BXBX NOVEL Chapter 365 - 365: Breeding Transition
Contracting the mountain was much simpler than renting the villagers’ fields.
There were a few mountain peaks that were unoccupied. They were collective mountain peaks in the village. Eldest Uncle Shi Lichun stepped forward and negotiated with the village committee to rent them for 150 dollars per acre per year.
This mountain had a total of 6,000 acres. The rent would be paid every three years for 20 years, and the rent would increase by 20% every three years.
The rent paid for the first time was a total of 2. 7 million dollars, divided equally between the households.
There were 396 households in Stoneback Village, each of which would receive 6,818 dollars.
To the villagers, this sum of money was a windfall.
Of course, some people might have some objections. If this mountain was rented, could they still go into the mountains to cut firewood or find herbs?
Shi Lichun also expressed that this was indeed impossible.
Shi Lichun said, “Our family contracted this mountaintop to herd cows. The entire mountaintop will be fenced, and only a few gates will be left in.”
The villagers were a little unhappy when they heard that.
“Shi Lichun, we’re not going to touch your cows. By not letting anyone in to cut firewood, you’re making it look like we want to steal a cow.”
Shi Lichun shook his head and said, “It’s not a matter of stealing cows. It’s a matter of safety. Our cows are meant to be raised freely. If we put them in the mountains and let them around, people may bump into one. The consequences will be serious. Spending money is a small matter, but the main thing is that the person may suffer too much!”
“How many cows are you raising now?”
“The initial plan is 50. It looks like the number will gradually increase.”
“Why is your family letting them roam freely? Why don’t you raise them in captivity? If the cattle you raise are too wild, it will be difficult to find them in the future.”
“I heard that the meat of the free-range cows is tender, so my Mingming chose to rear them this way. Therefore, for everyone’s safety, everyone should try to go to the mountains as little as possible. If you really want to go in, you can tell my family.”
“Lichun, your family has so many cows. Are you planning to guard the cattle farm yourself or hire someone to guard it?”
“We should be hiring someone. I’ll go back and discuss this with my family to see what’s going on!”
“Hey, Lichun, if your family wants to hire someone, can you consider me? I’m strong and can definitely take good care of your cows!”
“You’re already so old. Can you catch up with the cows? Lichun, consider me.”
“Everyone, don’t be anxious. I’ll go back and discuss it with my family. After we confirm it, 1’11 let everyone know,” Shi Lichun said with a smile.
In fact, their family had already discussed this question.
The owner would definitely have to guard the cattle farm.
Everyone in the village knew each other well. The family had already agreed on who to invite.
The contracted mountain was called Danshui Bank, and the cattle farm was built at the foot of the mountain.
Two red brick and tile houses were built. They were dry and airy. There were two troughs in the houses. One of them was a sink filled with water. Once the cow lowered its head, it could drink water.
The other feeding trough was filled with grass. This cow had food at all times.
After the farm was ready, they were just waiting for the calves to arrive.
Grandma, Eldest Aunt, and the others were overjoyed to see these cute little calves with big eyes.
However, these calves had traveled a long way in a large truck. All of them looked listless. This made the women’s hearts ache.
“How old are these calves? They look like they weigh two to three hundred catties?” Eldest Aunt asked in confusion.
Manager Liu said, “These calves are the calves that the company has released in the past two days. They’re three to four months old. Most of them are within 200 to 300 catties.”
Grandma looked at these cows. They didn’t look like the cows and water buffaloes that were raised at home. She asked curiously, “What kind of cows are these?”
Manager Liu said, “These are meat cows!”
“Meat cows?” Her grandmother was puzzled.
Gu Qingming explained, “Grandma, these cows are specially reared for their meat. They are not the buffalo and cows that plow the fields at home. When these cows are bigger, they’ll be slaughtered. The meat will be fresh and tender.”
Grandma nodded and said, “Oh, I see.”
In the past, she had always thought that the beef sold on the streets was from slaughtering those cows and buffaloes.
Actually, Grandma didn’t think it was wrong.
Most of the beef eaten in such a small place came from the buffaloes and cows in the countryside. Even if they obtained beef from such cattle, they were not of good breeds and were cheap.
Of course, Gu Qingming did not explain this to her grandmother.
Since she wanted to enter the high-end market, she naturally had to have the best things.
The cattle she chose were also the best breeds in the world. There were Seaford cattle from Country Y, Lincoln cattle from Country F, Limuzan cattle from Country YDL, Piermont cattle from Country M, and Brahman cattle from Country M.
Gu Qingming planned to raise all kinds of beef cattle together and choose the best breed to expand the breeding.
Manager Liu walked around the cattle farm and saw two newly built houses. He asked curiously, “Miss Gu, are your cows being raised here?”
Gu Qingming shook her head and said, “These two cattle pens are only temporary places for the cows to rest. 1 plan to let them roam!”
“Release them?” Manager Liu was a little surprised. Then, he looked at the fence behind the two houses and the mountain behind them. He immediately understood. “Miss Gu, you want to raise these calves in the mountains?”
Gu Qingming nodded. “That’s right!”
As long as there were no big trees in the mountains to block the light and shade, there would be flowers and plants, and cows would have food.
Manager Liu said in disbelief, “There are only 50 cows. Aren’t you afraid of losing them on such a huge mountain?”
Gu Qingming shrugged and said with a smile, “What’s there to be afraid of? Our rented mountain has already been fenced. These calves can’t run anywhere.”
Manager Liu gave Gu Qingming a thumbs up and said, “Miss Gu is indeed a bold person. Just building a cattle farm to house these 50 cows alone should cost a lot!”
Gu Qingming only smiled.
Manager Liu instructed, “These calves have just arrived and have yet to adapt to the environment. This period of transition is very important. After these calves get used to being on the farm, will be easier to raise them in the future.”
“After these calves arrived home, they could first be placed in the pen to familiarize themselves with the environment. After two hours, they could be given a small amount of water. The drinking water could be added with suitable amounts of salt or electrolytes. After six hours, they could be fed more water and a small amount of high-quality green hay. On the second day, they could be fed with enough coarse feed and a small amount of refined feed. Then, you can gradually increase the amount of refined feed until it became normal feed seven to ten days later.”
“If there are no problems for 10 to 15 days after the calves arrive home, you can arrange for epidemic prevention and insect repellent work. Depending on the actual situation, you can give them the relevant vaccination first.”
Gu Qingming and the others listened very seriously!