Gaoqing black cattle can each weigh more than 1,000 kilograms and the quality of the beef can reach international A3 level or above standards. The beautiful marbling and delicious beef produced from black cattle is said to rival Wagyu beef. [Photo provided to shandong.chinadaily.com.cn]
Gaoqing county, Zibo city's only county along the Yellow River in East China, is located at 37 degrees north latitude – regarded as being the best latitude for agriculture and as such, its geographical position and industrial infrastructure has attracted a large number of high-quality agricultural brands.
The black cattle industry – with its top-grade meat – is one of them. After years of breeding, the black cattle in Gaoqing produce high-end products that are sent out over the world.
A view of a black cattle farm in Gaoqing county. [Photo provided to shandong.chinadaily.com.cn]
Local authorities have built a black cattle specialist town in Tangfang town. Led by local Party committees, farmers have arranged to do business with the main black cattle supply company in the area – the Newland Group.
According to a local farmer, all he needs to do is send the data about his black cattle to the company and it will then formulate the corresponding ratio of feed based on the growth cycle of each animal. Well-farmed cattle are also acquired by the company.
Each head of cattle reputedly boosts the annual incomes of local farmers by more than 20,000 yuan ($3,000). The lucrative cattle breeding has also driven more than 20,000 farmers to engage in support services such as ecological breeding, grass planting and intensive processing, with an additional boost of over 5,000 yuan to their annual incomes.
In 2021, the total revenue generated by black cattle breeding in Tangfang town hit about 470 million yuan.
Moving forwards, plans are for the town to develop special tourism – integrating digital farming, animal husbandry, leisure, education, culture and tourism, among other things.
