HLM -Chapter 1250 The Large Farm

After finishing the tour of the town, the two of them had lunch in town, and Wang Bo enjoyed a fruit feast.

In the afternoon, they officially began visiting the farm. Bonfire Farm cultivated autumn wheat, brewing barley, canola, and sweet corn. The larger the farm, the greater the variety of crops Christian planted.

Wang Bo was amazed, but Christian shook his head and said, “The market isn’t doing well right now. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket, so you have to plant a variety of crops. Ironically, this actually reduces overall income.”

This was a helpless measure for farmers. International grain prices fluctuate unpredictably, and New Zealand’s weather is unreliable, so farm incomes are heavily affected.

In the past, farmers would grow just one or two crops per season. This made management easier, lowered the costs of large-scale cultivation, and allowed them to earn more.

Wang Bo asked, “My farm had a pretty good harvest this year—was it really that bad?”

Christian sighed and said, “My spring wheat suffered big losses. In January, during the grain-filling stage, we had a drought. You know, last winter there was very little rain or snow, and water sources were scarce.”

“Then, by February and March, when it was time to harvest, the summer came late, and the wheat suffered frost. The early growth was poor, and later when it was ready to harvest, the grains weren’t plump.”

Wang Bo nodded silently. “What about the autumn wheat?” he asked.

They happened to reach the wheat field, where a large harvester was operating with a loud hum. A large pickup trailer followed behind. The harvester collected the wheat and unloaded it into the trailer.

Once the trailer was full, Christian waved for it to come over. Then he led Wang Bo up the ladder and stirred the wheat grains by hand to show him.

Wang Bo shook his head—still, the grains were not plump. According to New Zealand’s grain classification, this counted as third-grade wheat, which wouldn’t fetch a good price.

Christian, seeming concerned that so much bad news might discourage him, added, “Fortunately, government subsidies are relatively high now. And although the wheat yield isn’t great, there were very few diseases, so it’s not too bad.”

They strolled through the wheat field. Two hundred hectares of wheat were spectacular. From a distance, the wheat fields stretched as far as the eye could see. Sunlight bathed the fields, the ears of wheat swaying in the wind and reflecting light like waves.

In such a place, one could truly smell the fragrance of wheat. Wang Bo took a deep breath—the scent of wheat mixed with the freshness of the soil was novel and pleasant to him.

A few large dogs ran through the harvested fields. Bonfire Farm’s dogs were all large German Shepherds, their ears perked high, running like the wind. Rolling through the fields, they became covered in bits of wheat.

The farm used modern, large-scale harvesters capable of crushing straw. The crushed straw would be collected, and the government would arrange for cleaning vehicles to remove it.

In New Zealand, burning straw in fields is strictly prohibited. Offenders are heavily fined. Wang Bo had once burned wild grass only after applying for special permission in Wellington; otherwise, it would have been forbidden.

After harvesting, some straw fragments inevitably remained on the ground. Because the shredding was thorough, the fragments looked like small snowflakes, soft on the soil. The German Shepherds went wild with excitement.

Among the strong shepherds, a small Border Collie stumbled along trying to keep up.

Christian whistled. The larger dogs turned to look, but only the Border Collie ran over to him. He scooped up the puppy and laughed, “Look at this little one. It wants to play with the big dogs, but that’s not going to work—they’ll tire you out. They’re adults, you know.”

After exploring the wheat field for a while, he waved and said, “Come on, I’ll show you something beautiful.”

Hearing this, Wang Bo guessed what was next—it had to be the canola field.

From the helicopter earlier that morning, he had already noticed the vast canola field. Though he had missed the flowering season, the ripened seeds still made for a beautiful sight.

Canola is a long-day crop that prefers cool or moderately warm climates. Its entire growth period occurs at an average daily temperature below 22°C, and seeds only germinate when temperatures exceed 3°C. Regional climate differences mean planting seasons vary, leading to both winter and spring canola varieties.

New Zealand’s climate is mild, with average winter temperatures above 0°C and the coldest month averaging -5°C, which is safe for canola overwintering. So New Zealand can grow both winter and spring canola. Winter canola is sown in autumn and harvested in late spring, while spring varieties can be sown in autumn or spring, with harvests in summer or autumn.

They arrived at the canola field. The wheat waves were gone, replaced by a green-yellow ocean.

The sprawling canola covered hundreds of hectares. Wang Bo shaded his eyes with his hand and looked ahead—the green-yellow expanse seemed endless, occasionally dotted with blooming flowers, creating a pleasing sight.

Christian scooped up some soil from the ground. “Look at this. What do you see?”

Wang Bo grabbed a handful too, surprised. “Sand? The soil here is poor.”

Christian smiled. “Exactly. This area has sandy soil. When I bought this farm, these sandy plots weren’t included. Back then, the land was sparsely covered with weeds. I negotiated with the government and bought them for 1,500 dollars per hectare.”

Wang Bo admired him. “That’s brilliant—you basically claimed your own Alaska.”

Canola isn’t too demanding on soil. With proper cultivation methods and techniques, high yields are possible even in sandy, clay, or red-yellow soils.

Christian seemed proud of this. “Thanks. That’s true, though there aren’t many crops that grow well here. I chose mustard-type canola, so at least there’s some yield.”

Mustard-type canola has deep roots, is drought-resistant, and can grow in poor soil and dry climates. In China, regions like Gansu and Qinghai cultivate this type.

Wang Bo asked, “Aren’t you going to harvest these seeds yet? I think they’re ripe.”

Christian replied, “In the next couple of days. The weather’s been good recently. You know, I like to choose a period of continuous sunshine to harvest canola seeds.”

Canola seeds must be dried quickly after harvest. If the seeds are exposed to rain in the field, their quality and price will drop.