Two months later, the river of time flowed into the early summer season. Even though the four seasons in the desert were not distinct, the lengthening of the day still made the newly sown pasture in the rapidly expanding wetlands of the LS experimental oasis grow denser and more gratifying.
Temporarily giving up on planting other vegetation and planting the green seagrass seed, which had the most water-loving, fast-growing, and the most developed rhizome among the six kinds of fine pasture seeds painstakingly harvested by the LS Group, was the only suggestion given by the soil and water conservation experts.
Sometimes, the scientific conclusion was so simple that it made people laugh, but the process of obtaining such a conclusion and its value was by no means simple. In just several dozens of days, a grassland of more than ten square kilometers had miraculously appeared on the desert.
At this moment, 70 to 80 cattle and sheep of different breeds were wandering listlessly on the grassland that stretched as far as the eyes could see, swaying their tails as they chewed on the lush green grass. From time to time, they would raise their heads and cry out, looking at the group of people wearing various wide-brimmed hats who were looking around under the blazing sun in the distance.
The cattle and sheep were looking at the people, and the people were also looking at them. In the crowd, a skinny white old man with a goatee, dressed in a standard cowboy outfit pointed at the livestock that were pacing and eating and said, "Dr. Lisheng, judging from the water grass resources alone, this place is even better than the best pasture I've seen before.
An ordinary pasture can raise about 200 beef cattle per square kilometer of land, and a good pasture can raise 10 to 20% more. However, judging from the growth of the pasture here, 280 or even 300 cattle are enough to supply.
Unfortunately, the unique climate and environment of the desert gave the grass an unprecedented benign growth environment, but it also made it very difficult to build a pasture.
This was very contradictory, but it was the reality. The fine pasture selected by breeding experts could quickly adapt to the changing temperature of the desert, but it did not mean that the livestock could be so lucky as well.
The difference in environmental toughness between plants and animals was ridiculously large, just like the difference between Mount Everest and the Mariana Trench.
Judging from the current hot temperature, this grassland was very suitable for raising short-haired livestock such as Berkeley black cattle and Orante flower cattle. However, when the temperature plummeted to below zero at night, no matter how warm the cowshed was, it would still seriously affect the growth of the short-haired cattle and the mortality rate would be very high.
If alpine yaks were raised, it would not be a problem no matter how cold it was at night, but the heat during the day would easily dehydrate the long-haired cattle to death …
Oh, I forgot that you are an outstanding biologist. It is a little redundant to say all this. In short, we are facing many, many problems, and some of them can even be said to be insurmountable … "
"Dr. Brown, a biologist is not the same as a livestock scientist. Studying wild creatures and domesticated animals are two completely different concepts. I need your and your team's professional opinion.
I know that it is a huge challenge to build a qualified ranch in such a damn environment, but this is indeed our need, or rather, the need of all the people living in Noah. Hundreds of millions of years of evolution have made the Earthlings need sufficient protein and fat if they want to live a healthy and strong life.
The worsening food crisis forced the Noah settlers to learn to build farms in the desert sooner or later. We could not live forever on food grown in skyscrapers and frozen sea fish.
As long as you try, it doesn't matter if you fail. History will remember our attempt this time. Please don't give up. " Wearing a sweatshirt, shorts, and a big straw hat, Zhang Lisheng, who had a thick short beard and tanned skin, stood beside the old man and looked into the distance. Interrupting the old man's words, he encouraged him non-stop.
During the period of time after the wetland was magically excavated at the edge of the oasis, he only did two things. One was to produce a paper titled "Analysis of the Evolution of Desert Flora and Fauna and the Change of Water Source" to explain the reason why he bought a lot of sand and hired excavators to excavate the desert.
To a professional scholar, making a scientific argument on a topic that had a clear conclusion was as simple as shooting a gun and drawing a target. This was because all the derivation process he said had been proven to be correct. Other scientists would never be able to come up with evidence even if they wanted to refute it.
After all, the source of convincing scientific research was the correctness of reality. As the saying went, practice produces true knowledge. If the young man could not dig out water from the sand, then his paper would just be an ordinary academic discussion. However, since he had dug out the wetland, then this paper would naturally become a 'true knowledge' that had been verified by practice. This was also the reality of cutting-edge scientific research.
The new paper was published on the front page of the journal "Science" without any controversy. Not only did it successfully solve the doubts, but it also brought Zhang Lisheng a very high academic status, allowing him to become a super-class practical biology authority in one fell swoop.
After that, the young man did the second thing. He began to plan to turn the desert into a wetland with pasture into a farm.
For this reason, he recruited more than ten famous livestock scientists and bought thousands of different breeds of livestock at a high price. After five consecutive weeks of experimental grazing, it was time to test the results now.
As the scientist who led the breeding experiment, Brown was obviously not satisfied with the results of his hard work for more than 30 days. However, this did not mean that this stubborn old man who was born in a cowboy family in California would admit defeat just like this.
"Dr. Lisheng, we all know that no matter how good a scientist is, it's unlikely for him to make any groundbreaking results when he's over 40 years old. However, I'm already 61 years old this year, and not long ago, I was still begging God to give me a real job opportunity.
There's no ranch in Noah, so the cattle and sheep are all raised in air-conditioned rooms. They're confined in a space of less than eight square meters from birth to slaughter. I'm a scientist and a cowboy, so I can't allow myself to wear a white lab coat and slippers to draw the blood of livestock for medical examination in a crowded building all day long.
That's not a place for a livestock scientist, at least not a place for a stubborn old guy like me.
You've given me a chance to regain my dream, so I'll seize it and never give up until I succeed! "Brown answered Zhang Lisheng's concerns sonorously.
In the face of the old man's stiff and solemn expression, even though the young man did not quite understand the spirit of the American cowboy, he could clearly read a kind of indomitable stubbornness.
He understood the character and perseverance behind this expression. After being stunned for a few seconds, he suddenly smiled. "I'm sorry, Dr. Brown. I actually doubted the willpower of a cowboy with a true scientific spirit.
From now on, you'll be responsible for all the planning of the ranch. I believe in your professional attitude and knowledge.
After the farm is completed, I'll reward you with 5% of the annual animal husbandry income. You'll distribute it to the team members as a bonus … "When he reached here, he raised his wrist and looked at his watch." Oh, in this case, there's no need for me to continue staying here anymore.
It's 4: 40 in the afternoon now, so I can still make it in time to go back to New Washington A for dinner. In that case, I'll take my leave first. See you guys! "Then, he turned around and walked towards the oasis in the distance.
"Leave everything to me? Just like that, leave everything to me …" Looking at the young man's gradually disappearing back in bafflement, Brown opened his mouth and said in disbelief.
"This is the boss's style of doing things, Dr. Brown. He has a unique vision and decisiveness, and he's very good at using these two characteristics. When he encounters a problem, he can always find the most suitable person to solve it in the shortest time." Charlie, who was behind the old man, shrugged and said, "Alright, now tell me if there's anything else you need, whether it's funds, personnel, or materials …"
On the newly sown grassland, the LS's president began to discuss the next investment with the founder of the group's most important industry in the future. The company's founder, on the other hand, drove his light jeep out of the oasis and sped towards the city 150 kilometers away.
After driving on the sand for more than an hour, in the evening, the outline of the skyscrapers had already appeared clearly in the young man's eyes.
Even though he had signed a confidentiality treaty, and after more than 100 days, the hot news had begun to cool down no matter how hot it was, Zhang Lisheng was still careful not to go home. Instead, he wandered aimlessly in the city for a while and casually found a restaurant that seemed to have a good business to stop his car.
However, to his surprise, the instant he got off the car, before he could even walk into the restaurant, he heard someone whispering behind him, "Lisheng, why are you in the city?"
"I can't stay in the desert forever, can I, Ruili? But I've already become like this, but you can still recognize me just by looking at my back. That's incredible!" Zhang Lisheng turned to look at the eldest daughter of the Lavin family, who seemed to have just gotten off work and was carrying her handbag on her back, and said.
"Oh, my poor brother! Did you change your career and go surfing at the beach? Why are you so tanned and even have a beard now?" Ruili joked. "I didn't recognize you, but I recognized your car. Are you planning to accompany me by coming here to eat?"
Upon hearing the girl's words, the young man was stunned. Only then did he realize that the NBC building was just around the corner, with half of the logo clearly visible. The neon sign of The Reporters Home was also flashing above the wooden door of the restaurant not far away, which was inlaid with a unique copper corner handle.
"Oh, I randomly found a restaurant that looks good on the street, but I didn't expect it to be the Candy House of your NBC reporters. Fate has arranged it this way, so it looks like I can only treat you to a meal." Zhang Lisheng could not help but chuckle as he shook his head and replied jokingly, before walking into the restaurant with Ruili.
This was a typical American-style restaurant that perfectly integrated drinking and dining. From the ingeniously printed news clippings on the long bar counter that seemed to be quite old, one could tell that the customers here were very clear. They were the employees of broadcasting companies or newspapers.
However, the customers sitting on the barstools looked exhausted as they sipped their spirits or sipped their coffee. They didn't seem to care about the restaurant's ingenuity. They didn't even care about what was printed on the counter. They were all chatting nonstop.
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