HLM – Chapter 932 Matching Water Buffalo

“What good livestock do we have this time?” Wang Bo asked as he entered the hall.

The Stubborn Bull Club had many members, and quite a lot of them came to attend the auction. People kept greeting him along the way, giving him the rare feeling of being the center of attention.

Leonard handed him an auction booklet, which contained introductions to all the breeds being auctioned today.

At the same time, he said, “There are many breeds—twenty in total, with over a hundred animals up for auction. Ayrshire, Guernsey, Brown Swiss, and so on. As for Holsteins—your farm already has plenty of those, so I don’t need to introduce them.”

Wang Bo glanced at the booklet and said with some disappointment, “They’re all common cattle and sheep?”

“You think this is a treasure hunt? Outstanding dairy cows also tend to be the world’s most well-known and most widely raised. Besides, aren’t these cows already more than enough for you? Your farm only has Holstein cows, right?”

Leonard was right. Holsteins were the best all-around dairy cows, and their global population had exceeded 100 million!

Wang Bo sighed, “Yes, but if I only wanted to buy Holsteins, why would I come to an auction? Motak’s ranch has plenty of Holsteins.”

“I get it—you want something special?”

“Exactly.”

“Then buy Ayrshires. As far as I know, Motak’s ranch doesn’t have any Ayrshires.” Leonard said with a smile.

Ayrshires originated in the UK. They’re medium-sized cows with red-and-white coats. Since Holsteins are known as “black-and-white cows,” Ayrshires are often nicknamed “red-and-white cows.”

These cows have long bodies, well-developed udders—especially the hindquarters—strong bones, good tolerance for coarse feed, strong adaptability, and long reproductive lifespans. Their average annual milk yield is 4,133 kg with a 3.8% fat content.

Wang Bo shook his head. “I don’t want Ayrshires. They’re everywhere in Australia, and New Zealanders don’t like them. My ranch also functions as a tourist attraction—I can’t bring in animals tourists don’t like.”

Although Ayrshires were a famous breed developed in the UK, they were most widely raised in Australia due to their strong resistance—tolerant of heat, disease, temperature changes, and coarse feed.

Australia had large desert areas with big day-night temperature differences. Midday heat reduced the milk yield of many conventional dairy breeds. Thus, many Australian farms raised Ayrshires.

But New Zealanders and Australians had a love-hate rivalry, and both sides tended to look down on what was popular in the other’s country.

Leonard burst out laughing. “So you’re testing me, huh? Fine, I have other breeds to recommend—ones you’ll like, since they’re your fellow countrymen.”

As he spoke, he flipped the brochure, revealing the Chinese Shorthorn dairy cow.

Chinese Shorthorns were a domestically bred dairy cow known for their endurance and adaptability to various climates. However, compared with top dairy breeds, their milk production was average—about 3,500–3,800 kg annually, and only 2,000–2,500 kg under grazing conditions.

Wang Bo checked the prices on his phone and shook his head. “Forget it. I’ll check something else.”

These Shorthorns were indeed imported from China, but their prices were much higher than back home.

He had just checked the domestic prices:
Calves (3–8 months): 2600–4300 RMB
Heifers (10–16 months): 3600–5200 RMB
First-pregnancy cows: 7500–8500 RMB
Second to fourth pregnancy cows: 8000–9500 RMB

In New Zealand, calves cost 2000–2500 NZD, which converted to RMB was about equal to the price of multi-pregnancy cows in China.

As for older cows? Even more expensive. The priciest could reach 5500 NZD, enough to buy two or three equivalent cows in China!

So why would Wang Bo buy them here? He was going back to China soon—he could just buy them domestically and ship them to the ranch via the simulation platform. Cheaper and easier.

Still, the Shorthorn’s high price in New Zealand made him feel proud—it counted as a successful export product, even pricier overseas than at home.

This was the same reason he helped Hou Wenyuan expand Haidilao earlier—Haidilao was priced much higher abroad than domestically. After seeing so many mediocre foreign brands pretend to be premium in China and profit off Chinese consumers, it was refreshing to see something like Haidilao or the Chinese Shorthorn succeed overseas.

Chinese departments had gotten smarter too, learning to brand and market their breeds. The Shorthorn’s high price was largely due to research showing its milk had lower fat content and more small-molecule proteins.

New Zealanders appreciated this—they preferred low-fat foods and high small-molecule protein, especially for children since these proteins were easier to absorb.

Another thing that caught Wang Bo’s attention was the two water buffalo breeds being auctioned. Water buffalo milk was well known in New Zealand and genuinely rich in small-molecule proteins.

The brochure explained that 1 kg of water buffalo milk had the nutritional value of 1.85 kg of Holstein milk. It was particularly rich in zinc, iron, and calcium—ideal for child development and anti-aging. It also contained abundant amino acids and vitamins, including 1669 IU of vitamin A per liter, equivalent to about 50 micrograms per 100 g—twice that of normal milk.

The two breeds were Murrah buffalo and Nili-Ravi buffalo, the main dairy breeds in India and Pakistan.

After studying the information, Wang Bo smiled. “Great. I’ll buy these two types of buffalo.”

“Water buffalo?” Leonard asked. “Good idea. Buffalo milk has high fat and solids content. But remember—they require year-round heat. New Zealand autumn is coming. I think the South Island’s autumn will be too cold for them!”

Wang Bo said, “Let’s try. There’s a geothermal area on part of my ranch. Maybe that environment will suit them.”

The geothermal belt in Sunset Town was broad, and part of his ranch near Lake Hawea had hot-spring terrain. That environment would be perfect for water buffalo.

Besides, these buffalo were cheap—more than 200 NZD cheaper than Holsteins of the same class, making them excellent value for money.