In a January 2022 report, the deputy director of Guinan’s black Tibetan sheep breeding center described the seasonal use of seed rams. At mating time, rams from the center were sent to different ewe groups, or expansion flocks. The county’s “1210” model put the center at its hub, with two demonstration villages and ten breeding cooperatives. It is a networked approach: breeding work moves from the center to herds and cooperatives, where reproduction adds animals to local flocks.
From the journal
Seed Rams and the Guinan Breeding Network
A 2022 county report describes a black-sheep breeding center that distributed seed rams through village flocks and cooperatives under a “1210” expansion model.
A center linked to village flocks
A dated model of conservation and expansion
The same article described a semi-pastoral, semi-fed system and a plan to support accepted lambs at six months and expansion ewes after flocks reached a target scale. It also described partnerships with Qinghai University and the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology for research on meat flavor, growth-related genes and nutrition. These details show a breeding program combining animal selection, village-level expansion and research partnerships. The January 2022 report captures the program’s structure and support measures at that time.