American Ranch

Chapter 24 The Fat Sheep
The two cats are inseparable, either sleeping or wandering around the house.

Dahua is a male cat who is very cold and doesn't get close to anyone.Even Ahri chased after it all day long...

Ari likes to cling to people, not only to Chen Mo, but when they see Canbi and the others take the initiative to approach them.

In the evening, when Chen Mo came back from repairing the barbed wire fence in the back mountain, Ah Li took the initiative to go to Chen Mo's side.

Chen Mo smiled and picked it up, looking around for Dasha and Ala, and the two silly dogs ran out again.If it was just a husky, Chen Mo might be worried that it would not be able to find its way home, but with Labrador following, the two puppies can basically come back after dark, so don't worry.

Just as he was about to cook, Camelby drove his pickup truck over and honked his horn twice: "Boss, are you home?"

"Just came back." Chen Mo rolled his eyes: "Didn't you see me come back just now?"

Canlby smiled stiffly: "I sent a Dorper sheep to the slaughterhouse. This is the grade evaluation report of the slaughterhouse for mutton. Please take a look."

A tissue paper cousin.

Chen Mo can recognize some simple letters, such as age, which is rated as B grade.

Grade A is lamb, which is generally between 3 and 6 months depending on the breed.

"what is this?"

"The fat content, a 2 premium, is a very high grade, only 3 grade worse than a 1 premium," explains Canlby. , level 2 and level 3 of fat content require uniform distribution of fat and the ability to form streaks, and it does not mean that the more fat there is, the better. Neither level 2 nor level 3 is better or worse, but usually...most people think that level 2 is special It is better than grade 3, and slightly inferior to grade 3 premium. But there are also chefs who think that grade 2 premium is the best... Grade 2 premium and grade 3 premium mutton are almost the same in price, and they are hard to get in the market. The mutton I bought."

Chen Mo nodded...

Mutton has a strong taste, and if you are not used to eating it, you will not want to eat it very much.

Why can't you get used to it? It's too expensive.

Mutton is usually a by-product of wool.The wool industry in the United States is underdeveloped, so the output of mutton is less.

According to statistics, Americans eat 58.9 pounds of pork, 93.1 pounds of chicken, 82 pounds of beef, and 1 pound of mutton every year, totaling 235 pounds, or about 107 kilograms.

It has only been popular in the United States in recent years to eat mutton, and the demand for mutton has increased a lot.Last year, the United States imported 8 million US dollars of mutton (mostly mutton sheep), and mutton sheep are delicious.

Cattle cannot be sold, but mutton sheep can be sold at a good price instead of worrying about sales.

The problem is that Chen Mo raises Dorper sheep.

Dorper sheep are recognized as high-quality mutton sheep in the world, and the price of lambs is not cheap, only about 150 US dollars.If you can't butcher mutton that is of high-end restaurant grade, you will probably lose money waiting for it.

The price of mutton in the supermarket is about 7.7 US dollars per pound, and the price of lamb chops is about 12 US dollars per pound.That is the retail price of supermarkets. The price of meat in the United States is basically monopolized by capitalists. Lamb of average quality is sent to the slaughterhouse. Around three dollars a pound.Only high-quality meat is eligible for bargaining...

The best Dorper sheep are fat lambs, but they cannot be slaughtered for high-quality meat, so they can only be sold as ordinary mutton sheep.

"Body size level 3?" Chen Mo frowned: "Why is there still a body size?"

Canlby shrugged: "I don't know either. The Dorper sheep I sent to slaughter were 6 months old and weighed 55.1 kilograms, or 121.5 pounds. The slaughtered carcass was 58 pounds, and the bone was about 5.3:4.7." The muscle in the carcass accounts for about 64%, the fat 21%, and the high-quality meat accounts for 44-47. Lamb contains various hormones and other ingredients, which are also marked on it, and are within the organic meat standard.”

"This is the certificate presented by the slaughterhouse. It is very good lamb. With such quality, if slaughtered two months earlier, the price per pound can reach about US$10." Canlby said that it is a pity.

Two months ago, that is, the lamb that was just bought back.

The lambs at that time were not very fat, and it was estimated that a sheep could yield 30 pounds of meat.The quality of the meat is not up to standard. A pound of mutton sells for $5, which is not bad. After all, it is lamb meat, and it can be sold for a good price.

"How much is the slaughterhouse willing to charge?"

"Dorper sheep of this grade, slaughtered with bones, cost $6.5 per pound..." Canlby saw Chen Mo frowning: "This is already a good price."

Chen Mo lit a cigarette...

This batch of 6-month-old Dorper sheep cost almost US$200 a lamb when they were bought (they were relatively large at the time), and they were raised for nearly three months.

If labor costs and other expenses are not counted, and only the input of grain is counted, a sheep can earn more than 100 US dollars.

Other investments are not yet easy to calculate...

"Can't sell at a higher price? For example, sell directly to high-end restaurants." Chen Mo wants to earn more, this is instinct.

Now that he knows his mutton is good, Chen Mo feels that he has capital to sell.

"This... There are no high-end restaurants in the entire state of Montana. This kind of mutton is usually sold to big cities, such as New York and Los Angeles. High-end restaurants have their own procurement processes, and channel construction is not a short-term thing. It takes a lot of money Money.” Canlby said something about the ingredients procurement process for high-end restaurants.Some restaurants are outsourced, that is, they are handed over to other companies to purchase.Some restaurants have their own procurement department, and they first need to send samples and detailed rating reports... After reading it, they decide whether to purchase from here.

Snow Mountain Ranch does not have complete refrigeration equipment, and has to build its own transportation lines, which is troublesome.

The main problem is that Camerby was only a veterinarian before and didn't know much.It would be too difficult for him to be in charge of independent sales.

Fat lamb is the most expensive.But even if the quality is excellent, twelve or thirteen dollars per pound is the sky-high.

Dorper sheep grow fast, 1-year-old Dorper sheep, rams can weigh up to 100 kg, and ewes can grow up to 80 kg...

Grade A is lamb, generally 3.5-4 months old.Dorper sheep are most famous for their fat lambs. The quality of the lambs is particularly outstanding. Generally speaking, it is not worth raising them unless they can produce good meat.

The Dorper sheep are bought from other pastures, and that pasture can't even raise fat lambs well...but when they arrive at the Snow Mountain pasture, they grow good meat.

The environment of Snow Mountain Ranch is not much better than that ranch.The only difference is... space clover.

Chen Mo stroked his chin and thought about the difference in the Snow Mountain Ranch. The only possibility is the space alfalfa...

"What's the matter with the age rating of sheep?" Chen Mo asked.

"Lamb is the best. Grade B is for growing sheep, and Grade C is for adult sheep, usually after eight months. The price of lamb at the age of Grade C is the cheapest, and cheap lamb sold in supermarkets is usually this grade. That is, sheared mutton..."

"It's weird... If the age is C-level, and the fat content is particularly good, how can it be calculated?"

Canlby thought for a while: "The pricing method for mutton should be similar to that for beef, and the evaluation is based on a comprehensive score. There is no official grading standard for mutton grades. I now use this standard as the standard for high-end restaurants to purchase mutton..."

"That's right. It means that a 6-month-old sheep can be raised for another month."

"Are you... not afraid of losing your flesh?" Canby shrank his head and said with a sneer.

"It's delicious and delicious. I'll take care of it, and the slaughter will start in a month. If you raise a sheep for another month, you can earn a lot of money..." Chen Mo took a puff of a cigarette: "Feed more alfalfa this month. The protein content of alfalfa high……"

"Okay." Camerby scratched his head and left.

Earning more than 100 dollars for a sheep is something that can only be done by those particularly famous large ranches. I did not expect such a miracle to happen in the Snow Mountain Ranch.But the rancher owner is content...

What should I do if the fat content of the mutton drops for another month?
Canlby left with a headache, thinking that the boss should be content, and it was too difficult to make money from the ranch.

(End of this chapter)