Kaiyang embarks on agriculture, animal husbandry development

The dairy farm in Longgang town applies the latest modern equipment. [Photo/Kaiyang Media Center]

The agriculture and animal husbandry industries in Kaiyang county -- in Guiyang, capital city of Southwest China's Guizhou province -- are said to be currently experiencing boom times, in the wake of the increased application of science and technology.

To date, 95 agricultural enterprises have settled in the county, including 64 large-scale businesses and 13 leading provincial-level enterprises.

A modern dairy farm established in 2013 in Kaiyang's Longgang town is a typical example of the county's recent development.

It is understood that the dairy farm was constructed by Guizhou South Dairy Co, with an investment of 150 million yuan ($22.51 million).

The farm covers an area of more than 500 mu (33.33 hectares) and has a design capacity to breed 5,000 head of cattle.

Currently, the existing dairy herd totals more than 3,500 cows.

The dairy farm uses a modern breeding management model to oversee the health of the cows in a comprehensive way, according to Jiang Xingyun, who is in charge of the farm. At present, it produces 40 metric tons of fresh milk per day.

While achieving high-efficiency production and rapid development of the farm itself, it has also provided badly needed work for locals, helping alleviate Kaiyang's poverty.

"I have been working on the dairy farm for around eight years, with a salary of more than 3,000 yuan per month," said Hu Shenlian, who is one of the county's registered poverty-stricken residents.

"The work is close to home and provides me with a stable income, which makes me feel very happy," Hu added.