1968: Started from breeding

Chapter 325 I'll see how Blue Water Farm cleans up this mess this time!

Miao Zhiguo watched as Liu Xun excitedly walked towards the field headquarters.

She looked at Su Wenchen with a puzzled expression in her eyes.

"Director! Didn't you say you wouldn't tell Director Liu beforehand?"

"Why are you saying it now!"

"I think he's going back to inform his superiors; isn't he trying to take advantage of us?"

Su Wenchen watched Liu Xun's retreating figure, then shook his head with a smile.

"Do you think that if you don't tell them, they won't know anything?"

"Although no one told him, I dare say he already knew some of it beforehand, but the exact amount is uncertain."

"Otherwise, why do you think he's been so indifferent to the breeding rabbits that Lao Hou brought in? When I told him to stop the meat rabbit project, they didn't react at all!"

"Besides, they can only benefit from this if I let him get a share. I don't think it's so easy for them to take advantage of me!"

"Don't worry about this, let's go back to the farm first!"

Su Wenchen had just exchanged a few words with Liu Xun, although the other party did seem quite surprised at first.

However, he felt it was unlikely that the other party was completely unaware of this during this period.

Because the other party has been keeping a close eye on him for the past few months.

Two months ago, after confirming that this special rabbit manure could indeed effectively improve saline-alkali land, he told Lao Hou to give up on introducing meat rabbits.

When all the manpower from the farm was transferred here, the other party had no objections and was very supportive.

Su Wenchen felt that the other party might have already vaguely guessed something at that time.

In particular, he sent all the other researchers away, but stayed behind alone, ostensibly to help.

Su Wenchen agreed to let the other party stay because he genuinely wanted to use their connections to bring in some people from the agricultural college under the Academy of Agricultural Sciences to help with the work.

He has his own livestock farming operations, but he's a bit clueless when it comes to planting!

Relying on Cao Jiwen alone is far from enough!
This is why he kept the other person here to help; he didn't know if Liu Xun knew his intentions.

However, the fact that the other party immediately suggested calling the agricultural college shows that the two of them have some understanding and know what each other needs.

Back at the farm.

After three months of construction, the initial phase of the large-scale breeding farm at the newly selected site has been completed.

Su Wenchen looked at the dozen or so rabbit sheds made of red bricks, neatly arranged on the rammed yellow earth.

In addition, the roof of each rabbit hutch is covered with rainproof asphalt felt, and the ventilation openings on both sides are nailed with fine wire mesh, which not only keeps out rats and birds but also ensures air circulation.

After entering the breeding area.

Several male farm workers were pushing carts back and forth between the feed processing workshop and the rabbit shed. The wheels rolled over the newly paved gravel road, making soft, crunching sounds from time to time.

Su Wenchen walked into the rabbit cage room and saw Hou Guozhong holding a notebook, constantly writing something down.

Su Wenchen went over to take a look and found that it was filled with detailed records of how many times each rabbit had eaten and various other data.

"Old Hou, how are they? How are the rabbits today?"

Hearing the sound, Hou Guozhong turned around.

Upon seeing Su Wenchen, he nodded and handed over the notebook in his hand.

"Director, these cubs have just finished weaning, but we didn't dare feed them the same feed we give to adult rabbits at first because it's too salty!"

"We plan to gradually increase the proportion of Suaeda salsa in the feed according to the age of the rabbits to prevent any possible accidents."

"We also don't know whether these baby rabbits, like the white rabbits, have special factors in their droppings."

"We have already prepared more than a dozen small flower pots at the farm to address this issue. We will start testing them one by one once these baby rabbits get a little bigger."

"If there are any baby rabbits that do not carry this ability, we are prepared to isolate them in advance."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenchen looked at the attributes of the baby rabbits in front of him. He could tell from the description that they had all inherited the salt tolerance of the previous generation.

He nodded in agreement.

“Use small flowerpots filled with saline-alkali soil, as the land area is small.”

"Indeed, only a small amount of fertilizer is needed to determine if someone has this ability; the arrangement is excellent!"

Hearing Su Wenchen say that, Hou Guozhong waved his hand in shame.

"Director, please don't say that. This is all thanks to you. After you left, all sorts of problems arose with the rabbits in our meat rabbit farm."

"Not only have we failed to breed any species suitable for survival here, but we've almost eliminated them all!"

"Director, I'm quite unqualified as the head of the aquaculture department!"

Upon hearing Hou Guozhong's words,

Miao Zhiguo, who was following behind Su Wenchen, was also a little sad, because they had come here hoping to make a big splash, but in the end they found that without the director's leadership, they were nothing.

Su Wenchen smiled and waved his hand.

"Old Hou, it doesn't have to be this bad!"

"That wasn't your fault either. It's true that neither the environment nor the feed here is suitable for those types of meat rabbits."

"That's why I agreed to your decision to stop the rabbit breeding project and transfer it entirely here."

"I had prepared for both possibilities on that side as well."

"It just so happens that I was the first to confirm that the rabbit droppings from those white rabbits do indeed have a certain effect on improving saline-alkali land."

Hou Guozhong waved his hand.

"Director, you don't need to comfort me! I know that even if we continue, we won't be able to breed meat rabbits suitable for our area."

"Because our initial approach was wrong; we were always thinking about improving growth rate and body shape."

"They've ignored the actual situation on our farm. Even if we do manage to breed fast-growing, heavy meat rabbits, we don't have the capacity to feed them concentrated feed right now."

"If we can't grow feed in this kind of saline-alkali land, it's not very practical for us right now."

"We're stuck with this huge stretch of saline-alkali land!"

"Where are we going to find such high-quality feed for the rabbits? We humans don't even eat that well!"

"This 10,000 mu of land, the only one with a well-dug canal, is to supplement our farm's own food supply, and this year it's all planted with spring wheat."

"I heard from Lao Cao that the local government is giving us three million catties of grain as a subsidy. We've only gone through half the year, and we've already consumed nearly two million catties!"

"And the newly opened high-concentration land can only grow a few species such as Suaeda salsa and salt-tolerant alfalfa."

"So if the rabbits bred cannot eat these two types of feed, then it is meaningless."

Upon hearing this, Miao Zhiguo could not believe his eyes.

"Uncle Hou, are you right? It's only been half a year! How can he eat so much?"

"What about the second half of the year?"

At this point, Miao Zhiguo understood why the director had to give up their rabbit breeding program, because they were about to run out of food.

Where would we find the extra feed to raise those animals? We'd definitely save every penny we could.

However, upon hearing Miao Zhiguo's words, Su Wenchen still glanced at him.

"Don't spread this around!"

Then he said to Hou Guozhong.

"To be honest, I really underestimated the amount of food consumed by heavy physical labor like digging ditches! Especially when there's a shortage of oil and fat!"

"No wonder they didn't organize large-scale irrigation canals here before, even though there's so much saline-alkali land here!"

"Organizing people to work is quick, but the food supply is also like flowing water."

Seeing Su Wenchen say this, Hou Guozhong reminded him.

"Director, this is only about 10,000 people! Next year, another 10,000 people will be eagerly waiting to join, but the grain rations we receive are still only 3 million catties."

"You'd better think of a solution in advance, otherwise if it gets cut off, it could cause a huge problem!"

Upon hearing Hou Guozhong's reminder, Su Wenchen shook his head.

"Actually, the grain problem is not too bad. This 10,000 mu of wheat can at least supplement the farm with more than a million jin of wheat in the summer harvest."

"We'll exchange some coarse grains with the higher-ups then, and that should be enough for this year." "In the second half of the year, as our farm's drainage ditches increase and we raise a large number of these rabbits, producing special rabbit manure, I think it won't be a big problem to improve another 30,000 mu of high-quality rabbits."

"We should have no problem being self-sufficient next year!"

"What I'm thinking is, should we take this opportunity to ask the higher authorities for more saline-alkali land?"

"Otherwise, once this type of rabbit is widely adopted, we won't have much land left for expansion."

"Back then, those places probably wouldn't be begging us to take over their land like they are now."

Su Wenchen also knew that the authorities couldn't prevent them from promoting these rabbits, but how and when to promote them would also depend on their opinions.

For Su Wenchen, other issues such as food, staff, and funds were relatively easy to solve.

Land is the only problem that becomes increasingly difficult to solve as time goes on.

So he had to take this opportunity to reserve enough land for their farm.

Of course, he wouldn't consider good land; he knew the local leaders weren't stupid and wouldn't agree without paying a sufficient price.

However, it's a different story for communes like Liangzhai Commune, which originally needed relief.

Many places are eager to get rid of these burdens to the farms so they can move on with a lighter load!
Hou Guozhong hesitated when he heard this idea.

"Director, this is indeed beneficial to the field in the long run, but won't the pressure be too great in the short term?"

Su Wenchen nodded.

"There's definitely pressure, otherwise, if everything were good, would it be your turn?"

"So your farm also needs to step up its efforts and expand its breeding scale as soon as possible."

"As long as our breeding scale is large enough, even if we only sell this special manure to the local area, we can still earn enough grain for our farm."

Su Wenchen knew very well that although rabbits grow and reproduce quickly, this was not the case in some places.

However, large-scale farming still incurs certain costs!

In addition, there are unexpected risks associated with farming, so many places are certainly unwilling to take on this risk.

As long as the final tally shows a profit, many local communes would certainly be willing to pay money directly to buy fertilizer!
the other side.

Beijing, Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

After Liu Xun's call came, it was like a pebble thrown into a lake, still causing ripples in the courtyard.

Several experts responsible for soil-related research were summoned together.

After hearing the information Liu Xun had reported, many people were filled with questions.

Even an older man spoke bluntly and without hesitation.

"Dean, is Liu Xun drunk again? Otherwise, why is he talking nonsense?"

"Does he even know what microorganisms are? Those things are invisible to the naked eye."

"Some small bacteria are so small that they can't even be seen with the optical microscope in our hospital; we have to use an electron microscope."

"Currently, only the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has a transmission electron microscope here."

"In this situation, how do you suggest that farms use microorganisms to manage saline-alkali land?"

"You can't even see them, so tell me how these microorganisms were cultivated! Were they all cultivated in the dark? You actually believe that, Dean?"

Upon hearing this, the dean waved his hand.

"Old Qiu, this time is different. Liu Xun said it was cultivated by Blue Water Farm!"

“If it were any other farm, I would have thought he was talking nonsense!”

"However, this Blue Water Farm is a bit different; it often manages to cause some unexpected problems!"

The other party, however, did not accept this explanation.

"Even Blue Water Farm is a scam. I can say with absolute certainty that it's impossible to treat saline-alkali land with microorganisms right now!"

"Dean, you're not a specialist in soil research; the situation with saline-alkali land is very complex!"

"Take this Blue Water Farm for example."

"By the way, which saline-alkali land are they from again?"

The dean was speechless upon hearing this. You don't know anything, so why are you arguing like this?
At this point, a friend nearby added.

"Their branch farm is in the Xuzhou area."

"But Lao Qiu, you don't know anything about this, so don't jump to conclusions, or I'm afraid you won't be able to handle the situation!"

Upon hearing his colleague's words, the other person immediately scoffed.

"What am I supposed to do to clean up this mess? If anyone's worried, it's their farm that can't handle it either!"

"Although I don't know much about them, I do know a bit about the saline-alkali land in Xuzhou."

“I’ve led teams to collect samples there before. The area is mainly saline-alkali land formed by sediments such as sodium chloride, sodium sulfate, and sodium carbonate carried by the Yellow River floods.”

"Internationally, the main method for dealing with this type of saline-alkali land is to lower the water level and flush it with water."

"Although some international research institutions have indeed proposed the treatment of alkalinity with microorganisms, they have only mentioned it briefly and then never followed up."

"And no institution has ever been able to truly apply it to solving real-world problems."

"Microorganisms are invisible outside of a laboratory, so how can they be cultivated on a farm?"

"How did Blue Water Farm manage to do something that other countries haven't even accomplished yet!"

Upon hearing this, someone nearby couldn't help but retort.

"Old Qiu, that's enough! You can say that in the yard!"

"Don't go around spreading rumors, or you'll get into trouble! We have our own things too, like the Moon Rabbits that they breed on their farm, which even foreign countries haven't been able to breed yet!"

"So I think their farm does have some scientific research capabilities!"

"Besides, Lao Liu worked so hard for so many years to get the white pig, but in the end, wasn't it someone else who broke through first?"

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of bringing people over to learn."

Upon hearing his friend say this, the other person fell silent for a moment, but still muttered something.

"The dean asked, and I was just telling the truth!"

"Furthermore, is cultivating microorganisms the same as cultivating normal livestock?"

"These aren't even in the same discipline, otherwise why would the Institute of Microbiology be assigned to the Chinese Academy of Sciences?"

Upon hearing this, the dean nodded in agreement.

"Alright, I know your opinions. In any case, Lao Qiu, don't go around spreading rumors before we conduct an on-site investigation."

"I'll also meet with the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and some colleagues from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry later to decide what to do next."

"The meeting is dismissed!"

Then the others watched as the dean hurriedly walked away.

He was immediately puzzled.

"Whether this succeeds or not, it's an achievement for Blue Water Farm! I don't think it has much to do with us!"

"Why is the dean so concerned? Anyone who didn't know better would think that Blue Water Farm is under our management!"

Upon hearing this, someone nearby laughed.

"Don't you understand? Since Liu Xun called back, it means he can definitely benefit from this!"

"We haven't achieved anything in the past two years. The only achievement in improved varieties was made by the hybrid rice cooperative group in Hunan Province!"

"I heard that progress is going very fast over there, and they're producing all sorts of results. Do you think the dean is under a lot of pressure?"

"To put it bluntly, it's because we don't have any achievements to show for ourselves! Otherwise, would we need to bask in this glory?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment, except for the old man who had initially objected.

"Scientific research isn't child's play; it's not like you can easily achieve results!"

"Besides, even if you try to take advantage of such an unreliable light, you'll only end up covered in mud!"

"I'll see how Blue Water Farm handles this!"

(End of this chapter)