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She told Shi Wen there were enough seeds, several hundred tons of which were currently stored, and that they were planning to promote planting on a large scale in each county. If they were willing to cooperate in the promotion, the seed cost could be reduced by 50%, and there would also be planting guidance. All they would have to do was observe and upload the data.

Shi Wen's ranch has unique characteristics and plans to adopt a mixed sowing method, so it is impossible for it to participate in the experiment.

He then introduced Qu Jiaojiao to Fu Meng and asked Qu Jiaojiao to personally connect with the herdsmen.

Qu Jiaojiao had no objections and thanked him sincerely.

A few days later, Shi Wen learned from Fu Meng that Qu Jiaojiao had already started a group chat, and the original three hundred or so herders who planned to participate in the planting quickly expanded to more than a thousand households.

Everyone felt that it was the same to grow any kind of pasture grass, the seeds were cheaper, and there was expert guidance, which was really great.

Qu Jiaojiao was also very happy. They had secured a partner at a low cost, and the partner was very cooperative, which saved them a lot of trouble in their upcoming experiments.

She thanked Shi Wen again and told him that he didn't need to buy the grass seeds, and that she would send him a few sacks later.

Planting pasture grass can only be done in the spring; the weather is too cold now, and there are frequent cold snaps, so it's impossible to plant it.

Currently, livestock are mainly fed a mixed diet consisting of hay, silage, beans, or corn kernels.

Shi Wen's ewes and cows were quite pregnant, and their movements had become somewhat clumsy.

Given the current situation, Shi Wen also being very cautious.

To ensure the fetus receives adequate nutrition, Shi Wen stopped milking the cow to avoid further burdening it.

Their family now mainly relies on two dairy goats for dairy products. Fortunately, the Hu Zai are now mainly eating meat, so the family's milk supply is still sufficient. Their milk tea, cream, cheese, and other products have never been lacking.

In addition to stopping milking, Shi Wen also further adjusted the feed ratio according to the advice of experienced herders, adding animal protein feed to the feed.

For pregnant cattle and sheep, animal protein feed accounts for 10% of their daily diet.

With this added expense, Shi Wen now has to spend several thousand dollars a day just on feed and supplements. If he weren't so wealthy now, he simply couldn't afford it.

Upon hearing this, Fu Meng remarked to him, "Your costs are far too high. We've raised cattle and sheep here for generations, and we've never tried raising them at such a high price."

Shi Wen laughed, "Now you know my ambition, right? The sheep I want to raise aren't just any ordinary sheep."

"Now I understand," Fu Meng sighed. "Breeding breeding sheep is really not easy. Putting aside everything else, the cost is really high. Ordinary herders like us simply can't afford it."

Shi Wen was very confident. "If we succeed in cultivating it, we'll break even in a year. If we fail, we'll just have to adjust it again, and it will probably take two or three years to break even."

Fu Meng: "That's true, it just depends on how bold you are. If you have the ability, you definitely won't lose out."

After chatting for a few moments, Fu Meng got down to business. "Didn't you ask me about the construction team before? Now that they've got some free time, do you want them? If so, I can help you get in touch."

Shi Wen replied without hesitation, "Yes, Brother Fu, give me their contact information, I'll talk to them personally."

Shi Wen that they've wanted to upgrade the livestock shed for a long time, and the relevant building applications have all been approved, but they haven't been able to get started until now due to funding constraints.

He recently received a special subsidy from the Abnormal Affairs Bureau, giving him over two million yuan. He can take advantage of the more free time during the winter to renovate the livestock shed.

Both the livestock sheds built by his grandfather and the newly built ones were too rudimentary and lacked any modern facilities.

Shi Wen they plan to renovate and upgrade the facilities, introducing modern machinery to reduce management complexity and make management more scientific.

The renovation team that Fu Meng introduced was headed by a man A Sai.

He quickly brought the blueprints to Shi Wen's house and discussed them with him in detail.

Shi Wen earnestly stated his requirements. "I hope the livestock sheds can be further refined, with separate production areas, disease prevention areas, and storage areas. Within the production area, such as the sheep pens, further refinement is needed, for example, the layout of the sheep pens should clearly distinguish between breeding rams, lambs, ewes, and fattening sheep."

As he took notes, A Sai said in somewhat broken Mandarin, "No problem, we have experience with this."

Shi Wen said, "My plan for the livestock shed is to have three main sections: a sheep area, a cattle area, and later, horses. Construction of the horse area will also begin."

A Sai continued nodding and gave Shi Wen a cost estimate, "What type of livestock shed do you want? Double-slope, single-slope, sunken—"

Shi Wen without hesitation, "Enclosed double-sloped sheds and cowsheds are fine, with a walkway in the middle and fixed feed troughs, water troughs, and hay racks on both sides. Ideally, they should also have water supply, manure removal, and drainage systems—the more convenient, the better..."

They discussed the matter for an afternoon, finalized the details of each item, and signed the contract.

Shi Wen paid the first phase of the project fee of 300,000 yuan and agreed that the A Sai construction team would move into the ranch the day after tomorrow.

Seeing Shi Wen's work in full swing, Ge Yue took the opportunity to chat with him. "Brother Shi, it feels like your career has suddenly gotten on track."

Shi Wen laughed and said, "It feels like there's no longer a makeshift crew, right?"

Ge Yue: "It wasn't a makeshift operation to begin with; it's just that the facilities were rather rudimentary before, lacking the style of a large ranch."

Shi Wen spoke frankly, "Large-scale ranching is too expensive. Only now, with subsidies from various sources and funds gradually returning, can we afford to continue operating at such a high cost."

Ge Yue nodded in understanding, then asked, "Brother Shi, are you planning to build an intelligent ranch?"

Upon Shi Wen her words, Shi Wen knew there was a hidden meaning. "Why do you ask that? With my financial resources, I can't afford to build a fully automated ranch."

Ge Yue seized on the key point. "So you have this plan, right?"

"Yes." Shi Wen smiled at her. "What do you want to say? Speak up."

Ge Yue: "One of my childhood friends is studying modern animal husbandry. She's currently pursuing her PhD in Australia, researching various modern facilities. She's working on her graduation project, but she hasn't been able to find a suitable ranch to work with her yet."