Start by trimming cow hooves

I was dragged to a welcome party last night.

After getting up this morning, I counted cattle and sheep at the cargo terminal, but I haven't had a chance to visit the island.

The last time Suri came to Lanai was when he signed a contract to purchase the island last year.

At that time.

There are many pineapples grown on the island, and the area once had the largest pineapple orchard in the United States.

The pineapples everywhere look spectacular, but unfortunately, despite the busy year, they just don’t make any money. Faced with fierce competition from fruit merchants in Southeast Asia and Central America, the pineapple orchards produce very little profit.

Early nineties.

The company that spent more than one million U.S. dollars to buy pineapples on Lanai Island did not make much money from the pineapple industry, but it made more than 300 million U.S. dollars by holding this land, which makes people cry with envy.

Because there is no profit from growing pineapples, the profits are not enough to pay the real estate tax and support the migrant workers in the town.

Since buying Lanai, Suri hired people to plan and develop the island, bulldozing most of the pineapple orchards and developing them into tourist ranches and farms.

In addition, a small coffee garden was planted on the mountainside of Lanai Ridge, which is located in the center of the island and is over 1,000 meters above sea level.

The villa he spent money to build is located on the top of Lanai Ridge.

From now on, standing at home, I can overlook the entire Lanai Island. The scenery is very spectacular. The island is surrounded by the sea and the island is green.

Of course.

Standing too tall is not necessarily a good thing.

During the construction period, a bulldozer was struck by lightning during a heavy rainstorm. Fortunately, the workers came down the mountain in advance and later added a long lightning rod.

Tens of millions of dollars in start-up capital were invested, and since Suri bought this place, the changes have been obvious.

Most of the places where pineapples were grown last year are now green pastures, surrounded by wooden stakes and barbed wire.

This is mainly due to the need to protect local endemic plants. Although Lanai Island has a total area of ​​520,000 acres, only part of the area can really be developed casually, and some areas are reserved lands.

Before Suri bought Lanai Island, the original Pineapple Company also planned to build villas for sale, expand the population of Lanai Town, and develop into the real estate industry.

It's a pity that although the prices here are cheap, the infrastructure and living environment are far less convenient than those near Honolulu, and it is impossible to attract real estate developers to invest.

If the land were more valuable, how could Suri buy it at the current price...

The car left in Los Angeles has not been delivered yet.

Riding around in a Dodge Ram on secretary Amanda's mobility scooter.

There are a total of eighteen beaches on the island, as well as rainforest hiking trails and a rock park called the Garden of the Gods. One beach still has a ship that ran aground in the early years. It is now rusty and looks very suitable for treasure hunting adventures.

Follow the newly built asphalt road up the mountain.

In the distance, I first saw the lightning rod built on the new lighthouse. The land on the top of the mountain has been leveled, and there is a European-style villa with white stone exterior walls, which has entered the renovation stage.

Originally thinking that he was going to be poor soon, Su Rui didn't care about saving money and hired a large number of people to build this new villa.

Money can make all the difference, and it is said that the old American workers who were unwilling to work overtime quickly helped him build this house. Now all that is left is to complete the decoration.

There is a fountain that can raise fish at the door, and the garden is beautifully arranged and full of tropical style.

Due to the relatively high altitude, the temperature at the top of the mountain is slightly cooler than at the seaside.

Enter the villa.

After asking the contractor, Su Rui learned that it would take seven months at the earliest to complete the project. In addition to the time spent on ventilation and deodorization, it was estimated that it would take another year to actually move in.

The suite at the Four Seasons Hotel Lanai was quite comfortable, and he was not in a hurry now.

After visiting the inside and outside, under the leadership of secretary Amanda, we came to the door of the white lighthouse. After opening the door, we climbed up the stairs to the top.

Amanda pointed at a sparkling place and introduced:

"There is a photovoltaic power plant there, next to the coffee garden. In addition to seawater desalination equipment, the electricity generated will be enough for our own use. The artificial lake at the foot of the mountain is relatively high and can irrigate most grasslands."

Su Rui couldn't help pinching his eyebrows and sighed:

"It's too expensive. Many bills have not been paid. There are still many places to spend money, such as building another resort. The tens of millions of dollars invested here before have hardly seen much change. I suspect that just relying on Raising cattle and sheep, the income could not cover the expenses, and eventually all my cash flow was exhausted.”

Secretary Amanda reminded with a smile:

"There are three hundred and sixty-five square kilometers here. You can't expect it to become prosperous in one or two years. It has cost nearly 50 million US dollars to build roads, as well as power plants, artificial lakes, and your villa. Wait, bulldozing the pineapple fields and planting grass seeds to raise cattle is actually a relatively small investment."

"That's right. Other large landowners usually spend several generations in business before they reach the scale of Pike Ranch and Kualoa Ranch. I'm a little impatient."

Suri's so-called depletion of cash flow is not the same as what others call bankruptcy.

After all, there is no way out for others, but he still holds 8% of Facebook shares and has never reduced his holdings since its listing.

Those securities assets are equivalent to time deposits. Even if the situation on Lanai Island is dire, it will not affect his good life. There are many opportunities to slowly manage the private land at his feet.

…

A simple trip around.

The old cowboy Andy called him and said that he had gone to the neighboring island of Maui to buy the necessary disinfectant and was going to trim the cow's hooves.

Maui is the second largest island in Hawaii, with more than 100,000 people living on it. It attracts more than two million tourists every year and has convenient living facilities.

Thanks to its small population and abundant resources, Hawaii's per capita income even exceeds that of California, and is second only to Maryland and Washington. The lives of locals are certainly comfortable.

Compared with Maui, Lanai is actually not even a town, at most it looks like a village.

In fact, the two places are only a dozen kilometers apart, and it is very convenient to travel by boat. As a result, the residents of Lanai Town only live here in their daily lives, and almost all their shopping expenses depend on going out.

After receiving a call from Old Andy and learning that he could watch the fun, Suri immediately became energetic.

After asking for the specific location, go down the mountain towards the direction of the cattle pen.

A total of 1,000 cattle were purchased this time, divided into three breeds, namely Angus cattle, Simmental cattle and 100 cows.

The remaining two thousand sheep are raised on other pastures.

With the pasture area opened up in the initial stage, after accommodating these one thousand cattle, the space is still very spacious. It is mainly for practicing first and allowing the employees hired from the local area to accumulate some experience.

When Suri brought Secretary Amanda to the cattle pen, she could smell the smell of disinfectant. The label on the large barrel said "Potassium Hydrogen Persulfate", which is harmless to humans and animals but very effective in killing bacteria and viruses. Disinfectants.

The cow has just been delivered, so be careful.

Seeing everyone watching, Suri went over to watch the fun and saw that old cowboy Andy had prepared tools in advance, including shovels, files, hoof trimming pliers, vise and so on.

It can be seen that these tools are usually well maintained. Although they have traces of use, they are shiny.

After discovering the new boss, Old Andy nodded and immediately taught the other employees a lesson, saying with great enthusiasm:

"Although cows are healthy, they often get sick. In addition to the most troublesome infectious diseases, you also need to observe the movements of the cows. Like these three cows, if one leg is always hanging in the air, you should think about whether there is something wrong with the hoof. , even if cattle hoof problems are generally not fatal, if it affects their appetite, they will become emaciated, which is one of the required courses in how to raise cattle."

Suri listened with great interest.

I saw Old Andy leading a cow, fastening the rope firmly, and then forcefully lifted the faulty cow leg and placed it on the wooden bench that had been prepared in advance.

After observing the situation and choosing a suitable shovel, the old cowboy continued:

"Cow's hooves are equal to human toenails. Be brave when trimming them. Just pay attention and don't be afraid of hurting them. The key is to fix the cow well, otherwise it will be kicked away or even gored. I believe you have all seen bullfighting. , no one wants to be pushed away by them, otherwise they will be seriously injured..."

When the shovel knife went down, a small black spot was revealed on the cow's hoof. Su Rui lowered his head to observe, and there was still a faint redness.

With several shovels in succession, the wound became clearer and clearer.

Old Andy pinched the injured area, and there was a soft pustule. When the calf noticed the pain and stopped struggling, he sprayed some iodine for disinfection, and with a gentle shovel, the pustule burst.

It's like popping a pimple. If the pimple breaks out, pay attention to disinfection and sterilization, and it will recover quickly.

After cleaning the purulent area of ​​the cow's hoof with potion, sprinkle it with disinfectant powder, and tie it up with medical gauze, all in one go.

Suri still remembered some important points and reminded: "Should we add a spacer on the other side to prevent the wound from touching the ground?"

Old Andy seemed very satisfied with his serious and studious attitude, nodded and said with a smile:

"That's right, but if you don't prepare in advance, you can wrap some more gauze next to it. Then it will be fine. We can take it apart and observe it in a few days..."