Leisurely Life: I Have Ten Thousand Acres of Grassland-Chapter 64 - 62: The Joy of Haymaking! Selling Hay for Profit!

Chapter 64: Chapter 62: The Joy of Haymaking! Selling Hay for Profit!

That day, the weather was clear.

The dampness after the rain had long been dispelled by the sun and wind of the grassland, and the entire grassland was as bright as ever.

Jiang Feng drove the tractor, with a large grass cutter attached to the back, heading straight to the pasture.

Time to start cutting grass!

The leftover grass is enough for the cattle and sheep to eat, and since grass cutting takes a considerable amount of time, it’s best to get it done early.

The grassland weather can turn cold abruptly.

So much grass won’t be eaten completely and leaving it on the pasture would just be wasteful.

Another tractor followed behind Jiang Feng, also pulling a grass-cutting machine, entering the pasture.

The live stream overhead captured the tractors entering the pasture.

On the boundless grassland, two tractors drove into the field, the machines behind them spinning their blades horizontally, continuously cutting down the tall grass.

The places where the tractor dragged the grass cutter saw the tall grass continually fall.

Row by row, extremely satisfying.

The viewers watching felt increasingly relaxed and comfortable.

People gained a better understanding of the daily life of grassland herders.

As Jiang Feng drove the tractor, he chatted about the interesting aspects of grass cutting.

His voice came through the livestream:

"Such a wonderful pasture, grass has to be cut every year. The cattle and sheep at Maodeng Ranch only eat natural pasture grass, and with scarce grass in winter, we store it in advance."

"With mechanized operations now, it’s easy; you just need to drive the grass cutter to get the grass cleared."

"In the past, while cutting grass, one person would be on the tractor, and another on the grass cutter, adjusting the height to avoid uneven terrain."

"Now, grass cutters have hydraulic rods, so even on uneven ground, grass can be cut evenly."

"Out of my ten thousand acres of pasture, at least six thousand need grass cutting."

Where the grass cutter went, tall grass fell in waves.

Behind the tractor, the ground was scattered with fallen grass.

The livestream had many viewers, all there for the spectacle.

[Looks so relaxing!]

[The grass on this pasture is so tall, reaching calf height, I’m really envious!]

[The host’s pasture is the best for grass cutting, great quality!]

[Looks fun, I want to drive a tractor to cut grass too!]

[Will the grass grow back next year after cutting?]

[Ever heard ’Wildfires can’t burn it all, the spring breeze brings life again’? We’re not damaging the grass roots.]

The two tractors were busy within the pasture.

Though driving the tractor was not fast, and felt a bit bumpy, Jiang Feng felt extremely satisfied.

The tractor rumbled along with the engine making "put-put-put" noises.

He looked back, seeing the ground covered with fallen grass, overlapping one another.

Jiang Feng felt energized.

This went on for a full two hours; Jiang Feng let Zhu Huo take over, while he rested on the pasture and chatted with the livestream audience about grass cutting.

"Grass cutting is much easier now, with just one pass, the grass falls!"

"After cutting, the grass needs to be dried for three to four days, losing moisture and turning yellow."

"Then a hay rake is used to gather it, and later a baler compiles the raked grass into bales."

"Modern balers are powerful; they’re drum-style, pulling in the grass, pressing it constantly, forming large bales, and automatically binding them with ropes."

"Back in the day, this work was exhausting, taking half the summer."

"Raking grass was done manually with rakes, gathering the cut grass on the vast grassland; it required a lot of manpower."

"With mechanization now, productivity has greatly increased, so my kind of ranch doesn’t need many hands to get the work done!"

Jiang Feng approached the cut grass, sharing details about ranch life with everyone.

People loved the eye-opening content.

[Ranch owner, when do you rake and bale the grass? Sounds interesting!]

[Hurry, let me see!]

Everyone seemed impatient.

Jiang Feng chuckled, "Fresh grass can’t be baled, it’s still damp and prone to mold. It needs to be dried for days to turn into hay first."

Upon hearing Jiang Feng’s explanation, everyone realized.

It turns out, baling grass has its own set of considerations.

Jiang Feng continued:

"Then I’ll do a forage business."

"Each bale weighs about five to six hundred pounds, priced between 300 and 500, depending on market conditions then, it’s never a problem selling them."

"I’ll produce around two thousand bales, keeping a thousand for myself, selling a thousand; at 400 a bale, that’s roughly 400,000."

"The pasture’s rent is 70 per acre; ten thousand acres a year costs 700,000, selling grass can recuperate some costs."

Jiang Feng looked at the accumulated grass on the ground, feeling somewhat relieved.

As the saying goes, with grain at home, one doesn’t panic; for herders, with grass in the pen, one isn’t anxious.

Fall and winter come quickly; winters here are quite cold, reliant on the stored hay to get through.

After all, the total price of cattle and sheep is over a million; spending tens of thousands on grass is a must.

[How much? Selling grass can make 400,000?]

[Poverty has limited my imagination!]

[The ranch owner’s really well-off!]

[This is a real boss!]

[Who’d buy it?]

The comments kept flowing.

Jiang Feng casually grabbed a bundle of grass fallen on the ground, saying:

"The grass here is high quality. Look at these grasses with little purple flowers; it’s alfalfa, high in protein."

"And over here, there are wild grass skins, and over there are wild milk thistles, while this grass resembling foxtails is a variety of patchouli."

"These are all Chinese herbs."

"Cattle and sheep eating these not only become healthier but also more nutritious."

Feeling rather proud, Jiang Feng boasted about the pasture grass.

He is the master of this grassland, at least for the next ten years.

All the grass growing within ten years is his.

The grasses are quite good, growing mixed together, nearly reaching knee height.

The cattle and sheep especially love eating it; since moving them from the family pasture to Maodeng Ranch, they visibly gained weight, and Jiang Feng’s wealth grew too.

[The ranch owner’s grass is really good; if sold, could fetch a high price!]

[Large ranches are short on fodder, might need to buy from here!]

[These are exported abroad, Hulunbei’er Grassland’s grass is mostly imported by Korea, sold at a high price!]

[Herders need grass too; if without their own, buying from the host-type big owner is necessary. Ordinary herders might spend around 3-4,000 on winter fodder.]

[Having control over resources feels great!]

The tractors continued to work busily.

With no herding today, the two Border Collies played around Jiang Feng.

The atmosphere in the livestream was lively.

Soon, movement came from the ranch area; looking closely, two more tractors arrived, with a truck carrying grass cutters, hay rakes, and balers.

Jiang Feng told everyone:

"At times like this, ranch hands are in short supply, so I invited my uncle and others to help."

"Herders’ lives are like this; many tasks require assistance, so we rally together."

At that moment, an off-road vehicle parked on the outside wasteland, and a chubby eleven or twelve-year-old boy got out of the front passenger seat.

The chubby boy wasn’t tall, with a chubby face, quite amusing.

Seeing Jiang Feng, he called out loudly, "Bro!"

"That’s my cousin, sharing the same grandfather, named Jiang Youwei." Jiang Feng introduced to everyone.

Upon hearing Jiang Feng, the livestream viewers were somewhat puzzled.

The same grandfather?

The Jiang Family’s genes sure are wild!

Filmed from the drone, Jiang Feng appeared young, handsome, and sunny, projecting confidence and amiability, making people comfortable.

Seeing Jiang Youwei, under the short and round, slightly dull impression.

Are they really from the same grandfather?

Could genetic expression be too selective?

Then, Jiang Feng explained further:

"My brother’s condition has a reason; earlier he didn’t grow tall, always rather short."

"Family heard eating meat boosts height, so he ate a lot."

"Then, as he ate more and more, he indeed changed."

"Now he’s chubby and short."