时间：2022-07-07 07:49:01
At 9 am， May 17th， 2013， we set out through heavy snow from the County of Hongyuan for the Xiaman Goat Husbandry Farm in Western Ruoergai. Along the way， we saw few humans but there were groups of yaks grazing with a quiet， masterful air on the snow-covered prairie. The road was uneven and our young driver， Tashi， seemed to like playing “dodgem cars” in this playground while trying his best to avoid every puddle along the way. Our SUV jolted up and down， splashing muddy water on the still falling white snow. In Secretary Norbu’s car， and warmed by the heater， we arrived at tfhe Goat Husbandry Farm at ten thirty. Due to a power cut， that big farmyard was deserted but Tashi heated instant noodles for his breakfast in a pressure cooker on a wood stove. We were about 3500 meters above sea level so water boiled at only 80 degrees Centigrade. Half an hour later， a man rushed into the room， bringing the cold air with him from the outside wind and snow. He immediately extended his hand to us. “Welcome！ You are from the Southwest University for Nationalities！ Last year， President Wang helped us with monitoring and earmarking. We appreciated it very much.”
The “President Wang” just mentioned by Secretary Song Dingbin of the Xiaman Goat Husbandry Farm， was Wang Yong， Vice President of the Southwest University for Nationalities and Director of the Institute for QinghaiTibet Plateau. He is tutor for the graduate students majoring in“Animal Genetic Breeding and Propagation” ， an expert who has made outstanding contributions in Sichuan. Privately， people would call him “Goat Wang”.
Jianzhou Big Ear Goat
Actually， the name “Goat Wang”is not unique to Wang Yong. There is another “Goat Wang” in the school，Prof Wang Jie. Both “Wangs”study goats with considerable achievements， so both are given this excellent name. The difference is their respective ages. Professor Wang Jie has retired， so it is natural that Wang Yong is “Junior Goat Wang”.
For quite some time， our country has imported breeding goats from overseas. Secretary Song Dingbin said that in 1958 the state purchased some Merino sheep from Australia and New Zealand with gold， and established the Xiaman Goat Breeding Farm to produce high quality wool. As for meat production， the Boer goat has long dominated the market.
Wang Yong， a Doctor in"Animal Genetic Breeding and Propagation"， determined to change it.
In 1998， supported by the Jianyang government， Doctor Wang Yong and his research team started to breed and cultivate the new “Jianzhou Big Ear Goat”. They used the foreign Nubian goat to crossbreed with the local Jianyang goat. So a new population was produced and improved by crossbreeding and selection for the next generation by way of open herd breeding. The team employed a strict and complicated standard to select breeding goats. If any detail， no matter if it was appearance， weight， height， bust， ear length， hair color， circumference was not up to standard， the goat would be excluded. In particular， they paid attention to the goat’s ears for shape and length. A lamb after lactation must have ears of 18 centimeters long and 8 centimeters wide. Once a new breed was successfully established， Wang Yong’s team would complete records and attach an ear tag. The ear tags are the lambs’ “identity card”， including detailed male and female genetic data.
In order pass on the Big Ear Goat’s good genes， in a stable form from generation to generation， Wang Yong’s team adopted an experimental method to combine“conventional breeding with modern biological breeding”. The best breeding goats， chosen after careful selection and measurement， would be used for analysis of the population’s genetic structure and a propagation system established. They would be listed by their important traits and selected once more for candidate genes. During the course， the team made more than 10 thousand breeding goat I.D. cards of collected experimental data on 400 thousand goats and worked out a complete set of techniques for feeding， breeding， disease prevention and control， particularly on effective control measures and vaccine for Pleuropneumonia as it infects goats. All these measures offered convenience and guarantees for farming households.
In 2011 the “Jianzhou Big Ear Goat” passed on the new species property measurement implemented by the State Property Measurement Station. In 2013， the State Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resource Committee fi nally approved it.
The Jianzhou Big Ear Goat grows quickly， has good quality meat， high fertility， high tolerance of coarse food and good adaptation to the subtropical climate of South China. As for its fertility， “the Jianzhou Big Ear Goat is about 240， and the Boer Goat is 190. The Boer Goat has dominated the Chinese market in the past and every year we had to spend a lot of foreign currency on it. Now， the Jianzhou Big Ear Goat can take its place in the local market and break the foreign monopoly over us！”Wang Yong said happily.
Actually， for Wang Yong， the happiest thing was the skill of his team in combining an enterprise mode with a university and a research institute that is “absolutely focused on production， and applies this knowledge to production.”“The ultimate aim of a scientifi c achievement is to be turned into economic benefi ts. We have completed the new species extension system and establish an industrial model to associate production directly with regional economic development. Now， we embrace the most advanced product line in Asia. Up to now， we have developed 12 new products in three categories. What’s more， we have two goatbreeding stations， fi ve development farms involving 20 professional cooperatives and over 4000 herdsman’s households. Presently， we have a total of 754 thousand breeding goats， totaling a gross value of about 1.5 billion Yuan.” In the eyes of Wang Yong， the key to realize livestock industrialization is to have a complete technical chain to support and extend the industry.
The people in the City of Jianyang， which has benefi ted a lot from the Jianzhou Big Ear Goat， composed and sing a new folk song：
A shepherd in Tian Fu， challenges the storm and waves.
Expand to south and north！ Open up the new land！
All from south and north， praise the Big Ear Goat.
A famous and sound species brings full happiness.
Making Use of Simple Science and Technology to Benefit the Herdsmen
Entering the 21st century， Wang Yong， who has devoted himself to the study of animal husbandry on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for a long time， focused on “the Three Issues”concerning animal husbandry， pastoral areas and herdsmen， particularly the major problem of protection of the biological environment， and the sustainable development of animal husbandry（which await urgent solutions in the sustainable development of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau）.
In 2006， the leadership of the Southwest University for Nationalities led separate teams in overall fi eldwork in the 12 western provinces and regions. After an intense study of the QinghaiTibet Plateau， Secretary Norbu Gyaltsen and Professor Wang Yong jointly delivered a paper under the title of How Does a University for Nationalities Play a Role in the Building of a New Socialist Pastoral Area With Regard to the Conception and Establishment of a Model Based in Ecological Environmental Protection and the Advanced Development of Animal Husbandry on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Later， the 10th University Congress offi cially approved the concept. In 2009， the research base for ecological protection and the innovative practice of animal husbandry on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau began construction in the County of Hongyuan， in the Prefecture of Aba. Wang Yong was assigned Director. In July 2011， the fi rst stage project was completed and the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau was set up and then Wang Yong was appointed institute Director.
The Institute of Qinghai- Tibet Plateau concentrates on highland animal husbandry ahead of other subjects. “From the point of view of animal husbandry， to protect the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is mainly to protect the ecology of the local environment （i.e. to decrease the number of grazing animals and thus reduce their impact on the prairie）. However， this confl icts with the herdsmen’s desire to get more income，” Wang Yong said， “According to the state’s development thought， we shall decrease animal numbers on the whole， yet increase profi ts at the same time. How shall we do that？ Though the animal population will be reduced， we could improve the quality of the fl ock， speed up animal growth and turnover by employing and extending simple but scientifi c techniques to achieve sustainable improvements.”
Since 1980s， animals and pastures have become private. For many decades herdsmen have practiced herding on their own pastures and bred their animals within their own fl ocks and herds， producing problems of weight loss， lower production and weaker disease resistance.
“The New China has existed for more than sixty years， yet most herdsmen still maintain a nomadic lifestyle of moving from place to place in search of water and grass and raise their livestock at the mercy of Heaven. The harsh environment and seasons of freezing cold on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau will cause animals to lose weight at a rate of 30 percent. Have you seen some blueroofed houses beside the road？ They are the warm sheds we designed for yaks and Tibetan sheep to shelter in over the winter. Please do not look down on those sheds. They offer a place for the livestock to avoid wind and snow during the severe winter. They play a great part when it snows on the highland， especially if it is a heavy snow or even a blizzard， though they are of a very simple and basic construction.” Wang Yong said.
“There are many reasons for the deterioration in breeding stock. Firstly， it relates to the stock selection method. The situation regarding close breeding is serious. If we suggested the herdsmen exchange breeding stock amongst more remote villages， this inbreeding could be avoided. Secondly， it relates to the herdsmen’s method of trading in stock. Currently， the herdsmen sell yaks or sheep by the fl ock. As the two sides reach an agreement on price， the purchaser will take possession of the fl ock. If some buyer says he doesn’t want the whole fl ock， he will offer a price per head. Then， the buyer picks out the best and biggest ones， and leaves the older， weaker， thin and sick in the fl ock. The remainder may not survive the cold winter， much less breed the next generation. If we could quickly offer some training or set an example for the herdsmen， guiding them on how to fatten those old and weak stock which may not survive the winter， and sell them as normal population reduction before winter comes. The best animals could be retained， and the fl ock would avoid a vicious cycle！ There is another way called “supplementary feeding”. It is required to prepare grass for the livestock before winter comes. Once a heavy snow falls and lasts half a month or a month， except for the fresh grass， dried feed for the animals’ everyday will secure their survival rate. Such are all simple ways without too much trouble， yet， they can have the yaks and Tibetan sheep lose weight at a rate of above 10 percent， and still improve the marketing rate of fattened stock over 30 percent. For herdsmen， it fi rstly helps to make a few profi ts on fi nance； secondly， it helps them transform their ideas on science and technology. For us research fellows， like Professor Zhou Qingping， who is called “the Living Buddha of Science and Technology” by the Yushu Earthquake victims in 2010， would reach real ease and peace at heart.”
The Collaborative AnimalRaising Cooperative and Technique Demonstration on “Production， Life， and Ecology”
High-tech animal husbandry innovation is not only the goal of Wang Yong but also of the Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. With different experts on livestock， grass， and biochemistry， the institute is linked in a close cooperation with the county government of Hongyuan and with all the functional departments， together transforming high technology into simple and practical measures…then， demonstrating the measures for herdsmen， to improve their production and the ecological situation in the alpine pastoral area of Northwestern Sichuan.
The Magistrate of Hongyuan County is a fan of science and technology. He encourages those who are relatives， get on well with each other， or have neighboring pastures to collaboratively raise livestock together in the Township Village of Achok. “Some households share their pastures and graze their animals together. On the grassland or pasture of more than ten thousand to a hundred thousand Mu， today this family has someone to do herding， tomorrow another family does it too. Such a collaborative way helps every household reduce labor costs， helps pastures recuperate naturally， and helps livestock eat more nutritious grasses. Finally， the outcome is witnesses to an obvious improvement in the population’s quality-of-life. What’s more， the Magistrate asked us to inject free vaccine for the livestock， help disease prevention and cure and select breeding yaks， so the herdsmen are very happy. The two sides jointly practice a united sale for the animals and animal products for those who take part in the collaborative animal-raising cooperative. As a result， the households doubled their profi ts last year！” said Wang Yong in high spirits， “To strike while the iron is hot， in the Village of Jarlama， Achok， our Institute of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has developed a cooperative with the county government， launching a new pilot project on the balance between humans， grass and livestock among fully settled herdsmen， i.e. each household which freely accepts collaborative animal-raising， under reasonable conditions， the herdsmen will exchange their pastures， after negotiation and an agreement being reached. Thus some could settle down in the pastures of winter and spring， others in the pastures of summer and autumn. This way， the herdsmen could basically abandon the traditional nomadic life. The project helps make it easier to manage herding work， reduce herding costs and lessen the stress upon the grassland. If the project succeeds， it could be extended to the whole of Northwestern Sichuan， and function as a model for our national science and technology support plan.
The project’s full name is“Integration and Demonstration of Key Techniques to Guarantee and Optimize Production， Ecological Support and Life in the Pastoral Area of Northwestern Sichuan”. The content includes innovation and integration of the development and utilization of alpine grass and forage， the protection and treatment of problems with the pastoral ecology system， good breeding stock selected from effi cient cattle and sheep production， good genetic resource selection and utilization， and core techniques on animal fattening， supplementary feeding in winter， breeding management， disease prevention and cure， and yak meat processing and usage. The team intends to develop a technique of “technically innovation animal raising， processing and marketing in an ecologically sensitive environment”， to support and extend the industrial exploitation of the yak and goat’s “production， processing and marketing” while maintaining“ecological environment protection”in the alpine pastoral area of Northwestern Sichuan. “When it is fi nished， it can only be beyond estimate what the project’s signifi cance will be， or its infl uence upon the area of Northwestern Sichuan， and on the national development strategy.” Wang Yong said.
Entertaining the People from the Southwest University for Nationalities With the Most Delicious Mutton
Recently， relying on the national long-term ecological compensation mechanism， the Institute of QinghaiTibet Plateau united the strength of top experts from all over the country to send new techniques， good breeding studs for the herdsmen， and fi ne quality seeds to the farmers. The institute has done solid work to help the people in Northwestern Sichuan create and increase their income， creating cordial relations and sincere appreciation from the local people. Wherever we went， we felt trust and support to its full extent.
On May 16th， accompanied by Professor Li Jian， Executive ViceDirector of the Institute of QinghaiTibet Plateau， and Professor Tang Cheng from the College of Biochemistry， we went to the Village of Jarlama， and visited the project for “Transformation and Advancement of Traditional Food Processing” which was developed together by the institute and the Sichuan Prairie Institute. While driving， Professor Tang Cheng pulled over many times because the local herdsmen wanted to talk to him about animal diseases and other topics. As we arrived at the village， Secretary Tsepudan welcomed us with a broad smile， and guided us from the project station to the local households one by one. In the meanwhile， we picked up yogurt samples for Professor Tang Cheng. In fl uent Chinese， he told me that all the herdsmen were， by their own decision， to take part in the cooperative： “We believe in Mr. Li， Mr. Tang， and Mr. Liu （an expert from the Sichuan Prairie Institute）. Now I have become a student from the Southwest University for Nationalities too. Teachers tell us the right way to process yogurt， we will make the best yogurt in the world. Help yourself to more！ What about I send you some to Beijing！ I have been to Beijing and I want to go there once more！”
I met Gyaka， a herdsman， outside the village committee. He was the future driver selected by villagers for the tractor. I asked him， “You are not worried that you will make no money from it？” He smiled， “Mr. Tang will not lie to us！”
In 2012， after years of support and cooperation， Wang Yong， on behalf of the university， donated a monitoring system of more than 500 thousand Yuan for the Xiaman Goat Breeding Farm. They provided earmarks for every breeding goat to follow the breeding process in a scientifi c way. After seeing us， Secretary Song wrote at once： “Now， our Xiaman Goat Breeding Farm has a famous name， even reporters in Beijing come to interview us！ It is all thanks to the Southwest University for Nationalities！”
He showed us the goat’s earmark， costing 25 Yuan each， and the advanced usage of the tracker. More than that， in spite of the heavy snow and the low temperature of seven or eight degrees under zero， he guided us in chasing the breeding male and female goats， and the wild male goat which had been caught by a herdsman and bought by the breeding farm at a price of 10 thousand Yuan. He said：“Since teachers from the Southwest University for Nationalities come， no matter how busy I am， I shall receive them well， because they treat us and the herdsmen with sincere hearts！”He entertained us with “the most delicious mutton”， and said， “Please promote us in your report， then our goat meat will sell better， and more expensively！”