Minhe Cattle

Minhe Cattle

Minhe Cattle is a product with geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　Minhe has a long history. As early as over 6,000 years ago, ancestors had already settled and thrived here. Before the Qin and Han dynasties, it was inhabited by the Qiang people, and it was incorporated into the central government's territory during the Western Han Dynasty. Since the Zhou and Qin periods, as the nomadic Qiang people gradually settled down, they domesticated wild animals through prolonged hunting, eventually taming cattle as a livelihood resource. From the Warring States period onward, China entered the feudal society. Influenced by Central Plains culture, the Qiang people in the Hehuang region shifted from hunting and animal husbandry to agriculture. Over the more than 200 years of the Qing Dynasty, due to the political corruption of the Qing court, which incited ethnic hatred, the Hui people of Gansu were forced to leave their beloved homeland and embark on a painful journey of exile. In 1879, they settled in Minhe. Skilled in cattle breeding, they made cattle the main focus of local animal husbandry. Over the long course of history, not only did the cattle population grow, but the quality of the cattle also significantly improved. Cattle farming as draft animals gradually expanded in scale.

　　Minhe Cattle is a specialty of Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County, Haidong City, Qinghai Province. Minhe Cattle retains the characteristics of the Qinchuan Yellow Cattle—large body size, high reproduction rate, and good meat quality—while also benefiting from the advantages of the Chinese Simmental Cattle, such as cold resistance, tolerance to coarse feed, long lifespan, and strong adaptability. It also features a red-and-white spotted cattle group. Minhe Cattle is a nationally protected product under the Geographic Indication of Agricultural Products.

　　The original cattle breeds in the Minhe region were mainly small-sized Mongolian Yellow Cattle, primarily used for labor, with low meat and milk production but strong reproductive capabilities. To improve the original breeds and enhance production performance, Minhe County introduced Qinchuan Yellow Cattle bulls in the 1950s to crossbreed with local cattle, creating the first generation of Qinchuan-crossbred cattle. In the 1990s, frozen Simmental Cattle semen was introduced to crossbreed with the improved first-generation Qinchuan-crossbred cattle. Currently, the hybrid-improved “Minhe Cattle” retains the traits of the Qinchuan Yellow Cattle—large body size, high reproduction rate, and good meat quality—while also benefiting from the advantages of the Chinese Simmental Cattle, such as cold resistance, tolerance to coarse feed, long lifespan, and strong adaptability. It also features a red-and-white spotted cattle group. The production area spans 312 villages across 22 townships in the county, with a total herd of over 20,000 cattle, gradually forming the “Minhe Cattle” group.

　　In 2013, “Minhe Cattle,” applied for by the Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Technology Service Center, passed the review of the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, and was granted national registration and protection under the Geographic Indication of Agricultural Products.

　　Geographic Scope

　　Minhe Hui and Tu Autonomous County is located in the eastern part of Qinghai Province, bordering Gansu Province to the east and south. To the northeast, it faces Yongdeng County and Honggu District of Lanzhou City in Gansu Province across the Datong River, and borders Yongjing County of Gansu Province to the east. It faces Jishishan in Gansu Province across the Yellow River to the south, and neighbors Xunhua County, Hualong County, and Ledu County of the province to the west, northwest, and north. Its geographical coordinates are between 102°26' and 103°04' east longitude, and 35°45' and 36°26' north latitude. The county stretches 69 kilometers from north to south and 32 kilometers from east to west. The highest elevation is 4,220 meters, and the lowest is 1,650 meters, with an average elevation of 2,100 to 2,500 meters. The annual average temperature is between 7.9°C and 8.1°C, and the annual precipitation ranges from 350 to 650 millimeters. It lies in the transitional zone from the Loess Plateau to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The county administers 22 townships, with a total land area of 189,344.42 hectares, including 42,937.51 hectares of arable land and 59,403.92 hectares of grassland. Minhe Cattle is primarily raised in Minhe County, with herds distributed across the entire county.