Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 12 Package from JA

Just as Kitano got up, there was a slow knock on the door outside.

"Hello, JA Hokkaido."

"Excuse me, is Mr. Kitano at home?"

The other party's tone sounded quite polite.

Kitano's originally sluggish thoughts suddenly became sharp.

Is the debt due now?
But I have never heard of the farmers’ association personally coming to collect debts.

Could it be outsourced to some violent organization?
I opened the door with some trepidation and found a man in a JA uniform standing outside, with a very conspicuous cold chain truck parked next to him.

"I'm Kitano."

He stepped out of the room and nodded to the man.

"Hello, Mr. Kitano. Two cold chain packages have arrived for you, which were commissioned by JA Hokkaido."

The man bowed slightly, then asked his companions in the car to take out the two cardboard boxes.

"That's it-"

Kitano suddenly realized that the goods he had ordered through the system had arrived.

I hope you're not here to collect debts.

Two strong men nimbly carried the heavy-looking package into the house.

"If everything is correct, could you please sign this?"

The man took out a logistics list and asked.

"no problem."

While signing his name, Kitano asked: "What about the transportation costs?"

"Please rest assured that the client has already paid in advance."

The man immediately replied.

Kitano finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After confirming that the package had been delivered, the JA people left quickly.

After slowly brushing his teeth and washing his face, Kitano began to unpack the package.

There was no logo or anything like that on the surface of the cardboard box. Apart from the seal affixed by JA, it looked no different from an ordinary package.

Kitano opened the cardboard box by cutting the seal with a utility knife.

Inside the slightly larger cardboard box was a whole box of neatly arranged hay.

I weighed it and found that the weight of the box was exactly 20 kilograms.

On the left is Timothy grass, and on the right is Bermuda grass, with cardboard separating the two.

The ratio is one to one.

Although he is not someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder, the way the grass is arranged still makes Kitano feel a moment of joy.

Looking at the two kinds of grass in front of him, Kitano tried hard to recall what he had learned.

Timothy is a cool-season grass that mostly grows in temperate zones. It grows more vigorously in spring and autumn. Early harvest has a protein content of 12%-14%, moderate fiber, metabolizable energy of 2.2-2.4 Mcal/KG, moderate energy density, a calcium-phosphorus ratio of about 3:1, low sugar and starch content, and is mainly soft fiber, making it easy to digest.

Bermuda grass is a warm-season grass that usually grows in tropical/subtropical areas. It is cold-resistant and heat-resistant, and has high yields in summer. The protein content of early harvest is 10%-12%, and the metabolizable energy is 2.3-2.6 Mcal/KG. The energy density is medium-high, the calcium-phosphorus ratio is about 1:1, the soluble sugar content is high, the fiber is dense, and the fiber hardens faster when harvested late, so it may take longer to digest.

The grass is bright green when observed with the naked eye, and a light grassy scent can be smelled when you get close. There are no signs of yellowing, browning, rotting or mold.

It was indeed quite fresh grass.

But other than that, there seems to be nothing special.

Moreover, the contents of CP (crude protein), NDF (neutral detergent fiber), ADF (acid detergent fiber), TDN (total digestible content), and ME (metabolizable energy) are all unknown.

The mineral ratio and vitamin content, mycotoxin content, and whether there is contamination by parasite eggs or pathogens are also unclear.

He couldn't possibly bring Bai Tianmara over to do a palatability test on this "three-no product".

Putting the grass aside, Kitano opened a second, slightly smaller cardboard box.

Inside was the hay, which was also neatly arranged.

To the naked eye, the overall color of the hay is a uniform light yellow.

Grab a handful of hay and put it close to your nose, and you can smell the natural scent of hay.

Kitano gripped the hay tightly, shook it, and then released it. There were no crumbs left on his hand, and the hay hadn't clumped together. He pulled out a small amount, took it outside, and lit it with a lighter.

The hay burns at a normal rate with less smoke and no pungent odor.

The hay produced by the system mall is indeed of excellent quality.

Of course, compared to the price of 250,000 yen, such quality becomes a matter of course.

"Hay can be sent directly to Nishiken, but what about fodder?"

After thinking about it, Kitano made a phone call.

"Hello, Professor Ota, may I bother you for a moment?"

Professor Ota is a close friend of his mentor, Professor Yamazaki, and has been dedicated to improving the varieties of native forage grasses for many years.

"Yes, I'm Kitano."

"No, no, that's all thanks to the riders. I don't understand horse racing."

"Haha, that's it—"

After a brief greeting, Kitano explained his purpose.

He plans to borrow the other party's laboratory to conduct a full set of tests on the forage, including NIRS (near-infrared spectroscopy).

"Is that so? No problem, just send it over."

Professor Ota agreed very readily.

Although it takes four to five days to get the test results, Kitano feels it is worth it.

Anyway, a 20-kilogram box of hay only needs one green amulet.

You can make it back by reading the news for half an hour every day.

Kitano tried his best not to convert.

It’s still very expensive.

After warming up the leftover pasta from last night in the microwave and quickly finishing his breakfast, Kitano set off with the fresh grass samples.

By the way, I picked up another box of hay.

After sending the sample to Professor Ota's laboratory, they continued towards Nishiken Ranch.

When they arrived at the ranch, the Xuhe family was busy with their work.

"Good morning, Mr. Kitano."

Kana Ogawa, who was routinely observing the foals in the grazing area, noticed the approaching silver pickup truck. After Kitano got out of the car, the girl nodded slightly in greeting.

"Good morning, Miss Ogawa. Are you feeling better?"

Putting the cardboard box behind the car on the ground, Kitano greeted the girl.

Putting down the form in her hand, Ogawa Kana raised her head and revealed two delicate fangs.

"Thanks to you, everything is fine now~"

"Mr. Kitano, are you here to visit Pegasus? He came back yesterday and was so proud of himself for a long time, like he knew he had won the competition."

As she spoke, the girl suddenly turned her head.

"Asheng! Come here quickly——"

A terrifying sound came out of its mouth that was completely inconsistent with its body size.

"It's so noisy! I didn't realize I was here! It turns out it's Mr. Kitano who's here!"

Ogawa Katsu walked out of the stable angrily, and when he saw the figure in front of Ogawa Kanna, he scratched his head embarrassedly.

He glared at Ogawa Kanna with some anger and embarrassment.

Ogawa Kana, who was hiding behind Kitano, immediately responded with a face.

"Why don't you take Mr. Kitano to the stables quickly?"

Ogawa Kana pointed to the stable with a wicked smile.

"I know, I know!"

Ogawa Katsu casually tied the towel in his hand around his neck and walked ahead with a gloomy look on his face.

(End of this chapter)