It was found that the livestock economy of Inner Mongolia’s grasslands is no longer a self-sufficient natural economy but one that has been profoundly impacted by complex commodity trading and foreign capital, becoming part of the milk and meat industry production chain. In 2011, with the support of the Ford Foundation and Total Natural Knowledge communities, from September to December, most of the Inner Mongolia region was examined from east to west. Through extensive field research, it was revealed that capital has had a profound impact on local livestock breeds and the ecological environment. This tour lasted eight months, covering tens of thousands of miles, examining areas from eastern Mongolia to the eastern regions of Inner Mongolia. With the help of local pastoralists and officials, a report was formed after two months of editing.
Overview of Inner Mongolia's Livestock Industrialization: From the perspective of Inner Mongolia’s grassland animal husbandry, the main visible change is settlement and pasture fencing. Simultaneously, from a business perspective, it has also undergone profound changes. This status quo can be summarized as follows: the primary product of Inner Mongolia's grassland animal husbandry is dairy and meat. The pastoralists are one link in the chain of the modern dairy and meat industry, not an independent complete production process. In the meat production process, the main work of the herders involves breeding calves and lambs. The fattening of calves and lambs, slaughter, and listing are handled by larger Capital Groups. Meanwhile, the dairy industry differs; herders producing dairy products on the grasslands do not enter the industrial chain of milk and dairy production but remain relatively independent and traditional. However, some herders, in order to join the industrial production chain, either passively or actively abandon prairie life, becoming another added link in the modern industrial process. Herders are in a passive position economically, have no say in the market, do not understand how market operation rules work, cannot grasp their own destiny, and their economic interests are very lowly compressed.
Because of these effects on the mode of production, herders raise livestock for slaughter from the original mode of production to become an annual autumn sale of lambs and calves, gradually changing over more than one season. Livestock breeds, local livestock are eliminated by foreign livestock breeds, causing a single gene knock-on effect on the ecological environment. During this tour, we visited three provinces in eastern Mongolia and learned about relatively traditional livestock production models. Traditional livestock production mainly derives cash from the sale of dairy products, while meat provides self-sufficiency, with sales comprising a very low share. Herders slaughter cattle castration - bullocks and the castration of sheep - wethers, with cattle slaughtered at ages 4-7 years old and sheep at 3-4 years old, rarely eating lamb and calves. There is no issue of buying forage; livestock breeds are local traditional varieties. Ewes and cows do not multiply each year; snowstorms are the major cause of livestock loss, simultaneously controlling the total amount of livestock, acting as the natural leverage of survival of the fittest. This is the state of the natural economy of animal husbandry. The situation in Inner Mongolia is different; herders' cash income is relatively high, but input costs and labor intensity are relatively large. The sale of calves and lambs is the main source of income, with dairy food being relatively minor. We looked at a more typical herdsman family account: One herdsman family from last year to the previous year had livestock income, and his family is a middle-class family in Inner Mongolia with an average year. The herding couple has a pair of school children. Their home has cattle and sheep: more than 90 sheep, more than 40 cattle, with annual income coming from raising and animal husbandry. They bought 2500 bundles of grass in the first year at 9 yuan per bundle, totaling 22,500 yuan, 5000 yuan worth of sugar beet, 7 jin corn, five extremely heavy synthetic feed, corn 8 gross feed at one yuan, totaling 10,600. Costs totaled 30,000 yuan, with projected fall income: lamb 400 * 90 = 36,000, calf 20 * 2500 = 50,000. Total 80,000 yuan minus 6,000 yuan, annual income of around 50,000 yuan, plus another dairy food annual income of two million yuan. Full cost of living and their children's schooling money come from this. Actual income may be slightly higher because cattle and sheep prices have risen this fall. Good times, less need to buy fodder, net income will increase; bad fodder, buy more, prices rise, income will decrease, the minimum can be reduced to completely washing away the income. The main cattle breed for this herder family is Simmental and semi-improved local sheep. The impact of natural disasters on household cash income is very direct; spring dead lambs reduce fall income by 400-600 yuan. In addition to purchasing a large amount of forage, there are issues with the meat industry and how herders produce.
The main driving force behind this change is the meat industry. How does the industry affect pastoralists to change their economic life and production methods? When accessing herders, most pastoralists do not understand the meat industry; the main driving force for them to change their mode of production is market-oriented. About a decade ago, cattle dealers acquiring calves were not on a large scale, herders raised bullocks for sale, but later calf acquisition gradually replaced adult bullock acquisition, herders shifted from selling adult bullocks to selling calves. The same is true for sheep. As for what happens to the calves they keep, why cattle dealers close calves rather than bullocks, herders do not know. Other livestock improvements began in the 1990s, introducing species that have gone through four or five changes, recently stabilizing with Simmental. Why is this so? I visited a large cattle industry in Toronto, a fattening cattle base. According to the person in charge of the cattle treasure base, they received cattle for fattening, preferring Simmental for two reasons: one is to sell to the south - around Beijing and Hong Kong and Macao, in fact, local cattle perform poorly in foreign markets, mainly sold to Xilin Gol League. Another reason is that Simmental gains weight fast during the fattening process, making high profit, whereas local cattle have small weight gain space during the fattening process. These two reasons are actually the main driving forces for promoting livestock improvement. And we analyze things behind these two reasons.
Market performance: Whether in Beijing or Hong Kong and Macao regions, the beef market cultivation is relatively late, the region was originally not the main consumer area of beef and mutton. In Beijing, thirty years ago, except for the Hui people, the crowd consumed very little beef and mutton. Beijing's traditional concept is that beef and mutton in Inner Mongolia are delicious. But beef and mutton market cultivation, the concept of Market-oriented behind the other hand, what strength trains this market? Second, the profits of the fattening process. Fattening and backyard huge difference is that fattening cattle are tied in a huge plant, fixed, industrialized delivery of feed and cleaning the stall, until four months to six months after slaughter. In this way, thousands of cattle can be gathered, which is a profitable link for big capital. Links and behind the slaughter, listed together, have enough strength to influence the market. Dissipate into the atmosphere the size of livestock on the prairie, cattle scale 10-80, sheep 100-1000, can not effectively build and market impact. The fattening process is completed in the plant, but the process of birth of calves or cows has a certain space, so the herders' pastures become a base for breeding calves. For these reasons, cattle dealers prefer to buy Simmental, making Simmental income higher among various breeds for herders, coupled with government policies promoting Simmental cattle quickly out of the local cattle. The species impact on sheep is not so obvious, largely without success finding an alternative species.
Third, the passive position of the pastoralists in the meat industrialization: This problem requires understanding three cases. Case one: The experience of home improvement sheep herders Amu ancient flute. Amu ancient flute positively responded to the call for improvement, and his family improved over Australia, the United States Yang, East Germany, sheep, Xinjiang fine-wool sheep such as improved varieties. Xilin Gol League pastoralists, the Amu ancient shocked the first raising of sheep is the local soil sheep known as big-tail sheep, namely ujimqin sheep. Improved at the beginning ujimqin sheep brands did not start, so the breed improvement went badly. The ancient flute Amu impression on Xinjiang fine-wool sheep, he bought a $1200-1500 price three, four Xinjiang fine-wool sheep ram. Yang Fei grass fee material, the meat is not too much, the main advantage is the hair out more than the disadvantages can not adapt to the climate of the Xilin Gol League, resistance to differential susceptibility to disease. After 2045, the Amu ancient flute gave up this sheep, began to try the East German sheep, the East German sheep out of wool more meat, but eat more, the resistance is also poor. East German sheep ram worth 1800 yuan, only buy a bad effect in the second year to no avail. Later changed Yang Yang Macao and the United States is the world-famous Australia and the United States to slave sheep. Ram 2000 yuan to buy a three or four times. Found feeding, Amu ancient flute, Australian and U.S. sheep meat out hair, but the grass is more costly fee material, the resistance is low, cold, can not adapt to the cold climate of the Xilin Gol Grassland. This sheep rearing up a special effort lamb cold gene do not know how to find a warm place to escape the cold, the sheep are meticulous care. Most of the ewes can not go out with a lamb, the lamb should be placed in warm stalls for ewes back, in order to find a lamb feeding. Local big-tail sheep, cold, the system is good, as long as the born into the field to go along with ewes one day, well fed, do not spend our energy alone, is not easily damaged by frost stomach mortality is low.
The beginning of the improvement of Australian and U.S. sheep, the sheep’s wool of Australian and U.S. have more expensive, more than 10 dollars a pound, big-tail sheep’s wool over three money. So then raise Australia, the United States sheep, although strenuous, but also feel the value. Changes in the market and market risks in the species to promote the process and did not be fully considered, Macao and the United States sheep after five or six years improved the success of the wool is only six dollars a pound, only two dollars more expensive than the local sheep, feeding, feeding drugs, injections, to care for the effort, it is uneconomical. After 15 years, Amu ancient flute from the neighboring counties in the back tail sheep ram, the new into the flock, the sheep of their family is the local sheep and the Australian sheep the second generation of the string, the string species, the wife of the the Amu ancient flute still feel a lot easier, real sheepskin, but also smart. Amu ancient flute, or soil sheep, low cost, can only eat grass, do not add the feed soil sheep market prices up, and the price of improved sheep.
Case: Amu ancient flute's experience of improved cattle. Amu ancient flute's improved cattle experience is more interesting. He has improved: Charolais, Limousin, Simmental, safflower cattle now changed. The improvement of cattle needs to go through three generations, 12 to 14 years, with a variety of purebred the Amu ancient flute family cattle is very miscellaneous, what varieties are not. All cattle can be seen that the patrilineal what cattle, maternal What is the cattle. At the beginning, the ancient Amu shocked because the soil bovine small meat introduction spent over 3000 dollars to introduce a Charolais bull. But Charlotte out of the meat less less milk, he introduced a Limousin, Limousin sires of 6000 yuan, but Limousin meat and more milk is not good. Later he introduced a Simmental, Simmental follow the project to introduce the country to make up the money, per head to make up 800 out 5000, Simmental meat and milk is no problem, but the system is not good, a small bull was on the dead, the other end of the system is not good, there is no use. The Amu ancient flute 12000 introduction of safflower cattle. Safflower cattle is also a foreign cattle, is not clear where the ancient Amu shocked. Has the introduction of these varieties are the flag inside the publicity, and some are purchased directly from the livestock sector. It comes to raising so much improved cattle, soil and cattle compared overall feeling is what? Amu ancient flute: income than before, and also sell the harder to sell Tuniou fattening flesh succulent soil cattle, milk quality Tuniou good, but small, only Simmental third one, but Tuniou eat less, eat improved cattle half enough.
The lake, called This legend has eyes, nose, and 80-year-old is said to have seen. Chifeng City has for some time placed under the Liaoning, and since then, pastoralists began to settle, raise grassland red. According to the herders that cis Selig: safflower cattle, local varieties almost no meat. Amount of cattle grazing is five times that of the local cattle feed local cattle do not need to prepare too much forage it out on my own fed back, the grass will not fight, since I can remember when every home has a carriage grass, hundred a cow is enough spring is to give the calf to feed the grass, Daniel is basically that had not been improved after 1980s until now are the lack of grass. Raise more than 90 sheep, cattle over 40 bundles of the first year to buy grass 2500 5000 yuan sugar beet, 7 jin corn, five extremely heavy compound feed have to fight a grass nine vehicles, four extremely heavy a car. That cis Selig said: but 20% of the cattle have to eat 80% forage fodder or get out from the pastures gives the pressure of life is not reduced, have brought back the grass processing, plus grass feeding, machinery costs, labor, etc. Improved after giving the pressure of life and pastures pressure has increased, because it is to eat more grass and to captivity, the amount of labor improved cattle meat is certainly not as good as the soil cattle, soil cattle eat grass, it is natural, do not eat at home, forage, winter alpine tip to eat, it is to eat high nutritional value, the production of things that are natural soil of cattle meat is not the same side of the environment, climb high aboard continued to drop the domesticated improved cattle good and cold when warm, do not run uphill. Forage, reducing the pressure of the foothills meadow soil types of cattle is an important advantage. Grass is so clean, but also to protect the grassland. Grass seeds also have a significant impact, now August Grass, also confiscated the success cut off, it does not rain will be able to basking over a winter, a windy spring, on the sandy particularly severe. Here he talked about the problem, it reflects the terrible consequences of the loss of local gene: Japan have a black cow and bull somewhat the nature of the buffalo, eat less, said the old man, the cattle take three steps to eat a grass, eat a few bites to get on the ground Daojiao, finished up longer follow in the 1980s, the state forced the implementation of a modified, most recently in 2006 begin full g’s hair improved policies, local Mang sub-ligation, and now some is live shawo of yard, live in more dispersed herders to leave some species of cattle breeding members did not go, can not ligation, also keep the seeds and I do not, I bought a few on my nephew at home near my home not to feed, all flags are livestock improvement, do not change does not work, and to feed the black one of the people do not blending improved cattle.
From these cases, we can see, fattening this is not pastoralists home link guide herders of livestock breeds change, while herders are more concerned about, the system of cattle, beef flavor, does not direct changes in livestock species. In addition, another commercial capital works in the changes in livestock species, and is livestock introduction itself, a cattle breed to be held responsible for the introduction will take more than a decade. Ten years, pastoralists followed the publicity changed the four species, can not produce the varieties of any kind of market dominance, very passive, but to sell breeding stock of the company profit. At the same time, this introduction is causing a series of consequences, the first is the impact on the local gene pool, Xianggang Black Cattle in Japan and cattle ancestor species, being ignorant eradication. Japan and the cattle market has performed extremely well and heavily sought after by many Chinese businessman. In the environment, these introduced species generally show environmental adaptability, forage, increased labor costs, reduce the scope of activities and concentrated pressure on pasture caused a single Simmental with local eco-diversity combination is not high.
Four, the milk industry, the herdsmen the milk industry, the impact the direction of influence and the meat industry of the herders life is the opposite. Milk after the industrialization of the herders in the grasslands of bulk milk can not enter the commercial production process. From the rise of the large milk companies, the original distribution of milk enterprises in Inner Mongolia, around the small milk plants have been closed down or the acquisition of bulk milk from re-entering the business process. Inner Mongolia in the past there have been many small-scale milk plants, milk processing plants, can produce excellent quality products. I have the impression the early 1990s, we asked a friend to mail locally produced milk from Inner Mongolia to Beijing. Those enterprises are small scale, can only meet the local market can not break the brand outside the financial strength is also very small. But this kind of enterprise and local herders are linked closely together every morning and evening from the Highway near the herders milk sold to local businesses, the testing standards of these other companies is also suitable for local conditions, local cow milk produced in the dry matter content, viscosity high consistency, hand-milking, flora content is relatively high, the testing standards of the local companies can accept this milk. In the survey we found that we go to most of the counties, and all of Union City, in the past have local milk products processing enterprises. Large milk enterprises in rise, testing standards all refurbished flora lowered the standard, it is understandable, but actually because of the high dry matter content of milk, rather than standard, this is not easy to understand. Inner Mongolia, the local soil cows, milk production, lower than the introduction of Holstein, but the dry matter content is high, that the milk is relatively thick, which leads to the large milk companies do not accept the local milk on the prairie, only accept the modified cow’s milk. As a result, dairy production, has now become two parallel lines, the first line, scattered cattle on the ranch, their milk is no longer into the industrial system, but by pastoralists processed into traditional milk and food sales. The second line around the city, the edges of the road to establish a dairy village, using the method of agricultural areas, feed concentrate feeding, the establishment of industrialization milking station, to provide milk to large enterprises. These two lines, each their own problems. First line, the narrow traditional milk food market, low price, low to give pastoralists benefits, the main problem is to cultivate the market, but the contradiction is not, basically the city of Inner Mongolia, local, and now have some milk food stores, sales of herdsmen milk, food, urban Mongolians increased, as well as local Han Mongolian milk food has been accepted, the natural development of this market, demand and prices have improved.
The shot in the research process conventional milk, tofu, milk wine production process: http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5813