Raising grass-fed cattle on hilly land.

QTO - Taking advantage of the hilly terrain and abundant agricultural by-products, Mr. Pham Duc Tinh and Mr. Tran Huu Duc in Ha Xa village, Ai Tu commune, have jointly invested in a semi-intensive grass-fed cattle farming model. With a well-structured breeding and fattening process, the model not only brings a stable income of over 600 million VND per year but also opens up a sustainable economic development direction for the locality.

Exploiting the potential of hilly and mountainous land.

In 2021, after a period of research, Pham Duc Tinh and Tran Huu Duc jointly invested in building a grass-fed cattle farm to transform the structure of crops and livestock and effectively exploit the potential of the local land.

With a substantial initial investment, the two brothers spent 300 million VND to build a sturdy livestock barn system, ensuring compliance with disease prevention and control standards for their herd, and invested another 400 million VND to purchase breeding cows. Mr. Tinh shared: “We chose to buy local breeds because the cows are already accustomed to the climate and have good resistance. Proactively breeding locally not only reduces input costs but also allows us to control the quality of the herd from the start.”

To ensure a stable food supply, the two brothers planned a 1-hectare plot for growing high-quality elephant grass, making full use of agricultural by-products such as straw, corn stalks, and banana plants. Besides income from selling beef and breeding cattle, the model also effectively utilizes livestock by-products. Cow manure is collected, dried, and composted to make fertilizer, both for the farm's production and for sale to local households; contributing to additional income and promoting a closed-loop production process, minimizing environmental pollution.

The model of integrated grass-fed cattle farming implemented by Mr. Pham Duc Tinh and Mr. Tran Huu Duc in Ai Tu commune has yielded high economic efficiency - Photo: KS

The effectiveness of semi-intensive livestock farming.

The model employs a semi-intensive farming method to breed cattle, then selects those that meet the standards for fattening in confinement. In the initial phase, the farm maintains a herd of 90 cattle. The cattle are fed natural grass combined with supplementary feed in the barn, ensuring stable growth and self-sufficiency in breeding stock.

When the cattle are nearing maturity, those that meet the criteria are separated from the herd and moved to a separate area for intensive fattening. Currently, the farm maintains a rotation of 28 cattle during the fattening period. Thanks to good disease management and nutrition, after deducting expenses, the model generates an average income of over 600 million VND per year.

“Initially, we faced considerable difficulties transferring the cattle from the semi-grazing environment to the confined fattening area because they were not yet accustomed to the cramped conditions. It took 1-2 weeks of monitoring before the herd stabilized. Furthermore, the farming area is far from residential areas and lacks electricity, so we had to manually draw power from nearby houses to supply electricity for production. Despite the hardships, the stable income motivates us to continue investing. We will expand the scale and increase the number of fattened cattle to further increase our income,” Mr. Tinh added.

Commenting on this model, Mr. Trinh Minh Chau, Head of Ha Xa village, said: “The model of Mr. Tinh and Mr. Duc brings high profits and is suitable for the economic development orientation of family farms and large-scale farms in the hilly areas of the locality. Utilizing difficult-to-cultivate land and agricultural by-products has created great economic value, contributing to boosting the economy of the village and commune.”

Mr. Nguyen Phuong Anh, Deputy Head of the Economic Department of Ai Tu Commune, informed: The concentrated fattening of grass-fed cattle in Ha Xa village is a new model in implementing the policy of transforming the livestock structure and forming concentrated livestock farming areas in the commune. Not only does it bring high profits, but the model also contributes to changing the production mindset of the people from small-scale, low-efficiency free-range farming to a sustainable, commercial scale.

In the coming period, the Department of Rural Economic Affairs will advise local authorities on the implementation and replication of the model, and related support policies to develop the model such as: land use planning, infrastructure, loan capital, product consumption linkages, etc. The unit will continue to monitor and coordinate support in veterinary technology, while encouraging people to visit and learn from the model to replicate it, contributing to fulfilling the criteria for rural economic development, poverty reduction, and social welfare.

Ko Kan Suong

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202605/nuoi-bo-co-tren-dat-go-doi-17a6a40/