The Rise of the Ranch King

Chapter 13 13. Buying cattle and sheep

Witch Ranch is more like a manor. The American log cabin-style villas are very stylish. In addition to raising cattle and sheep, there are also farms and wineries.

They also have an industrial chain and are completely self-sufficient, but they cannot compare with the Otto family in terms of output.

Lin Feng was inspired to expand from the livestock industry to the outside. Lakeside Ranch can completely copy this successful business model.

After talking to the two of them, Lin Feng discovered that he had too many blind spots in knowledge. It turned out that Montana has clear regulations on the number of cattle and sheep grazing per acre of land.

If the carrying capacity of the land is exceeded, not only will there not be enough grass to eat, the cattle will not be fat and the expected profits will not be achieved, but the ranchers will also be punished for animal cruelty.

The current land area of ​​Lakeside Ranch is about 280 acres, which is equivalent to football fields, four Tiananmen Squares or one-half the size of Tsinghua University. In theory, it can raise thousands of cattle.

Cassidy took him for a walk in the tourist car, pointing to a cattle shed and saying that the cattle they were going to sell were there.

His father took people to drive the cattle to the green grassland on the west side of the canyon. He would not be able to come back until tomorrow at the earliest. Cassidy was now fully responsible for the Witch Ranch.

Lin Feng handed him a piece of paper, which listed his needs, including the number of types of cattle and so on. Mainly Angus beef cattle, with a few Simmental cows for milk production.

This was Uncle Frank's previous standard.

Another twenty or thirty sheep will be used as supporting roles, and mixed breeding of cattle and sheep can increase species diversity.

Also from Uncle Frank's experience, if you only raise a single breed, you will easily get into trouble. For example, all cattle will be infected with the same infectious disease and spread rapidly. Mixed species can form a defensive barrier to a certain extent.

In addition, beware of rodents such as rabbits and marmots, which are real competitors for livestock. They will eat up the grass from the ground before the cattle and sheep are full.

The long-term struggle has allowed the herdsmen to sum up a set of effective ways to deal with it. Compared with Australia, where the "rabbit plague" is out of control, Montana has done a good job in this regard, and of course the killing of coyotes is indispensable.

Cassidy read the note carefully, "No problem, brother, all needs will be met. My dad will like you because you helped him a lot."

Lin Feng expressed his doubts, "Casdy, I always feel that you are not very interested in the ranch. You always said that you are working for your father. In fact, you are also a part of the family, and this is also your career." ,Is not it."

"You're right. I was a football player in college, but my dad wanted me to come back and take over the ranch. After going through some things, I compromised." Cassidy frowned and looked at the distance. Looking at the scenery, he continued with a silly smile: "We can chat over a drink when we have time. I am equally interested in your experience, about the young Chinese guy becoming a rancher in Montana."

Lin Feng felt that he had the same problem as him, so he reached out and touched his fist.

Let’s talk about the origin of the name “Witch Ranch”, which is related to an interesting story.

Legend has it that the canyon near the ranch was originally inhabited by a pair of cattle thieves brothers, who took advantage of the covertness provided by the terrain to hide their stolen cattle in the canyon and spread rumors that the land was haunted by witches, thus discouraging their neighbors. search.

Later, the name of this ranch was called "Witch Ranch", and it has been passed down to the present day by generations of ranchers.

It is worth mentioning that in the last century, paleontologists discovered Triassic dinosaur fossils here.

A modernist female painter known as America's "Picasso" comes to the ranch to live alone for a while every year. One of her paintings once sold for a sky-high price of 1400 million US dollars.

Cassidy's father was also happy to provide the female painter with shelter and living security, because it would also increase the popularity of Witch Ranch.

"Do you still remember the cow skull sign above the gate? The painter lady helped design it. The manuscript was initially tricked into the Metropolitan Museum. They took it away directly. We didn't get a penny from it, and we didn't even say thank you. ." Cassidy said helplessly.

Each ranch has its own story.

Back to the cows and sheep, they went to the cowshed to select the cubs, all of which were about four months old.

According to different needs, Angus cattle can be put into slaughter after being raised for about 8 months. However, it can continue to be raised, and its weight can reach 800 kilograms when fully grown. It is recognized as one of the best beef cattle breeds in the world.

"I have to tell you one thing. Angus cows are indeed great, but the cows are a little nervous. They will have convulsions when the environment changes greatly. For example, they will walk around all night and bark non-stop. In serious cases, they may refuse to feed. The cub is nursing." Cassidy was honest.

Lin Feng found several black boxes in the bullpen and asked Cassidy what they were.

Cassidy made a surprising statement and said quietly that this was a speaker.

"Speaker? Your workers are very artistic and listen to music while working."

"It may sound like a joke, but this is for the cows." Cassidy tried to keep the corners of his mouth flat to make his words more credible. "You can also give it to Angus cows when they are restless. Put on some music and things will get better.”

Lin Feng had only heard about this from a milk advertisement before and thought it was a gimmick, but it seemed to be true.

"What does your cow like to listen to, rock? Jazz? Or pop."

Cassidy pinched his chin and thought seriously, "Angus likes MJ and Elvis Presley. Those Holstein cows with black background and white flowers love blues when they are green. The slow-tempo sad music can make the ladies in the entire bullpen They immediately quieted down, especially Otis Rush."

Well, Lin Feng is a little messy.

Through the fence, I used my "superpower" to observe the quality of the calves. They were developing well. Each calf was healthy and very active, which was better than most in the market.

"On the market, it starts at US$850, but we only charge US$750, and we deliver it to your door for free." Cassidy continued sincerely.

When Lin Feng came in before, he saw the extended truck that transported livestock. Free shipping saved him a lot of trouble.

Finally, Lin Feng planned to buy 20 Angus calves, 10 Simmental calves, 6 Angus adult cows and 6 Simmental adult cows.

Among them, the male and female adult cows are in a ratio of 1:5, which means that the Angus bull and the Simmental bull are each given 5 wives. I hope they will not let down Lin Feng's good intentions.

Adult cattle are not cheap. After all, they are the product of more than ten months of day and night care.

Including twenty white goats, a total of nearly 12 was spent, and now Lin Feng only had less than 6 left in his account.

When I reacted, I realized that 12 US dollars was equivalent to 87 RMB. I spent less than million at once. This money can be used to buy a large apartment in my hometown.

"It's a pleasure to cooperate. I'm looking forward to the day when Lakeside Ranch develops and grows. If you have the courage, believe me."

After signing the contract, Cassidy's mouth became a lot sweeter. It seemed that money did have magic power.

Before leaving, Lin Feng took a set of scenic photos of the Witch Ranch and was waiting to send them to his parents tomorrow.

There is a time difference of about fourteen hours with China, and my parents are most free at eight o'clock in the evening, so they will choose to send photos or videos through WeChat when they get up in the morning, so that the couple can enjoy the lakeside pasture under the morning sun. .

Ever since he learned about the special effects of well water in the small world, Lin Feng had been planning to have his parents come over for recuperation for a while to see if it would really have an effect on his condition, especially his father's uremia.

After he takes root here, he will bring the two of them to live on the ranch, putting an end to the past.

(End of this chapter)