Start with hooves

Chapter 7 Hoof Trimming, a compulsory course for raising cattle
Got pulled over to a welcome party last night.

After getting up this morning, I counted cattle and sheep at the cargo terminal, but I haven't had a chance to visit the island.

The last time Suri came to Lanai was when he signed a contract to buy the island last year.

At that time.

Many pineapples are grown on the island, and the area used to have the largest pineapple garden in the United States.

The pineapples all over the place look spectacular, but unfortunately, they are busy all year round and just do not make money. Facing fierce competition from fruit merchants in Southeast Asia and Central America, the pineapple orchards produce very little income.

Early 90s.

The company that spent more than US$100 million to buy pineapples in Lanai did not make much money from the pineapple industry, but earned more than US$3 million from holding this land, which made people cry with envy.

It is also because there is no profit from planting pineapples, and the profits are not enough to pay property taxes, and cannot support the migrant workers in the town.

Since buying Lanai Island, Su Rui has invited people to plan and develop, flatten most of the pineapple gardens, and develop in the direction of tourist pastures and farms.

In addition, a small coffee garden is planted on the hillside of Lanai Ridge, which is located in the center of the island at an altitude of 1000 meters.

And the villa he spent money to build is located on the top of Lanai Ridge.

Standing at home in the future, you can overlook the entire Lanai Island. The scenery is very spectacular. The island is surrounded by the sea and the island is green.

Of course.

Standing too high is not necessarily a good thing.

During the construction period, a bulldozer was struck by lightning on a rainy day. Fortunately, the workers went down the mountain ahead of time and added a long lightning rod later.

Tens of millions of dollars of start-up funds have been poured in. Since Su Rui bought the place, the changes have been obvious.

Most of the places where pineapples were planted last year have now been turned into green pastures, and the surrounding areas are secured with stakes and barbed wire.

This is mainly due to the need to protect local endemic plants. Although the total area of ​​Lanai Island is as high as 52 mu, only a part of the area can be developed casually, and some areas are reserved.

Before Su Rui bought Lanai Island, the original Pineapple Company planned to build villas for sale to expand the population of Lanai Town and develop into the real estate industry.

It's a pity that although the price here is cheap, the infrastructure and living environment are far less convenient than near Honolulu, and it is impossible to attract real estate developers to come and invest.

If the land was more valuable, how could Su Rui get it at the current price...

The car left in Los Angeles has not been delivered yet.

Driving around in a Dodge Ram in Secretary Amanda's mobility scooter.

There are a total of eighteen beaches on the island, as well as rainforest hiking routes, and a rock park called the Garden of the Gods. There is a beach that still has ships that were stranded in the early years. Now it is rusty and looks very suitable for treasure hunting.

Follow the newly constructed asphalt road up the hill.

From a long distance, I first saw the lightning rod built on the new lighthouse. The land on the top of the mountain has been leveled, and a European-style villa with a white stone exterior wall has entered the renovation stage.

Originally, she thought that she was going to be cold soon, but Su Rui didn't care about saving money, so she hired a lot of people to build this new villa.

Money can turn ghosts around. It is rumored that the old art worker who is unwilling to work overtime hastily helped him build this house, and now only the decoration is left.

There is a fountain at the entrance that can raise fish, and the garden is beautifully arranged and full of tropical style.

Due to the higher altitude, the temperature at the top of the mountain is slightly cooler than that at the seaside.

Enter the villa.

After Su Rui asked the contractor, he learned that it would take seven months at the earliest to complete the project. In addition to the time spent on ventilation and deodorization, it would probably take a year to move in.

The suite at the Four Seasons Hotel on Lanai Island is very comfortable to live in, and he is not in a hurry now.

After visiting inside and out, under the leadership of secretary Amanda, I came to the entrance of the white lighthouse, opened the door and climbed up the stairs to the top.

At this time, Amanda pointed to a shining place and introduced:

"There is a photovoltaic power plant, next to the coffee garden. In addition to the seawater desalination equipment, the electricity generated will be enough for self-use. The artificial lake at the foot of the mountain has a relatively high terrain and can irrigate most of the pastures."

Su Rui couldn't help pinching the center of his eyebrows, sighed and said:
"It's too expensive, many bills have not been paid, and there are still many places to spend money, such as building another resort. The previous tens of millions of dollars have been invested here, and there is hardly much change. I suspect that only relying on Raising cattle and sheep, the income did not make up for the expenses, and it ended up draining all my cash flow."

Secretary Amanda reminded with a smile:
"There are 360 square kilometers here. You can't expect it to become prosperous within a year or two. Road construction has cost nearly 5000 million US dollars, as well as power plants, artificial lakes, your villa, etc. Sprinkling grass seeds on a flat pineapple garden to raise cattle is a relatively small investment.”

"That's right. Other big landowners generally spend several generations of operations to form a scale like Pike Ranch and Kualoa Ranch. I'm a little anxious."

Su Rui's so-called exhaustion of cash flow is not the same as others' so-called bankruptcy.

After all, others have no way out, and he still holds 8% of Facebook shares, and has never reduced his holdings since it went public.

That part of securities assets is equivalent to a time deposit. No matter how bad the situation in Lanai is, it will not affect his good life. There are many opportunities to slowly manage the private land under his feet.

……

Simply go around.

The old cowboy Andy called him and said that he had gone to the next-door Maui Island to buy the needed disinfectant and was going to trim the hooves of the cow.

Maui is the second largest island in Hawaii, with more than 200 people living on it, attracting more than [-] million tourists every year, with convenient living facilities.

Thanks to the small population and good resources, Hawaii's per capita income even exceeds that of California, second only to Maryland and Washington, and the locals are of course comfortable.

Compared with Maui, Lanai is not even a town, at most it looks like a village.

In fact, the two places are only more than ten kilometers away, and it is very convenient to go back and forth by boat. As a result, the residents of Lanai Town only live here in their daily life, and almost all their shopping and consumption rely on going out for purchases.

After receiving a call from old Andy and learning that he could watch the fun, Suri immediately regained his spirits.

After asking about the specific location, go down the mountain to the direction of the cattle circle.

This time, a total of [-] cattle were purchased, divided into three breeds, namely Angus cattle, Simmental cattle and [-] dairy cows.

The remaining [-] sheep were raised in other pastures.

Based on the size of the grassland opened up in the early stage, after accommodating the [-] cows, the space is still ample, mainly for practicing first, so that the employees hired from the local area can accumulate some experience.

When Suri brought Secretary Amanda to the cattle pen, he could smell the smell of disinfectant, and the label of the vat said "potassium hydrogen persulfate", which is harmless to humans and animals, but very effective in killing bacteria and viruses. A disinfectant.

The cows have just arrived, so be careful.

Seeing the crowd watching, Su Rui leaned over to watch the fun, and saw that the old cowboy Andy had prepared tools in advance, including shovels, files, hoof trimmers, pliers and so on.

It can be seen that these tools are usually well maintained, and although they have traces of use, they are shiny and shiny.

After discovering the new boss, the old Andy nodded, and then taught the other employees a lesson, and said in a confident manner:
"Although the cows are healthy, they often get sick. Except for the most troublesome infectious diseases, you have to observe the movements of the cows. Like these three cows, one leg is always hanging in the air. You should think, is it because there is something wrong with the hoof? , even if hoof problems are generally not fatal, if they affect their appetite, they will become thin, which is one of the compulsory courses in how to raise cattle."

Suri listened with gusto.

I saw old Andy lead a cow, fixed the rope firmly, then lifted the faulty cow's leg vigorously, and placed it on the wooden bench prepared in advance.

After observing the situation and choosing a suitable shovel, the old cowboy continued:

"The hooves of a cow are equal to the toenails of human beings. Be bold when trimming them. Just pay attention to observe and don't be afraid of hurting them. The point is to fix the cow well, otherwise you will be kicked away or even bumped. I believe you have all seen bullfighting , no one wants to be lifted up by them, even if they don’t die, they will be seriously injured..."

With a shovel down, a small black spot appeared on the cow's hoof. Su Rui lowered his head to observe, and it was faintly red.

After several shovels in succession, the wound became clearer and clearer.

Old Andy pinched the wounded area with soft pustules, and when he noticed that the painful calf stopped struggling, he sprayed some iodophor to disinfect it, and with a light shovel, the pustules burst open.

It's like squeezing a pimple. If the pimple bursts, pay attention to disinfection and sterilization, and it will recover soon.

After cleaning the purulent part of the cow's hoof with water, sprinkle with disinfectant powder, and bind it with medical gauze, the action is done in one go.

Suri still remembered some points and reminded: "Should I add a spacer on the other side to prevent the wound from touching the ground?"

Old Andy seemed very satisfied with his serious and studious attitude, nodded and said with a smile:

"That's right, but I didn't prepare beforehand. You can wrap some more gauze around the side, so there will be no problem. I will take it apart and observe it in a few days..."

(End of this chapter)