Son La is reshaping large livestock farming.

Thanks to the restructuring of livestock farming, the application of new techniques, and the strengthening of supply chain linkages, Son La is forming concentrated livestock farming areas in a sustainable direction.

Transition from small-scale to large-scale, commercial livestock farming.

In recent years, large-scale livestock farming in Son La has developed in a direction that stabilizes the total herd size while expanding production scale.

Son La province has applied many new breeds and breeding techniques, contributing to improving the productivity and quality of livestock, aiming for sustainable development. Photo: Nguyen Nga.

The province currently has over 718 large, medium, and small-scale livestock farms, along with over 181,000 household livestock farmers, creating a widespread food supply network. The province has also built, maintained, and developed 17 livestock linkage chains, a 70% increase compared to 2021, showing a clear shift from small-scale farming to commodity production.

Among the main livestock groups, the cattle, pig, and poultry populations have increased significantly, reflecting the effectiveness of developing concentrated, biosecure farming. Several poultry farms and cooperatives have adopted VietGAP standards, meeting the needs of the province, supermarkets, and restaurants. Conversely, the buffalo population has decreased due to mechanization and low economic efficiency, while the dairy cattle population remains stable, creating a foundation for expanding high-tech dairy farming areas.

From here, many new breeds and techniques have been applied, such as embryo transfer technology, sex selection of purebred dairy cattle in Moc Chau; artificial insemination of cows using high-quality bull semen (Brahman, Zebu, Sind crossbreed, etc.); development of closed-barn farming technology and partial or complete automation of stages in pig breeding and lean pig farming at Loc Phat Livestock Joint Stock Company, Minh Thuy Livestock Joint Stock Company, Chieng Chung, Xuan Nha, CMC Muong La Joint Stock Company, etc.

In rural areas, many households in the former Mai Son and Thuan Chau districts have boldly adopted BBB (3B) hybrid cattle breeds, helping to improve the productivity and quality of livestock.

As one of the households boldly investing in large-scale 3B cattle farming, the model of Ms. Pham Thi Hang's family in Chieng Mai commune has shown clear effectiveness. On an area of ​​over 2 hectares, the farm is scientifically planned with separate zones including a confinement area, a feed processing area, a waste treatment area, and a grass growing area. The barns are solidly built, airy in summer and warm in winter, ensuring good conditions for the cattle to grow.

Ms. Pham Thi Hang shared: "The 3B breed of cattle is easy to raise, grows quickly, has delicious meat quality, and a stable selling price. Currently, my farm always maintains 140-150 cows, selling about 50-60 cows each year, with an average weight of 500-600 kg/cow, and a selling price ranging from 85,000-95,000 VND/kg live weight."

The key to the model's success lies in the strict implementation of disease prevention procedures for livestock and the proactive management of feed sources. All cattle feed is self-mixed and bio-fermented from main ingredients such as elephant grass, corn stalks, corn kernels, rice bran, and soybean meal. As a result, the cattle never lack feed during the dry season, the most challenging time for large-scale livestock farming in the highlands.

Establish large-scale, disease-free livestock farming areas.

Along with that, livestock farming in communes in Zone III and particularly disadvantaged villages has also seen significant progress. Compared to the period before 2021, the support for the development of livestock farming in the 2021-2025 period has been implemented in a more systematic, comprehensive, and in-depth manner, in terms of mechanisms, resources, and scope of beneficiaries.

In 2024, Son La province allocated nearly 5.7 billion VND to support livestock farmers in planting grass, improving barns, purchasing breeds, and processing feed. In 2025, support will be provided for planting over 66 hectares of grass; processing over 300 tons of animal feed; with a total budget of over 1.2 billion VND.

The 3B cattle farming model of Ms. Pham Thi Hang's household in Chieng Mai commune has been successful thanks to the strict application of care procedures, disease prevention, and complete self-sufficiency in feed sources. Photo: Duc Binh.

The policy has directly impacted more than 200 farming households in particularly disadvantaged communes; helping to increase the size of local livestock herds by 5-7% compared to 2021, improving livelihoods, reducing pressure on natural forest exploitation, and gradually forming a sustainable commercial livestock farming model in the highlands.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Head of the Son La Livestock, Veterinary and Fisheries Department, in the period 2021-2025, Son La's livestock industry will undergo a strong transformation with the formation of livestock linkage chains in various forms; the development of concentrated, industrial-scale livestock farm models; and initial results in economic efficiency and reduced environmental pollution.

Currently, Son La has 26 livestock farming facilities and areas that have been granted disease-free certificates, an increase of 23% compared to 2021, creating favorable conditions for the consumption and export of products outside the province.

Furthermore, environmental protection in livestock farming is increasingly focused on biosafety, circular economy, and emission reduction. Awareness among livestock farms regarding waste treatment has significantly improved; the number of farms investing in biogas systems, manure presses, and disinfection areas for farm entrances and exits has increased by approximately 20% compared to before 2021.

Many businesses such as Loc Phat, Minh Thuy Chieng Chung, Chieng Hac, etc., have applied advanced treatment technologies, contributing to reducing pollution and improving product quality. However, the proportion of small-scale, scattered, and interspersed livestock farming within residential areas remains high, posing a major challenge in managing the livestock environment.

Son La province aims to increase its cattle population to 422,000 by 2030, including approximately 29,000 dairy cows; maintain a buffalo population of around 100,000; a pig population of 840,000; and a poultry population of over 10.7 million. Annual meat production is targeted at 113,000 tons and fresh milk production at 93,000 tons.

To achieve the above goals, Son La will prioritize improving the quality of breeding stock, replanning livestock farming areas by region, and establishing concentrated farming zones linked to local advantages. The industry will also aim to strongly develop ecological and organic farming and specialty breeds such as indigenous black pigs, green-necked ducks, and black chickens; and build a sustainable value chain between businesses, cooperatives, and livestock farmers.

Along with large-scale livestock farming areas, we continue to encourage the maintenance of small-scale models such as 3B cattle, goats, and native chickens, which are suitable for the production conditions of many highland communes, contributing to diversifying livelihoods and supplementing the supply to the market.

By 2035, Son La province aims to develop livestock farming in an organic and circular manner, linked to processing and consumption. Models utilizing agricultural by-products, reusing waste, and linking supply chains are expected to be expanded to increase efficiency, reduce production costs, and help the livestock industry develop stably and sustainably.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/son-la-dinh-hinh-lai-chan-nuoi-dai-gia-suc-d783770.html