Red cattle feed in a standardized breeding complex in Mengshan village, Zhuanglang county, Pingliang. [Photo/Pingliang government website]

Pingliang's signature red cattle industry has made strong progress in the first several months of 2026, powered by technological innovation, supportive policies and industrial upgrading.

By the end of the first quarter, the city's cattle inventory had reached 528,000 head, while 121,200 head had been marketed, up 8.94 percent year-on-year. As of the end of 2025, Pingliang was home to 369 large-scale cattle farms, 28 industrial towns with herds exceeding 10,000 head, 90 specialized cattle villages and about 17,000 major cattle-raising households.

The city has planned 66 projects for the red cattle industry this year, with a total investment of 1.58 billion yuan ($220 million). In Mengshan village of Zhuanglang county, a modern breeding complex has adopted mechanized feeding, automated manure removal and precision feeding, improving efficiency while reducing labor costs. Jingning county has introduced advanced breeding technologies, including embryo transfer and genomic selection, while Jingchuan county's frozen semen production line enables artificial insemination for 15,000 cows annually, raising the improved breed rate above 85 percent.

Supportive policies and rigorous disease prevention have further strengthened the industry's competitiveness. With a comprehensive quality control system in place, Pingliang red cattle are expanding into premium markets, raising incomes for farmers and injecting fresh momentum into the high-quality development of modern agriculture.

For many rural families in Pingliang, raising red cattle has become a reliable source of income. "Pingliang red cattle grow well and are easy to sell. I don't need to leave home to find work — raising a few cattle is enough to support my family," said Wang Yanhu, a farmer from Honglin village in Jingning county, Pingliang.