Xuan Loc expands circular agriculture model

Tho Tan hamlet in Xuan Loc commune, Dong Nai province, is a purely agricultural area where farmers mainly cultivate rice, corn, and vegetables. In addition, many households raise cattle to support farming activities while using crop by-products as feed, thereby reducing production costs.

Nguyen Thi Vien Thoa, owner of a large-scale cattle farm in Tho Tan hamlet, Xuan Loc commune. Photo: Binh Nguyen

Seeing the economic benefits of combining livestock raising with crop cultivation, many farming households in Tho Tan have adopted this circular agriculture model. They use crop by-products as animal feed and manure to fertilize crops, helping reduce costs while moving toward more organic production. As demand for beef has increased, farmers in the hamlet have continued to switch to cattle fattening. Many farmers have become better off, even prosperous, thanks to this transition.

Rise of cattle fattening

Phan Thi Sau is one of the exemplary farmers in Tho Tan, operating an integrated livestock and crop farming model. About 18 years ago, her family began raising cattle. At first, they kept only one or two heads, mainly for plowing fields, while also using rice straw as feed. With about two hectares of land under rice, corn, and vegetables, her family initially practiced free-range grazing. Later, after learning about cattle fattening, she invested in barns and expanded the herd to dozens of cattle, making full use of straw, grass, and other agricultural by-products as feed. Corn plants are harvested and fermented as the main feed source, helping reduce costs while ensuring adequate nutrition for cattle growth.

Sau said that by using crop by-products as feed and manure and livestock waste as fertilizer for rice and corn, her family not only saves costs but also addresses environmental issues in livestock farming. Thanks to this model, her family has accumulated enough capital to invest in machinery such as tractors and straw balers, while also providing additional agricultural services, including plowing fields and collecting straw for farmers, to increase income.

With limited farmland, Nguyen Thi Vien Thoa’s family has focused on livestock development. Her farm currently raises around 30 fattening cattle.

Across the family’s roughly 7,000-square-meter plot, Thoa has invested in growing grass as feed for the cattle. According to her, grass cultivation is not costly. Because the crop is easy to grow, farmers only need to install an automatic irrigation system and make use of livestock waste as fertilizer. After a single planting, the grass can be harvested year-round.

Her family has also invested in grass-chopping machines to prepare fresh feed for cattle. In addition, she ferments corn stalks and other materials to produce supplementary feed. Thoa noted that each cow consumes a significant amount of food daily, including about 10 kilograms of fresh grass and 5 kilograms of feed, along with other supplements. Without growing grass and utilizing agricultural by-products, relying solely on industrial feed would leave little profit.

Farmers in Tho Tan hamlet have established a cattle-breeding cooperative. Through the group, members exchange experience, share information on prices and the market, and purchase feed directly from producers or major distributors, securing better-quality feed at more competitive prices.

Towards sustainable development

Nguyen Thi Vien Thoa further shared that farmers typically purchase mature cattle for fattening before selling them. Currently, live cattle prices at farms range from VND 85,000 to VND 90,000 per kilogram, earning a profit of around VND 1.2–1.5 million per animal. With beef demand exceeding supply and prices on an upward trend, she plans to expand her herd by several dozen more cattle.

Nguyen Thanh Tan, Vice Chairman of Xuan Loc commune Farmers’ Association, said Tho Tan hamlet has hundreds of hectares of rice and corn cultivation. Against that backdrop, many local households have developed cattle and goat farming to use corn, straw, and crop leaves as feed, while livestock waste is used as fertilizer. Combining crop cultivation with livestock raising brings higher economic efficiency. To date, many farmers have shifted to cattle fattening. The hamlet now has hundreds of households raising cattle alongside rice, corn, and vegetable farming. Thanks to this circular agriculture model, many households have been able to finance their children’s education and build better homes.

According to Tan, to encourage farmers to replicate the circular agriculture model, local authorities have provided technical transfers in cattle raising and crop cultivation, while also helping farmers access funding from the Farmers’ Support Fund. To date, Tho Tan hamlet alone has hundreds of households investing in cattle fattening, with larger-scale households raising dozens of cattle and smaller-scale households keeping just a few.

By Binh Nguyen – Translated by M.Nguyet, Minho