"Then I'll work at Honghua until the end of the year, exactly three years. It's time for me to give it to you, Old Zhao. But you have to take good care of this child."
Li Jianguo pointed at Sun Zongyuan's back and said.
"It's still unclear who will take care of whom in the future. You think a deputy county-level official like you is his target? You may want him, but he may not want you. I think his ability and realm will definitely surpass yours in development. Do you believe it?"
At 11 a.m. on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the convoy from the Agricultural College arrived at Honghua Township. Sun Zongyuan, along with people from the Animal Husbandry Station and the Agricultural Office, had already been at the township border.
There are ten vehicles in total, each of which is equipped with pig cages made of steel. Pregnant sows are in a single room, while non-pregnant sows are in a room with two pigs each. The piglets are not big, only about 40 kilograms, and there are ten pigs in a room. The vehicles are covered with tarpaulins and pulled with ropes. When the vehicles are moving, the cool wind outside cannot blow in.
The teacher leading the team said that they fed the pigs at 6:30 in the morning and then loaded the truck. They didn't dare to drive fast along the way, so they arrived at this time.
Based on the information Sun Zongyu contacted the Agricultural College this morning, the director of the Animal Husbandry Station allocated the work areas and villages in advance. The ten vehicles were divided into four groups, led by people from the Animal Husbandry Station and the Agricultural Office to deliver the pigs to the door.
Sun Zongyuan also got into a car. There were only three people crammed into the cab for two people. Sun Zongyuan stayed close to the other person to give the driver as much space as possible. They drove slowly all the way and arrived at a village brigade office in less than 20 minutes.
There were thirty or forty people waiting in the small square in front of the brigade office. The branch secretary let Sun Zongyuan and the driver into the office, poured them a cup of hot water, and then turned on the loud speaker:
"Who's the pig farmer? Those who registered earlier, come pick up the pigs. Now the pigs are here. Whoever's the pig farmer, hurry up and take away the pigs according to how many you registered for. Don't forget to bring money when you come!"
Sun Zongyuan and the driver looked at each other and felt something was strange.
Someone outside was shouting, "Stop shouting! I'm here! If you don't unload the truck, the pigs will freeze to death!"
Others shouted:
"Why is this pig so white? It's whiter than my wife's butt!"
A burst of hahaha laughter!
When the branch secretary came out, the staff of the township animal husbandry station had already checked the quantity and variety with the village accountant and started unloading the truck.
The market price of a sow is 500 yuan, the township subsidizes 300 yuan, and the household only pays 200 yuan; the piglets are sold by the kilogram, one kilogram for one yuan and four cents, and the township subsidizes 80 cents. The households buying the pigs are thinking that they have made a lot of money this time.
The sows were distributed first. The branch secretary read out the names, and each household came up to claim the sows. The accountant collected the money, counted it over and over again, and put it into the military green cross-body bag on his body.
The staff at the animal husbandry station kept explaining the precautions for raising pigs, and some people kept asking questions!
Two or three pig farmers carefully carried the sow down, put it on the ground to let it rest and get some fresh air, then tied its front legs with a red rope and chased it home with a branch.
The piglets still had to be weighed. The director brought out the village scales and weighed them one by one. The piglets were no longer free at this point. They tied their four hooves with straw and grumbled in dissatisfaction. After the weighing was complete and the money was paid, the couple either carried the piglets in their arms or on their backs and went home.
"My piggy is finally home!"
The villagers burst into laughter!
A villager was holding a piglet when it accidentally pulled him in the arms. He angrily cursed, "You son of a bitch!"
Everyone laughed again.
Sun Zongyuan laughed along, and an hour later, the pigs on the bus had all gone home. Sun Zongyuan, the driver, and the others were taken home by the Party branch secretary. They were treated to hot tea, scrambled eggs, and noodle soup. They ate steamed buns and green onions, the white part of which was over a foot long and spicy and sweet. It was a real treat!
We returned to the village at three o'clock in the afternoon and arranged the work for the next day and the day after tomorrow with the teacher from the Agricultural College who led the team. Then the convoy went back. Each car was loaded with cabbage, radish or green onion sent by the village. The green onions were really long and big. Otherwise, why would Shandong Province be called the Green Onion Province by outsiders?
I checked in with the pig delivery staff. Work went smoothly today. Lots of jokes were going on in every village. Those buying pigs were delighted. Those who initially wanted to see the jokes and hadn't planned to buy anything, but now they've discovered the township has actually subsidized the pigs. The prices are incredibly low, and many people are complaining about their wives' long hair and short-sightedness. The money collected was paid to the finance office without any mistakes. A few words of encouragement, and we'll continue tomorrow!
The pigs were delivered to the village in the first two days. On the third day, a convoy brought 150 sows and sent them all to Yuanda Pig Farm. There were also three trucks loaded with 20 tons of pig feed. This was specially purchased by Sun Zongyuan. It was not given for free, nor was it a corruption.
Sun Zongyuan calculated that a pig needs two kilograms of feed a day, so 150 pigs would need 300 kilograms. Twenty tons could sustain the pig for two months, which would not be long before his feed factory could go into production.
Guo Mingyi, the teacher leading the team from the College of Agriculture, is a pig farming expert. He looked at the area of the farm and said:
"Village Chief Sun, this piece of land in your township is perfect for a breeding farm. Look, although the terrain is a bit sloping, the base is flat, and the pigs' excrement and urine can be naturally discharged from the pen. The land is wide, the nearest one to the village is one kilometer away, and the river is also four or five hundred meters away. The impact on the environment is not great, so we can build a large breeding farm."
"I'm planning to build a pig farm that can produce pigs every year. What do you think?"
"Right now, pigs raised in our country are mainly raised by the masses in the wild. The farms are not very large, with a scale of 2,000 to 3,000 pigs. In the next two to three years, it is estimated that a farm with 10,000 pigs will become the largest pig farm in the country."
Sun Zongyuan asked:
"What do you mean?"
"In recent years, grain harvests have been abundant and prices have been low, but people's demand for meat is increasing. If the country can provide for its people, shouldn't it also provide for their food?"
"The price ratio of grain to meat is very high now. If the grain-to-meat ratio is low, we can use our new breed and it can be ready for slaughter in less than half a year. The capital and pen utilization rate is high. If we raise a 250-jin pig scientifically, we can make at least 60 yuan in net profit, and if it is good, it can reach 90 yuan."
"Teacher Guo, how many people are needed for a production of 10,000 heads?"
"With advanced equipment, a 10,000-head operation requires relatively few people. For a sow operation with 500 self-breeding sows, 20 people are needed. For a piglet operation with 5,000 pigs, 25 people are needed. For a fattening operation with 4,500 pigs, 25 people are needed. There are 15 other management and cleaning staff, so about 80 people are needed. For a 20,000-head operation, about 150 people are needed."
"If we raise 20,000 pigs, focusing on breeding in the first few years, how many sows do you think we will need?"
"A sow can produce 20 piglets a year. 2,000 sows is acceptable within three years. After three years, the market will shrink as people breed sows themselves, so maintaining the number at around 1,000 is acceptable. After another three years, you can keep 500 sows for your own breeding and use."
Teacher Guo is indeed an expert in pig farming. He not only understands breeding techniques but also management.
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