The Rise of the Ranch King

Chapter 64 64. Farmer style

Approximately 300 acres of the 500 acres of the pasture are planted with pasture. It would take about four or five days to mow all of it with a lawn mower, which is still ten hours a day.

So Lin Feng decided to cut the grass in the morning and set up a baler to collect it in the afternoon.

Lin Feng asked Charlie if one tractor was missing. If there were two tractors, the work could be carried out at the same time.

Charlie believes that forage is usually harvested every two to three months, so there is no need to buy two tractors and leave them to collect ashes, and then consider increasing the number of tractors after expanding the territory.

Buying new land is not as simple as shopping in the supermarket. In addition to layers of approvals, you also have to pay several fees. In addition to the price of the land itself, there are survey fees, taxes, insurance premiums, etc.

Land prices in suburban Montana are inherently inexpensive, and although they have increased in recent years, they are still under a thousand dollars an acre.

Prices vary depending on the region. The northern pastoral areas are more expensive as you go north. Looking at the entire river valley town, the prices are more expensive as you go south.

Land prices vary greatly among states in the United States. New Jersey sells for an average of $1.75 per acre, while California and Massachusetts both sell for $1.5.

In New Mexico, it's only $600, and in Wyoming, next to Montana, it's not much better, hovering between 700 and 800.

Of course, specific land types must be distinguished. The value of farmland is generally higher than that of pasture land, and farmland is divided into irrigated farmland and dryland farmland.

In California, irrigated farmland is worth $1.8 per acre, while dryland farmland is worth an average of only $0.6 per acre, a difference of $1.2.

For Montana, prices in agricultural areas in the south are significantly higher than in pastoral areas in the north, and the difference in value often creates bias.

Therefore, the wealthy farmers in the south generally looked down upon the cowboys in the north.

Lin Feng has already reported the purchase of new land to the agricultural department in Helena. Purchasing terra nullius means dealing with the government.

In addition, online bidding is also one of the ways to obtain land. Land that has not paid taxes for three consecutive years will be auctioned.

There are online auctions and offline auctions. For Montana, which is vast and sparsely populated, the former is more common.

Returning to the pasture, Lin Feng prepared to hang up the baler to collect forage.

The working principle of this equipment, which looks like a medieval trebuchet, is very simple. The rectangular box in the front is responsible for collecting the grass on the ground. It enters the grass pressing box through the grass inlet. This is the key to the equipment. After it is compressed to a certain extent, the isolation plate is released to cut off the grass. The compressed forage is automatically tied into bundles with ropes.

Finally, the bale is thrown into the back box through the ejection system, and the gear ratio can be changed to adjust the bale density and the number of rope turns for baling.

It is said that the first baling machine was invented in 1853. Lin Feng was surprised by the sophistication of this equipment, like a small factory that operates automatically link by link.

Charlie hung it up for him, and Lin Feng drove the baler and began to move slowly on the previously cut grass.

It is crucial to control the tractor speed, which must exactly match the working efficiency of the baler. If it is too fast, the grass will be missed, and if it is too slow, the quality of the baling will be affected.

In order to control the speed, Lin Feng needs to keep his foot on the brake pedal to maintain a certain height and fine-tune it through the speedometer.

Over time, your feet will inevitably become numb.

I heard from Charlie that some of the tractors produced now are equipped with intelligent modules and are equipped with functions such as intelligent navigation and cruise control that are only available on cars.

This is a good thing, but considering the tractor's usage environment, the biggest disadvantage besides being expensive is that it is easy to break, and the sensor breaks down most frequently.

Watching the forage on the ground being bundled and thrown into the back box is still very satisfying. However, the bales are thrown very gracefully, and you need to stop and sort them manually from time to time, otherwise they will be full in a while.

David is cleaning out the large warehouse, which is a comprehensive storage space. In addition to farm tools, it also stores forage.

Lin Feng plans to find a construction team to build a larger hay room. The location can be chosen a little further away, which is not a problem. It is not difficult to drive a tractor in a straight line, but it is difficult to make turns because the baler is towed behind it and it has four wheels. It takes a certain amount of experience to aim it at the next row of haystacks.

Lin Feng likes the feeling of driving a machine all over the pasture. After working for two hours, he stops to eat something to replenish his energy.

On a whim after stopping the tractor, I put a piece of cloth in front of the "big nose" and sat directly on it for a picnic.

The engine is just inside the front cover, and it's as warm as an oven.

Beer, bread, fruits and various snacks and desserts were spread all over the front cover of the tractor. Lin Feng invited Wayne to join him.

Everything is fine, but going to the toilet is a problem. The small one can handle it, but the large one can only go back to the wooden house. He doesn't like to take off his pants directly to get close to nature.

If Jasmine were also present, it would probably be a different kind of romance.

Lin Feng thinks that girls who can drive agricultural machinery must be cool. In his eyes, they are more attractive than those girls in big cities who only wear heavy makeup and short skirts.

The sun was shining warmly on him, and coupled with the residual heat from the engine radiating from the front cover, he and Wayne were like undercooked steaks being grilled between them.

Charlie had afternoon tea leisurely in front of the wooden house, and old David went back to his house to prepare beef patties.

An hour later, the busy meeting is almost over for the day. There is no overtime, no performance appraisal, and no air pollution. There is no need to look at the boss's face, and there is no need to worry about not catching the last train. Long live freedom.

Of course, there are always flaws in every beauty. The biggest problem in ranch life is mosquitoes.

Cold weather is better. Mosquitoes in summer are larger than those in cities because they grow up sucking plant juices. Fortunately, large mosquitoes only suck plant juices, but they look very scary.

It was around five o'clock in the afternoon and the sun was about to set.

The fire cloud appears again, which is a common sight in River Valley Town.

The pasture was illuminated in red, and Lin Feng was fascinated by the sight of a flock of birds flying up from the grove and soaring into the sunset.

A very beautiful scene, this is an oil painter's paradise.

He suddenly discovered that his tractor seemed to be one size larger than the towed baler, and he felt as if Lu Bu was riding a dog.

It is difficult to see the entire pasture clearly from the ground, so Lin Feng plans to buy a drone. It is not a model airplane toy, but a special model for outdoor work that can take high-definition pictures. This way, he can clearly see the harvesting status of the pasture and the land from the air. Condition.

It can also be used to inspect your own territory, search for traces of prey from high altitude, fly to the island in the middle of Tranquility Lake to explore the secrets, etc.

I have always wanted to go up to the island in the middle of the lake to see it. There is also the cabin that Uncle Frank built on it. It is a paradise.

Lin Feng wanted to order drones online, but the pastoral area was not within the regular delivery range of any express company.

Charlie told him that he could get FedEx, but it would cost more.

"No, I won't pay for Riverdale's terrible delivery industry, not even to my death."

Lin Feng said firmly.

(End of this chapter)