1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 281 I, Zhang Qianjin, am capable of eating food offered with contempt?

Yang Fusheng overheard their conversation.

After hesitating for a moment, he spoke somewhat shyly.

"Comrade Su, I wonder if we have any chance of importing your Blue Swamphens?"

"You can make any requests you have!"

After thinking about it, I realized that they seemed different from Qianjin Farm. They didn't have the resources or the confidence to mention things casually. In fact, most people probably didn't even know what their farm had.

So I added that.

"Comrade Su, our Eryuan Farm is definitely not as resource-rich as Qianjin Farm."

"And it seems that the only thing we can boast about is the milk fan."

"Comrade Su, are you familiar with the Milk Fan?"

Su Wenchen was indeed a little confused.

"Breast fan?"

Is it food? Or a fan?

To be honest, he had never heard of it before. However, transportation was not so convenient at that time, and most things were produced and sold locally. Cross-provincial distribution required provincial allocation approval.

Therefore, local specialties are actually not widely circulated.

However, upon hearing this, Zhang Qianjin spoke directly.

“Brother, it’s not a fan, it’s a dairy product similar to cheese.”

“They sell them where I live. My wife bought some for my daughter before. They cost three cents a piece, which is really not cheap!”

"But it tastes pretty good. It's a bit like milk candy, but the milk flavor is much stronger, with a hint of caramel sweetness and a touch of smokiness."

"Because it has a strong milky flavor, it's very popular with children!"

Upon hearing Zhang Qianjin finish speaking, Yang Fusheng immediately nodded repeatedly.

"Comrade Su, it's similar to what Comrade Qianjin said. This stuff is made by simmering fresh milk in an iron pot with pine wood over a low flame."

Hearing this, Su Wenchen roughly knew what it was.

However, he believes that only people in big cities can afford such expensive dairy products.

So he wasn't particularly interested in that kind of thing, but he was very interested in the source of their fresh milk.

"Comrade Yang, so you're saying that your area mainly raises dairy cows?"

How much milk do the cows produce each year in your area?

To be honest, Su Wenchen isn't in a particular rush when it comes to raising cattle, but he'd be happy to discuss it with someone in charge of that area.

Seeing Su Wenchen ask this question, Yang Fusheng clearly knew what Su Wenchen was interested in.

However, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Comrade Su, we do indeed mainly raise local Dengchuan cattle that produce fresh milk."

"Currently, the lactation period for our farm's cows is only about 270 days a year, and the annual milk production is about 4,000 jin (2,000 kg)!"

"However, Comrade Su, you're likely to be disappointed if you're hoping to bring it in."

"In the past two years, several places have introduced our Dengchuan cattle from our area, but the results have not been good."

"It might be due to the altitude. Our area is over 2,000 meters above sea level. Once we leave our local area, the incidence of disease and milk production in cattle will decline accordingly."

"Our visit to this meeting is also an attempt by the bureau to improve Deng Chuan Niu's cooking."

"Let's see if we can breed Dengchuan cattle that are suitable for the plains."

After hearing Yang Fusheng's words, Zhang Qianjin also offered his advice.

"Brother Chen, are you planning to build a cattle farm on your farm?"

"If you need, I can introduce you to the dairy cows in Shanghai. They are basically Holstein cows imported from abroad, crossbred with our local cows to create Holstein cows."

"This is also the main dairy cow breed in our country. Currently, the annual milk production of one cow can reach 6,000 catties. At present, 70% of the fresh milk supply in Shanghai comes from this type of dairy cow."

"The rest are some scattered production teams raising water buffalo and yellow cattle, which are not dairy breeds and their annual milk production is not high."

"So if your farm is also going to build a dairy farm, then it would be best to directly introduce this kind of Holstein cow."

“Our cattle farm has the current breed, and its milk production is definitely higher than that of their Dengchuan cattle.”

While Su Wenchen was still deep in thought, Yang Fusheng couldn't help but speak up after hearing Zhang Qianjin's words.

"Comrade Qianjin, although our Dengchuan cattle only produce 4,000 jin a year, our fresh milk has the highest fat content, reaching over 6%!"

"Other cows produce milk with a fat content of only three or four percent, and even in most foreign countries it is only five percent or more."

"So your hybrid black and white cattle are definitely far inferior to ours in this respect."

Clearly, seeing that Su Wenchen was interested in their cattle, Yang Fusheng naturally didn't want Zhang Qianjin to steal the opportunity.

After all, besides dairy products, their only other notable product is beef.

Otherwise, Blue Water Farm wouldn't even look at anything else.

Although he was very grateful to Zhang Qianjin for introducing him to Su Wenchen, he still had to compete for the sake of his own farm's interests.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qianjin rolled his eyes.

"What's the use of high milk fat content? In my opinion, high yield is the real key. Besides, your cattle don't adapt well to the plains!"

"Otherwise, why would they stay on the plateau and be unable to come down?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Fusheng immediately retorted.

"Of course it's useful. High milk fat content means more nutrition. Otherwise, why would milk with high milk fat be expensive internationally?"

"As for being unable to descend from the plateau, isn't that exactly what the ministry is working on right now?"

"And I believe that after this, production might not only not decrease, but might even increase!"

For Yang Fusheng...

Their dairy cows are their pride, because every year they can use various dairy products to exchange for various industrial goods needed in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing. So, hearing Zhang Qianjin's words, he naturally felt very uncomfortable.

However, he also knew that Zhang Qianjin was right. In terms of the average annual milk production of cows, they were indeed inferior. As the leader of a farm that mainly raised dairy cows, he naturally knew the annual production of mainstream dairy cows in the world.

They also know that the Holstein cow, the world's highest-producing dairy cow, produces 12,000 kilograms per cow per year, which is more than three times that of theirs.

However, in China, the imported milk-producing animals, having adapted to the environment, have reduced their milk production by half, so they are not much better than domestically produced milk.

He felt they still had some advantages.

Su Wenchen, meanwhile, listened to their conversation but fell into deep thought.

In Su Wenchen's view, the Dengchuan cattle on Yang Fusheng's farm are undoubtedly a high-quality local dairy cow.

Its high milk fat content is among the best in the world, even among dairy cow breeds.

This is probably why the ministry has been trying to bring these Dengchuan cattle down from high-altitude areas; otherwise, as the leader of a county-level state-owned farm, they shouldn't be here in the first place.

Of course, he thought it was probably unsuccessful, because the mainstream dairy cows that Su Wenchen later saw were still Holstein cows.

Therefore, he is now much more interested in Dengchuan beef, which has a high fat content.

Currently, the majority of their country's population is concentrated in the plains.

Milk, on the other hand, has an extremely short shelf life.

Therefore, if cattle are raised at high altitudes, in this era, unless they are processed into dairy products, most places will not receive milk.

Not to mention the nutrients lost during dairy processing, the additional manpower and resources required are too much for most places to cover.

Therefore, the most realistic approach is to build dairy farms around the city and then supply fresh milk directly to nearby areas.

However, Zhang Qianjin's words also make sense; at present, quantity is definitely a higher priority than quality.

Currently, milk supply is mostly available only around Beijing, Shanghai, and major provincial capitals, and even in these cities, not everyone can get a supply.

It mainly supplies infants and young children, as well as special groups such as hospitals.

Su Wenchen believes that if one wants to get involved in dairy farming, both milk fat percentage and yield must be addressed. From this perspective, Dengchuan cattle are undoubtedly a very good local breed.

Moreover, milk was the last piece of the puzzle he was trying to solve at the time.

Once this issue is resolved, the basic necessities of meat, eggs, and dairy will be readily available in this era, in addition to the fact that large-scale fertilizer production lines have already been introduced ahead of schedule.

Along with the increase in grain production.

The supply of meat, eggs, and milk will definitely increase significantly for children born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

Putting everything else aside, with these three basic livelihood issues in hand, he'll probably become a big shot in the agricultural system in the future.

From this perspective, Su Wenchen felt that meeting Comrade Yang Fusheng at this time was truly a timely help.

After all, the breeding cycle for cattle is much longer than that for pigs, so preparations must be made in advance. However, his main task afterward is to develop the land in the Yellow River flood plain.

Therefore, one cannot devote 100% of one's energy to it.

After a moment, Su Wenchen's eyes darted around before he noticed that Yang Fusheng and Zhang Qianjin were still arguing.

He interrupted.

"Alright, you two, stop arguing about this."

"Why are you still acting like a child, always trying to win and lose!"

"Here, one chicken leg for everyone, and calm down."

As he spoke, he put one of the two chicken legs that the master had left for him in his tea mug into each of their lunchboxes.

Yang Fusheng quickly intervened.

"No, no, Comrade Su, this won't do!"

"This was saved for you by the cafeteria staff to help you recover; how could they give it to us!"

Su Wenchen smiled and shook his head.

"I'm so young, why would I need to take supplements? Besides, I have a whole vat of chicken soup!"

Yang Fusheng still refused.

"That's not appropriate either!"

Seeing their refusal, Zhang Qianjin immediately became suspicious.

He and Su Wenchen have had quite a few dealings.

Therefore, Zhang Qianjin was very clear that from the very beginning when he met Su Wenchen, he had never directly taken advantage of him.

Even if at the time you thought you had gotten a good deal.

Looking back, it seems the other side gained more.

Just like the white pig incident back then.

At the time, he thought he could get a favor from Su Wenchen for free, but later he found that while he did get a favor, Su Wenchen actually got much more.

He knew that the other party was allowed to speak alone at the beginning of the meeting in the morning.

It's estimated that in a few years, the other party will be transferred to a ministry. When we meet then, he'll probably have to respectfully address him as Director Su of the Animal Husbandry Bureau or Director Su of the General Office.

So when he saw Su Wenchen being so polite to Yang Fusheng, he immediately became suspicious, because he felt that Su Wenchen was obviously up to something else.

He figured it was highly likely that the cows were the ones they wanted. However, he was also a little resentful, because he had personally selected the highest milk-producing breed of cattle for their farm.

It's a breed that's been crossbred with the Holstein cattle, which currently has the highest milk production in the world. Why would they look down on their breeds and instead choose the Dengchuan cattle, which have a lower milk production?

Does the fat content of milk really matter that much?
Aren't they all milk?

Therefore, Zhang Qianjin said directly.

"Brother Chen, I think you should just import the currently mainstream Black & White cattle!"

"After all, this has already been verified by various dairy farms. Didn't you say that your branch mainly grows alfalfa?"

"This is high-quality pasture for cattle, so milk production might be even higher!"

"Their Dengchuan cattle usually have severe reactions when they come down from the plateau, so even if your farm is very good at crossbreeding, it won't help."

"There's no way to get them all shipped out!"

"Are you planning to open another branch over there?!"

Hearing Zhang Qianjin say this, Yang Fusheng sighed and agreed.

"Comrade Su, Comrade Qianjin is right. Currently, there will be very serious reactions after leaving the plateau."

"No matter how good your breeding skills are, it's meaningless if the calf doesn't live to be born."

Su Wenchen smiled and shook his head.

"Comrade Yang is right, but the high fat content of your Dengchuan cattle is indeed a great advantage in my opinion."

"But what Brother Qianjin said is also true; the adaptability of Dengchuan cattle is indeed not suitable for breeding in plains areas."

Then, changing the subject, Su Wenchen spoke directly.

"However, it's not that there's no solution."

Yang Fusheng was taken aback.

"Comrade Su, do you have a solution?"

To be honest, their main purpose in coming here this time was to solve the problem of the survival of Dengchuan cattle after they descend to lower altitudes.

However, after discussing it for two days, we found that there didn't seem to be any good solutions.

The only option is to pull more cattle and let them endure the hardship; eventually, some of the more resilient cattle will survive.

Su Wenchen nodded.

"I have a preliminary idea!"

After saying that, he placed his teacup in the center of the table.

"This is your Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau!"

After saying that, he pushed the slightly shorter aluminum lunchbox in front of him forward.

"This is the Sichuan Basin!"

After speaking, he pointed to the point where the two sides met.

"This is Panzhihua City, a transitional zone between the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Sichuan Basin."

“I saw it when I was organizing map data. The altitude there is slightly lower, only a little over a thousand meters.”

"It's lower than Eryuan, but higher than the plains."

"Since the altitude difference is not particularly significant, if a group of pregnant cows were to be coordinated to give birth here, they would most likely be able to adapt."

After saying that, he pointed to the top of the lunchbox.

"Once the newborn calves have settled in a bit, the next step is to move them to the Sichuan Plain, which is about 500 meters above sea level."

Finally, Su Wenchen tapped the desktop with his finger.

"After adapting, the final step is to leave Sichuan and directly enter the North China Plain."

Su Wenchen stretched out his finger and made a plan.

"We may be able to gradually reduce the altitude over two or three generations, allowing the Dengchuan cattle to come down from the plateau healthily while retaining their high milk fat content."

“The rest is up to our farm. If we can breed cattle that produce high milk and high fat content, you can import them back.”

Zhang Qianjin frowned.

"It will take two or three generations, which is roughly four or five years!"

"And doesn't this require a lot of manpower and resources?"

"Can our two farms manage?"

Su Wenchen did not refuse when he heard Zhang Qianjin's subconscious desire to participate.

He just narrowed his eyes and said to Yang Fusheng.

"Comrade Yang, what do you think of my idea?"

Although Yang Fusheng was very tempted, he knew the limitations of their farm.

Sending some cattle is no problem, but coordinating cross-provincial transportation and handling the transition locally is something he definitely doesn't have the capacity to do.

So I said it directly.

“We can provide the cattle, but you will have to handle the subsequent coordination with relevant departments in various regions.”

After all, Yang Fusheng knew very well that if Lanshui Farm, as a state-owned farm, stepped in to coordinate with local departments, they might get some face, but if they stepped in, there was a high probability that no one would pay any attention to them.

Su Wenchen nodded.

"Yes, I will talk to the relevant ministries and try my best to coordinate some special funding to support it. If the initial pilot breeding is successful in Panzhihua, and our farm is successful in breeding and improving Dengchuan cattle, we can share the results directly with the three of you."

Yang Fusheng's breathing became rapid upon hearing this.

With special funding from coordinating ministries, it means there's a fixed amount of money and a track record of achievements!

Moreover, given Blue Water Farm's current top-tier breeding capabilities in China, the probability of future success is extremely high.

However, he hasn't said anything yet.

Zhang Qianjin on the other side was a little dumbfounded.

Because he heard Su Wenchen say that the final results would be shared directly among the three parties.

But who are these three parties?
The first two are definitely Lanshui Farm and Eryuan Farm.

Therefore, this third party is most likely a local department in Sichuan!
After all, we'll be passing through their area and establishing a breeding base there, so we'll definitely need their support.

Since they didn't contribute anything, it seems they really weren't qualified to be among the first to successfully share the rewards!

Thinking about it, he stared wide-eyed at Su Wenchen.

"Brother, what about us? What should we do?"

"I can contribute my labor at the farm too!"

Zhang Qianjin was well aware that this was not just about sharing the results; anyone who participated in the training program and succeeded would also gain some political credit.

After all, they don't have the breeding capabilities of Bluewater Farm, although the influence of the dairy cows bred by Bluewater Farm may not be as great as that of the white pigs.

However, considering the current urgent need for milk supply in China, it is still a significant achievement for the government.

This opportunity was extremely rare and hard to come by. He happened to have it, and if he didn't seize it, he would have truly wasted his name.

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen deliberately waved his hand.

"Brother, what kind of relationship do we have? Don't worry, once we've successfully cultivated it, you can just say the word."

"Who could I forget? How could I forget you!"

"Don't worry, brother, you can just wait in Shanghai to share the fruits of your labor."

Zhang Qianjin glanced at Su Wenchen suspiciously, then spoke righteously and firmly.

"Brother Chen, what kind of person do you take me, Zhang Qianjin, for?"

"Me, Zhang Qianjin, would I accept charity?"

"How could that be? We have to contribute. Brother, just say the word. As long as it's something we can do at Qianjin Farm, we'll do our best without hesitation."

Su Wenchen shook his head.

"Why bother, bro? Wouldn't it be better to just wait and share the rewards?"

Zhang Qianjin directly refused.

"How can this be? If you didn't know, that's one thing, but if you did know and I could still sit back and wait to share the results, how could I face you?"

"Brother, just give me some work!"

After saying that, he gave me an air of "I understand everything, you can't shake me off."

Hearing this, Su Wenchen felt that it was enough and he couldn't refuse any longer, so he pretended to be reluctant.

"That's okay!"

“I know that, brother, it’s not the style of your Qianjin Farm to just share the success without putting in any effort.”

"But I can't let you suffer too much of a loss, so let's leave it at that!"

“The Eryuan Farm will arrange the cattle here, and I will communicate with the ministries to seek policy support. Brother, you should coordinate with the local departments in Sichuan to get their support.”

"If the three of us work together, I believe we will be able to breed new dairy cows that meet the highest international standards."

As soon as Su Wenchen finished speaking, Yang Fusheng nodded repeatedly.

"I agree, Comrade Su. I will definitely go back and select the best batch of Dengchuan cattle and prepare them for pregnancy in advance."

Zhang Qianjin was a bit dumbfounded.

"what!"

"No, you want me to coordinate with Sichuan?"

Scratching his head, Zhang Qianjin suddenly felt something was wrong. This didn't seem to be what he had expected. Had he fallen into a trap?
All he wanted was to send some people to help and get some credit for it.

Going out to coordinate with the local authorities is incredibly troublesome. It requires a lot of effort and networking, and you might even have to offer something in return for a deal to be reached.

Su Wenchen raised an eyebrow and said deliberately.

"How about you coordinate with the ministries to get support, and I'll coordinate with the local departments in Sichuan?"

Hearing this, Zhang Qianjin felt even worse. He went to the ministry to ask for policy advice.

He doesn't know anyone, so who can he turn to?

If he had that ability, wouldn't he have gone to ask for it long ago?

It's not that he doesn't know people; he definitely knows the leaders, but the leaders don't know what use he is.

Although he is now at the same rank as Su Wenchen, he knows that it only means they receive the same salary.

The two are far apart in terms of status and potential.

In the Shanghai farm system, he was indeed a prominent figure.

However, within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the highest-ranking agricultural department in the country that encompasses agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and forestry, it would be truly insignificant.

(End of this chapter)