Introduction

On June 11, 2025, Big Herdsman Machinery (Jiaozhou) Co., Ltd. and Qingdao Agricultural University held an unveiling ceremony for the “QAU Employment Practice Base.” QAU Vice President Meng Xiaojun, Party Secretary of the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Jiao Lei, and other university leaders attended the event alongside Dr. Li Xiusong, Dean of the Big Herdsman Smart Livestock Research Institute, and outstanding alumni representatives Lin Fanpeng, Wang Fuzhen, Fu Longbo, Wang Hongbo, Zhang Ke, and Wang Congying. This event marked the beginning of a new phase of deep cooperation between the two parties in talent development, technological innovation, and industry-academia integration.

Part 01

Unveiling Ceremony: University-Enterprise Alliance Builds Talent Development Platform

At the ceremony, QAU President Meng Xiaojun and Dr. Li Xiusong jointly unveiled the practice base plaque, receiving enthusiastic applause.

President Meng remarked, “This partnership is a critical step in deepening industry-education integration. As a benchmark enterprise in modern agricultural equipment, Big Herdsman has long provided an expansive platform for our graduates and has become a ‘second home’ for QAU students.” “The establishment of this practice base will serve as a bridge to real-world industrial settings, facilitating seamless alignment between talent training and industry needs.”

Dean Li expressed, “We appreciate QAU’s commitment to university-enterprise collaboration, and President Meng’s personal involvement shows the university’s sincerity and determination.” “Big Herdsman has always prioritized technological innovation and talent development. Through this practice base, we look forward to deepening cooperation in areas such as smart agricultural machinery R&D and curriculum co-construction to jointly train high-caliber professionals for the industry.”

Outstanding alumnus and PBU R&D Director Lin Fanpeng shared the accomplishments of alumni at Big Herdsman with faculty and current students. “As a proud QAU graduate, I’m honored to work with many peers from our alma mater. The practice base will offer future students valuable opportunities to turn theory into results. I look forward to seeing more alumni grow into industry leaders here.”

Part 02

On-Site Exchange: Strengthening Industry-Education Integration Awareness

Before the ceremony, the QAU delegation visited Big Herdsman’s Smart Technology Experience Center, intelligent production workshops, and automated warehouse for a hands-on tour. The Big Herdsman team demonstrated key technologies such as smart climate control and digital feeding systems, and engaged in interactive discussions on topics like “multi-story poultry farming models” and “livestock behavior sensing.” These interactions reinforced the shared understanding of collaborative innovation across production, study, research, and application.

Part 02

In-Depth Dialogue: Tackling Industry Pain Points, Exploring Innovation Paths

Following the ceremony, Dean Li accompanied the university leaders through the IoT Exhibition Hall for a field discussion on key challenges in the smart agri-machinery industry. By contextualizing technologies and analyzing real-world cases, the discussion fostered deep integration between academic resources and industry experience, aiming to empower high-quality development through practice.

Closing Statement

University and enterprise walk hand in hand to spark intelligent transformation! Qingdao Agricultural University and Big Herdsman will continue to work together — with technology as the plow and responsibility as the seed — to cultivate a new wave of productive forces driving the modernization of China’s livestock industry.