Era: Winning since educated youth went to the countryside

Village committee office.

Zhou Ziwen, Wu Dagang and the team leader were sitting together discussing matters regarding the pig farm.

Wu Dagang and the team leader had no objection to Zhou Ziwen's intention to expand the scale of the pig farm from the very beginning.

Since the mushroom cultivation base was built, they have felt more confident.

The income from the mushroom cultivation base alone is more than that of the entire production team.

Moreover, the cost of growing mushrooms is not high, and after sharing the money with the commune, there is still a lot left over from the sales.

With money in their pockets, Wu Dagang and the team leader felt more confident.

Just like now when Zhou Ziwen proposed to build a pig farm, none of them objected.

In Dabazi Village, although there are four big guys, the ones who really call the shots are still Wu Dagang and the team leader.

As long as they nod, there will basically be no problem.

"Ziwen, since the pig farm needs to be so big, why don't we just choose a new location and build a new one instead of expanding the pig farm in the village."

Seeing Zhou Ziwen being so generous, Wu Dagang was unwilling to be left behind.

"Old Wu's suggestion is good." The captain nodded in agreement. "The existing pig farm is too small and the facilities are outdated. If we want to expand the scale, it may be more appropriate to select a new location and build a new one."

Hearing this, Zhou Ziwen became even happier.

He nodded and said, "I also think it would be better to choose a new location. We need to find a place that is large enough, well-ventilated, has smooth drainage, and is relatively convenient for transportation, so as to facilitate the transportation of feed and the sale of live pigs in the future."

Wu Dagang stroked his chin and thought for a while, "How about the land east of the village? It's large and close to the main road outside the village, so transportation will be very convenient."

The captain frowned. "The land on the east side is good, but it's a bit low. Will it be prone to water accumulation?"

Zhou Ziwen also thought of this problem, "Let's go and take a look first! See if it can be renovated. If not, we can consider other places."

"Okay, let's go and see it now." The captain acted decisively and left as soon as he said.

The three of them set out together and soon arrived at the place Wu Dagang mentioned.

Zhou Ziwen carefully examined the surrounding terrain and environment.

He found that although the area was low-lying, there were some naturally formed ditches around it, which, if utilized and modified, might be able to solve the problem of water accumulation.

He pointed to the ditches and said to Wu Dagang and the team leader, "Uncle Wu, Uncle Zhou, look at these ditches. We can dredge and widen them to make the water flow more smoothly."

"Then we plan a reasonable drainage system inside the pig farm to divert the accumulated water into these ditches and then discharge it into the nearby creek."

"Okay, you are an expert in this area, so you have the final say." Wu Dagang nodded.

Zhou Ziwen did not refuse this.

Ever since he decided to raise pigs, he had no intention of staying out of it.

Zhou Ziwen continued: "In addition to the drainage problem, we also have to consider the layout of the pig pen."

"Landrace pigs need enough space to move around, so the pig pens should be designed to be spacious."

"And we need to divide different breeding areas according to different growth stages, such as piglet areas and fattening areas."

Wu Dagang and the team leader listened carefully and nodded in agreement from time to time.

"In addition, ventilation and insulation facilities are also very important. Landrace pigs are sensitive to ambient temperature and need to be kept warm in winter and ventilated and cooled in summer," Zhou Ziwen added.

"Then how do we solve the problem of feed?" asked the team leader. "Landrace pigs have a big appetite and they have high requirements for the quality of feed." In fact, feed is what Wu Dagang and the team leader are most concerned about.

After all, a pig has a big appetite.

Although pigs can be fed grass, they also need to be fed a certain amount of grain.

"Uncle Zhou, you don't have to worry about the feed. I've read some books on breeding and have some experience in raising pigs. If nothing else, at least it won't be a problem to reduce some food consumption."

Zhou Ziwen smiled and said.

"Can we also reduce food consumption? How?"

Hearing this, Wu Dagang and the captain were a little surprised.

What they don’t know is that raising pigs can also reduce food consumption.

"Use biological feed." Zhou Ziwen replied with a smile.

"Biological feed? What is this?"

They heard Zhou Ziwen's words clearly, but they didn't understand what they meant when they were put together.

"Biological feed uses some specific microorganisms or biotechnology to improve the nutritional value and digestibility of feed," Zhou Ziwen explained patiently.

"For example, we can use some fermentation technology to convert crude fiber feed that is not easily digested and absorbed by pigs into nutrients that are easier to absorb through microbial fermentation. In this way, even if we use less food, pigs can still get enough nutrition."

Zhou Ziwen's words left Wu Dagang and the team leader confused and they didn't understand what he meant.

"The raw materials for biological feed are actually very simple, which are the straw of some crops. Through some scientific and technological means, these straws are allowed to rot. For example, corn stalks, soybean stalks, rice straw, wheat straw, even weeds, leaves, and reeds by the river can all be used as raw materials."

Seeing that Wu Dagang and the team leader didn't understand, Zhou Ziwen simply explained it in simple terms.

After hearing Zhou Ziwen's explanation, Wu Dagang and the captain's eyes widened.

"Ziwen, are you saying that the straw that we usually use for burning can also be turned into pig feed?" Wu Dagang asked in shock, with a slight tremor in his voice.

The captain also looked incredulous. He stared at Zhou Ziwen, waiting for his answer.

Zhou Ziwen smiled and nodded, and replied: "That's right, Uncle Wu. Although the straw of these crops cannot be eaten by humans, it can be converted into good feed for pigs after fermentation. Moreover, the cost of this feed is very low, and we can almost ignore it."

"Will this work?" Wu Dagang still couldn't believe it.

He knew that cows eat straw, but he had never heard that pigs could eat it too.

Zhou Ziwen saw the doubts of Wu Dagang and the captain, and he continued to explain patiently: "Uncle Wu, this is indeed feasible."

“Pigs are omnivores and their digestive systems are able to process a wide range of feed types.”

"The key is how we can convert this straw into a form that the pigs can digest and absorb."

He continued: “Through microbial fermentation, the cellulose and hemicellulose in the straw can be broken down into simpler sugars, which the pigs can more easily extract energy from.”

"At the same time, some beneficial bacteria produced during the fermentation process can help pigs improve their intestinal health and increase overall breeding efficiency."

After hearing this, the captain nodded thoughtfully: "It sounds reasonable, but no one in our village knows this technology. How can we operate it?"

"I can!" Zhou Ziwen said in a flat tone.

But these plain words made the captain and Wu Dagang ecstatic. (End of this chapter)