What can a country riding on a sheep learn from China's agriculture?

Australia is called a country riding on the back of sheep. In the past 200 years, sheep industry has been the main pillar of Australian economy, and it is also a large-scale export-oriented foreign exchange earning industry. At present, there are about1.6-1.70 million sheep in Australia, and the per capita number of sheep is about 9- 10, accounting for about 1/6 of the total number of sheep in the world. It is the country with the largest number of sheep per capita in the world. Australia's annual wool production exceeds 1 100 million kilograms, accounting for13 of the world's total wool production, and the annual income of wool sheep alone reaches 6 billion Australian dollars. Australia's mutton exports rank second in the world after New Zealand, and live sheep exports rank among the best in the world. Every year, about 7 million live sheep are exported to Muslim countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Australia currently has 68,000 sheep farms, including 45,000 large-scale farms, covering an area of 400,000 hectares (about 4,000 square kilometers). 1970, Australia's sheep industry set a world record with an annual output of1800,000 sheep. At present, the average annual sheep production is 1.2- 1.5 million, 1.980 1.65 million, 1.99 1.76 million. The largest Sheep farm in Australia is located in the Commonwealth Mountain sheep farm in northern Western Australia, covering an area of 10360 square kilometers and raising 60,000 sheep. In addition, Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales also have some large-scale excellent natural grasslands and artificially improved grasslands.

In Australia, a large grassland in Fiona Fang is enclosed by fences, and shepherds build some sheep sheds in the fences to provide shelter and rest for their sheep. Because the grassland is vast, there is no need to worry about the sheep eating up the grass. Many pastoral areas in Australia are rich in groundwater. There are many artificial wells in the pasture, and there are pumps to pump water out for sheep to drink. As long as there is no plague or disease epidemic, ranchers can rest assured and enjoy success. There are also some pastures that rely on manual grazing, but on a smaller scale. In addition, there is no beast in Australia that hurts sheep like a wolf. Shepherds can finish grazing with the help of sheepdogs. The management of the pasture is modern, spraying drugs, sowing grass seeds, weeding, slaughtering, processing and shearing are all done mechanically, and the labor intensity of herders is not great.

In Australia, sheep industry is an ancient and dynamic industry. In the whole animal husbandry, sheep industry occupies the first place. Sheep owners should be divided into two categories. One is wool processing industry. Because Australian wool enjoys a high reputation in the international market for its high quality and low price, 90% of Australian wool is used for export to earn foreign exchange. Australia provides about three-quarters of the world's wool that can be used for clothing. Australian wool and its products sold in the international market have the quality inspection-free mark supervised by the International Wool Bureau. The second is the mutton processing industry. Australian mutton is tender and delicious, mainly used for domestic consumption (2/3), and some of it is exported to earn foreign exchange. In Australia's meat processing industry, mutton processing is second only to beef processing.

As we all know, Australia is rich in sheep and wool. However, who first introduced sheep, an animal that does not exist on the Australian mainland, into this promised land? Who laid the foundation for today's developed sheep industry in Australia?

In the early history of Australia's sheep industry, there is a story: more than 200 years ago, when European whites first set foot on the Australian mainland, there were no sheep there. 1788, Captain Philip came to Sydney with a local ram and several ewes while passing through South Africa on his way from England to the Australian colony. At that time, Captain Philip only wanted to eat fresh meat, but he didn't think that wool had any useful value. 1797, British Navy Colonel Henry waterhouse was ordered to lead a group of immigrants to reclaim land in the Australian colonies. Persuaded by his friends, he bought 26 Spanish merino sheep from merchants, which became the earliest sheep in Australian history.

179 1 year, British soldier Captain MacArthur came to Sydney. He is not only a soldier, but also a businessman and sheep expert with great vision and brains. After he came to Australia, he found that there are many natural high-quality pastures, with mild climate and abundant sunshine, and there are no large carnivores, which is a good place for grazing. 1797, MacArthur bought a batch of about 30 merino sheep from a businessman and began to raise them in the colonial areas of New South Wales. Since then, sheep have multiplied rapidly in Australia and gradually become a supplier of cheap wool in Britain.

By 1850, Australian wool has replaced Spain as the largest overseas wool market and supplier in Britain. It is recorded that in 18 10, Britain imported only 23 bales of wool from Australia, but by 1850, it had reached 137 177 bales.

There are three main management modes of Australian sheep industry: the first is extensive grazing area. This grazing method is adopted in some inland arid areas of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. The climate in these areas is hot and dry, the seasonal temperature difference is small, and there are artesian wells for sheep to drink, so the natural grassland is vast, characterized by a vast grassland area with an average of 23,500 hectares, but the number of sheep is small. Some pastures have only one sheep every 40 hectares, and the output is unstable, which is greatly restricted by natural conditions. The second type is grazing planting area, that is, the farming-pastoral ecotone is formed between pastoral area and high rainfall area. Most of the grasslands in these areas are artificial grasslands, and the soil conditions and rainfall are better than the former. You can grow grain or grass to raise sheep. The grassland area of this management model is about 1000 hectares, which is mainly distributed in Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, Australia, and a few irrigation areas and hilly areas with good natural conditions. Its characteristic is that the output of sheep and grain crops here is influenced by the market more than the natural environment, and changes with the changes of foreign markets. When the sheep industry is weak, it can be changed to expand the grain area or raise beef cattle, which is more flexible in management. The third type is high rainfall grazing area, which is mainly distributed in the coastal areas of the Australian mainland except parts of Queensland and Tasmania. These areas are rich in precipitation and fertile soil throughout the year, suitable for artificial grassland and widely mechanized feeding. The characteristic is that although the area is not too large, the sheep yield is high and stable, and it is less affected by climatic conditions. Sheep produced in these areas account for more than 30% of Australia's total, and the technical conditions rank first in Australia.

There are two main ways to sell Australian wool: one is that wool producers sell their products directly to users; The other is that wool production enterprises entrust middlemen to auction on behalf of the wool market and compete freely in the market. Middlemen play an important role in the whole wool trade. The relationship between middlemen and wool manufacturers is a free principal-agent relationship. Middlemen should provide suppliers with wool index, quality inspection and other standards, raise loans, provide machines, equipment and tools, and solve a series of services such as warehouse storage, transportation and packaging. Middlemen also have extensive contacts with foreign customers and domestic industrial production departments, providing market information, consultation and agency for sellers.

In the development history of Australian sheep industry, many wool organizations have been established, some of which are non-governmental organizations and some are semi-official organizations. They play an important role in the sheep industry.

Australian Wool Industry Committee was established in 1936, which is a multinational organization. The organization has an international wool secretariat in London, England, and its business scope includes: promoting wool production, wool advertising and industry cooperation. 1973 wool industry Committee merged with Australian wool Council to form Australian wool company. The company is a statutory semi-official organization established by the federal parliament, which is affiliated to the Federal Department of Primary Products and headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. The board of directors of the company is composed of wool producers and industrial experts, and the president is directly responsible to the minister of primary products. The company has the right to deal with issues related to the industry within the scope of wool production and sales policies determined by the Federation. The company is the only semi-official wool industry management organization in Australia. The company sets the lowest market price of wool every year, and adjusts the price according to the market situation to safeguard national interests and market stability. Part of the company's funds come from the federal government and part of it draws a small amount of insurance money from the wool auction market. The company is only responsible for formulating policies and prices, and sales are completed by independent middlemen in the auction market.

As an animal, sheep is a symbol of peace and meekness. As an important part of the Australian people's national economy and people's livelihood, sheep farming is closely related to the cultural customs of this country.

Every August 14, Australians celebrate the festival of sheep. When this day comes, shepherds in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and other States will dress up at dawn to prepare for the Sheep Festival. As soon as the sun rises, herders start to set off firecrackers and fireworks, preach congratulations to the sheep, and then drive them to a place with rich water and grass to graze and let them have a full meal. Usually, when herding sheep, the shepherd will be whipped several times because the sheep are disobedient. On this day, the shepherd took special care of the sheep. Not only will they not whip the sheep, but they will also let them graze, chase and play freely to express their holiday congratulations. On this day, many shepherds consciously stop eating mutton and shearing wool to show their "repentance" for the sheep. All these have many lessons for the China government.