Chapter 165: Crazy About Buying Cattle

That day, Liu Heming went to the trading market in Glent Town again with George, bringing Alex along. He did not dare bring the Bear Cubs because they were quite big now, not like when they were small.

The reason for this trip was simple: to buy some dairy cattle.

Back at home, he did not drink much milk. But after coming here, he got used to drinking it and had some every day. He thought, since the ranch had plenty of land and so much corn, why not raise a little dairy cow himself? He could milk it and drink the milk himself.

When he shared this idea with George, George laughed so hard he nearly fell over, leaving Liu Heming confused.

George explained that one dairy cow was not enough—you needed at least two. He had laughed because Liu Heming had said something only an outsider would say. A dairy cow only produces milk after giving birth to a calf. In fact, the milk people drink every day is essentially taken from the calves. What would be the point of getting just one cow? It couldn’t get pregnant, so where would the milk come from?

Liu Heming had originally wanted to buy an adult cow so he could start milking it right away. But George also said that if it was for his own consumption, it was better to start with a calf. That way, he could keep an eye on its health from the beginning. Dairy cattle are different from beef cattle; for beef cattle, a good fattening period is enough, but for good milk quality, the overall condition of the dairy cow is very important.

Liu Heming was an amateur, but George was an expert. So his cattle-buying plan had to be adjusted a bit: from originally one cow to two, and from adults to calves.

When they arrived at the trading market, it was very lively. Winter was approaching soon, so it was peak season for trading cattle and sheep. But here, there were still many more cattle than sheep.

Although Americans were starting to try eating mutton, there were still few chefs who could cook it well enough to remove the gamy flavor. Anyway, Liu Heming had not seen any mutton for sale in either Walker Town or Glent Town, or else he would have bought some for hot pot.

In the past, Liu Heming would have let his daughter play on her own when they came here. But not anymore—his daughter was too friendly, and he was worried she might cause some trouble. So he held her little hand tightly to keep her from running around.

Even though he was tempted by the beef calves, he could only look—he didn’t have the money for them.

There were many dairy cattle for sale here, and the variety also changed Liu Heming’s understanding of dairy cattle. In his mind, dairy cows were black and white, but here, there were so many breeds.

There were black and white Holstein cattle, red and white Ayrshire cattle, brown Jersey cattle, yellow and white Guernsey cattle, dual-purpose Swiss Brown cattle… There were really many breeds, enough to make Liu Heming’s head spin.

“Dexter, each breed of dairy cattle has its own advantages, but I suggest you choose between Holstein and Jersey cattle,” George said after they had walked around.

“Holstein cattle produce the most milk of all breeds, but they also have clear disadvantages: they don’t tolerate heat well, their milk fat content is lower, and their milk production drops a lot in the hot summer. Jersey cattle produce much less milk, but their milk fat content is high, and they handle heat better.”

“In fact, many new breeds of dairy cattle here are developed by crossing Jersey cattle with other breeds, just to increase milk fat content. For example, in New Zealand, nearly half of the dairy cattle breeds now are new varieties bred from Holstein and Jersey cattle.”

“George, which one do you think is better?” Liu Heming frowned and asked.

He had a bit of choice paralysis. George praised both breeds, and each had clear advantages, so he didn’t know how to choose.

“I lean toward Jersey cattle. There aren’t many people in your family, and even though Jersey cattle produce less milk, it’s enough for your own use. Of course, you could also choose one of each. If you could breed a new variety that combines high milk yield and high milk fat content, that would be even better,” George said with a laugh.

“OK, then let’s get one of each,” Liu Heming nodded.

“Dexter, I was just joking earlier. New dairy breeds aren’t that easy to develop—sometimes it takes several generations,” George quickly added.

He really had been joking; he hadn’t expected Liu Heming to take it seriously. It was true that crossing these two breeds had a chance of producing a good variety—hadn’t they succeeded in New Zealand? But the bigger chance was failure. That is, nothing works out, and all the indicators are poor.

Otherwise, if it were really that easy to develop new breeds, the whole world would be full of excellent dairy cattle varieties, and it wouldn’t be just these few famous ones.

“George, it’s all right. It’s just for my family anyway, more like a hobby. And I also plan to buy a few beef calves,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

George’s words had indeed stirred his “ambition.” What if? What if he managed to create a new breed? With the System, what was there to fear?

Before, he had only thought about raising beef cattle on his ranch, but why couldn’t he raise dairy cattle too? The milk sales here were so high—if he really succeeded, he’d make a fortune. And it wasn’t just about making money; it was also about completing the task the System had given him.

Five special breeds—where would he find them all? For now, he could only cast a wide net and hope to catch one at a time.

George was stunned. He didn’t know what kind of madness had come over Liu Heming, who now wanted to buy beef calves too.

Liu Heming felt troubled. Even though it hurt to spend the money, he had to buy them. The System’s task had a time limit. The money saved from the restaurant recently, plus his own small savings—he figured it would all be spent on buying calves.

George reluctantly helped Liu Heming pick out various calves, and Liu Heming reluctantly paid with his card. He bought two Holstein and two Jersey dairy cattle, and three beef calves: a Charolais bull, and Angus and Simmental cows.

Regarding Liu Heming’s purchasing method, although no one said it outright, their eyes said it clearly. He was a crazy dreamer—there were always a few every year, but this year’s was especially crazy.

So many people had tried to breed high-quality cattle and ended up losing everything. Was it really that easy to develop new breeds? Now another little fool was jumping in over his head, thinking he could breed a new variety with just three calves that didn’t even have high pedigree? If that wasn’t crazy, what was?

Liu Heming and George also knew this buying spree was too “crazy,” and they felt a little awkward. The only happy one was Alex, who was overjoyed to see these little calves.