages of production according to a circular chain. Mr. Doan's farm is not large but is scientifically arranged and organized. The farming area is closed, the care process is synchronous and always ensures ventilation for the cows to grow and develop well. Livestock waste is collected and treated to serve earthworm farming.

To create a source of green food for cows, he rented 4 hectares of land to grow elephant grass. In addition, he also reused straw and stubble that people discarded after each rice crop. Carrots, corn flour, rice bran, beer dregs... were also purchased from neighboring areas to make feed for cows. "I want to build a closed-loop agricultural model, where each supply chain can be proactive. Only then will production no longer be dependent," Doan asserted.

Although he has no experience in agriculture, with the skills he has gained over many years in the market, Mr. Doan has mastered the technique of raising 3B commercial cows. Compared to other breeds of the same type, 3B cows have high resistance, good yield and meat quality. Therefore, right from the first batch, 100 3B cows have brought high economic efficiency. He said that raising cattle is not based on preference but must learn, evaluate the market, consumer trends and the ability to meet them.

Taking us around the barn, Mr. Doan enthusiastically introduced the techniques of raising cows. Every day, he only feeds the cows 2 meals with 30% of the amount of starch, the rest is roughage and green food. Every 2 weeks, he supplements vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Vaccinations are also carried out according to the recommendations of the professional agency. Therefore, there has never been an epidemic on the farm. That alone is enough to understand how dedicated he is to this farm.

Pursuing circular agriculture

Realizing the potential of raising 3B cows, from the initial 100 cows, Mr. Doan expanded the scale, maintaining the raising of 150 cows/batch. Each year, he sells 15-20 tons of beef to the market. His farm has linked up with large slaughterhouses in Hanoi to consume the products. In recent years, 3B beef has been popular with people, so the price has always been maintained at a high level of 85,000 - 90,000 VND/kg. Annual revenue reaches over 15 billion VND, after deducting expenses, Mr. Doan earns a profit of 3-4 billion VND/year. Currently, his farm is creating stable jobs for 5 local workers with a salary of 9 million VND/person/month.

Because of closed farming, limiting the impact on the environment, Mr. Doan makes full use of livestock by-products. He built a 400m2 earthworm farming area, using cow manure treated with probiotics as food. Earthworms also play an important role in treating manure and livestock waste. Earthworms are easy to raise and do not require high technology. The model also has the advantage of only investing in buying breeds once, then the earthworms reproduce and develop on their own, so there is no cost for breeds for the next crop. On the other hand, earthworms only need to be raised for 1 month to be harvested, and the current consumption market is quite favorable due to high demand. Earthworm products are diverse and have stable prices. The price of fresh earthworms is from 30,000-40,000 VND/kg, and earthworm manure is from 3,000-4,000 VND/kg. Each year, Mr. Doan earns more than 200 million VND from raising earthworms.

With stable output and simple farming techniques, Mr. Doan is building two more greenhouses with an area of ​​500 ^m2 to expand the earthworm farming model. He plans to supply earthworm products such as: dried earthworms, earthworm powder, earthworm pellets... to serve agricultural production.

The deeper he got into agriculture, the more clearly he saw the disadvantages and inadequacies of this risky industry. Although the initial steps were smooth and successful, Doan still had concerns because the current beef market was quite chaotic and distorted. Many types of cheap frozen beef appeared everywhere, affecting domestic farmers. He said that there should be a mechanism to create an equal competitive environment and protect the rights of farmers. All levels and sectors need to study support policies, encourage farmers to boldly invest, expand production, and link to consume products.

Currently, Mr. Doan's farm maintains stable operations and generates regular profits. However, he is not satisfied and is still absorbed in learning to build a model of circular agriculture.

Born in a poor countryside, although he left farming, Mr. Doan always yearns for his fellow villagers to become rich from agriculture. However, farming cannot be done haphazardly but must be long-term, sustainable and in line with trends. Mr. Doan affirms that circular agriculture is an inevitable direction to minimize external impacts on production. He always cherishes the plan to build a closed circular livestock farming model. All products and by-products from farming and livestock can be utilized. Only then can the instability in agricultural production be limited.