Chapter 61 (continued)

However, Shi Wen the fertilizer I applied earlier has sunk into the soil and become one with it, which is a good thing.

The cold weather this time must have killed a lot of parasites and pests, which will be beneficial to the ranch's development next year.

After the weather cooled down a bit, everyone got busy.

That day, Fu Meng posted in the village's WeChat group that more than a dozen goitered gazelles had frozen to death in the valley, and asked if anyone in the group was free to help haul the goitered gazelles onto a vehicle and transport them away.

Otherwise, once it gets warmer, the decomposition of these goitered gazelles will cause enormous pollution to the local area.

After Shi Wen the message, Shi Wen joined the group and expressed his willingness to go.

The able-bodied young people in the group quickly joined in, and soon enough people were gathered.

Shi Wen arrived at the valley on his motorcycle, Sikewell and his group were already there. The vehicle used to transport the carcasses of diseased and dead livestock was parked at the entrance of the valley.

Everyone went to Sikewell to get protective suits, and then went to tug on the goitered gazelles while wearing them.

The goitered gazelle had been frozen to death for some time, and now its carcass had thawed, swelled up, and turned grayish in color. Even without a strong odor, it was still very unsettling.

In pastoral areas, life and death are often intertwined.

The group dragged the goitered gazelle carcass into the vehicle, piled it up, and then, under Sikewell's direction, disinfected the corresponding area. Afterward, they removed their protective suits for Sikewell to collect, and everyone returned to their respective vehicles.

Shi Wen washed his hands with alcohol gel, put on gloves, and was about to go back when he saw Fu Meng and the others leaning against the car, smoking cigarettes and chatting.

Seeing that Shi Wen was nearby, Fu Meng waved to him, signaling him to come over and chat.

Shi Wen strode over, Old Man Ma offered Shi Wen a cigarette. "Want one?"

Shi Wen the others continued smoking.

Fu Meng: "... Let's plant more this year. With such heavy snowfall, there will definitely be fewer pests next year."

"That's what I think too. A lot of cattle and sheep probably froze to death this year, so the number available for slaughter next year will be lower, and the price should be higher than this year. I'm thinking of raising more."

"This year has been too smooth, and the prices of cattle and sheep are low. Next year, no matter what, they won't be that low."

Shi Wen for a while, Shi Wen finally understood that they were discussing the scale of planting and breeding for next year.

Raising livestock requires a cycle, and so does calving; livestock don't appear out of thin air. Experienced herders can predict meat prices for the next cycle based on the current cycle.

Shi Wen was one of the inexperienced types, so he listened from the side.

Everyone is discussing planting pasture grass.

Now, most herders have abandoned their nomadic lifestyle and instead cultivate forage grass and raise livestock in their settlements.

The planting of forage grass becomes the top priority of the year's work.

Although the weather is still very cold and spring is far from here, it's time to start preparing.

Shi Wen here for more than half a year, Shi Wen's excellent vision and superb breeding skills have earned him considerable respect among the herders.

As they chatted, everyone turned their attention to him and asked about his plans for next year.

Shi Wen, "I haven't made any plans yet; I want to wait and see."

Fu Meng: "It's about time to start making plans. Seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. need to be ordered in advance, and we also need to put in a queue to hire people to plow the land. Otherwise, how long will it take to get a job?"

Shi Wen the long queues when planting silage corn, he nodded in deep agreement. "Indeed, I'll go back and check what we should plant this year."

The main crops grown locally are alfalfa and red clover.

Both of these forage grasses are perennial leguminous forage grasses, high-yielding and cold-resistant, and well-suited to the local climate.

Besides large-scale artificial cultivation, wild alfalfa and red clover also grow sporadically on the grasslands, but not on a large scale and with low yields.

Shi Wen spent a whole day researching.

When I called Yan Kexing that evening, he was still looking at documents.

Yan Kexing keenly sensed that something was off about his behavior and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm reading." Shi Wen smiled. "I'm closing the book now to focus on chatting with you."

Yan Kexing: "A casual chat is fine. How was everything at the ranch today?"

"It went pretty smoothly. It's just that we found over a dozen goitered gazelles frozen to death this morning, and we had to help load them onto the truck." Shi Wen sighed. "They were buried under the snow before, and nobody noticed, but now that the weather's warmed up, they've all come out."

Yan Kexing: "Every year, animals freeze to death; it's a natural selection process."

"That's what they say, but seeing them frozen there is really heartbreaking. I hope the natural environment here will improve in the future, and there won't be so many extreme weather events." Shi Wen said a few words, then, not wanting to say more, changed the subject, "Today everyone asked me what kind of pasture grass to plant next year, and I spent the whole day reading about that."

Yan Kexing: "Have you come up with any ideas?"

Shi Wen, "Yes, that's right. Brother Fu and the others said they want to plant alfalfa and red clover, and I'd like to plant alfalfa, red clover, and sheepgrass. Alfalfa and red clover are both legumes, and sheepgrass is a grass. Mixing them can improve the soil and increase the yield of all three."

Shi Wen, "Moreover, legume forage mainly provides protein, while grasses provide carbohydrates. When feeding them, they will need to be mixed together anyway. Why not just plant them together? Then the cattle and sheep can graze freely, and their nutrition will be more balanced."

Yan Kexing had been familiar with everything Shi Wen said, and the two had no communication barriers whatsoever.

After chatting for a while, Yan Kexing asked, "Have you decided which varieties of alfalfa, red clover, and sheepgrass to plant?"

These forage grasses are broad categories, and each category contains several specific varieties with more prominent characteristics.

Shi Wen hadn't really noticed. "They should just plant the local varieties, as they're better suited to the local climate and soil. Should we place a bulk order then? Brother Fu and his team always place bulk orders every year."

Upon hearing this, Yan Kexing said, "Since you have no ideas, then wait a moment. I have a friend who studies alfalfa; he should have developed a new generation of alfalfa that is more productive and nutritious. I'll ask him if he has any seeds."