Chapter 108: Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries
Whether in his past life or this one, the primary industry agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries has always been a top priority for those in power.
After all… food is the foundation of everything!
In Bruno's view, the primary industry solves basic sustenance needs, the secondary industry meets daily necessities, and the tertiary industry caters to people's aspirations for a better life.
Since the primary industry is not yet stable, Idar does not have the foundation to fully develop the secondary and tertiary industries.
At present, only Bruno, with his title as Earl and the financial backing of Idar, can afford to build large ships, construct wonders, and lead mage apprentices in research and development.
However, no matter how straight the roads are or how magnificent the wonders may be, they cannot overshadow the fact that Idar still needs to strengthen its primary industry.
Agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries are the foundation of people's livelihood.
If the people of Idar cannot eat their fill or keep warm, then Bruno's ambitious plans for development would ultimately be in vain.
Bruno firmly believes that the people of Idar must not be left behind in the progress of their own territory!
Thus, while Bruno was off testing the magic crystal bomb, he also instructed Douglas Batalov to implement the plan for castrating piglets.
Developing the Four Pillars
Bruno had already set a direction for agriculture and fisheries.
With sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes, just one of these crops is a treasure trove of farming potential a dream come true for any transmigrator.
With the addition of composted manure, Idar's agricultural future was now firmly set.
The next steps were straightforward water and fertilize the crops, wait for the first harvest, reserve enough seeds, and gradually expand the cultivated land.
As for fisheries, under Bruno's guidance, Idar's fishing boats were now returning with full hauls on every expedition, bringing in a steady supply of seafood.
To ensure sustainable fishing, Idar's nets were designed with wide mesh, allowing small fish to escape and mature into full-grown catches in the future.
Forestry and Its Role
Forestry, as part of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries, was a bit different it was both a primary, secondary, and tertiary industry.
Often, forestry refers to protective farmlands, orchards, or economic forests producing nuts and oil crops.
However, due to Idar's geographical environment, forestry had a less significant impact on the primary industry compared to the other sectors.
Revamping Animal Husbandry: The Pig Castration Plan
Bruno was tired of eating chicken every day!
Ever since he taught the chefs a few ways to cook chicken, they always defaulted to using chicken for meat dishes.
Moreover, Idar didn't have an abundant supply of chickens, and even though Bruno, as an Earl, had no shortage of food, he still felt that a monotonous diet was undesirable.
Thus, he turned his attention to pigs!
Among the three main livestock cattle, sheep, and pigs pigs were by far the cheapest.
This was because pigs of this era were not castrated, making their meat have a strong, unpleasant odor. Most nobles found the taste unbearable and refused to eat pork altogether.
Bruno's plan to castrate piglets was not just about improving pork's taste the more critical reason was that castrated pigs grow significantly faster!
And that was the most important factor in his decision!
Of course, all of this hinged on whether the castrated piglets would survive the procedure.
If they didn't, Bruno would have no choice but to use the system's shop to acquire White Feather Broiler Chickens for farming instead…
Yes!
Bruno had already planned to develop animal husbandry through White Feather Broiler Chickens and castrated piglets.
However, since corn the primary feed for White Feather Broilers had yet to mature, he had to postpone the plan to purchase them.
White Feather Broilers were incredible they could be fully grown in just 45 days, with an astonishing feed to meat ratio of 1:2!
Compared to any other livestock in this world, these chickens were far more efficient in both food consumption and growth time.
After all, the Norman Empire was still in an era where people could starve to death.
Even in Idar, Bruno couldn't claim that everyone was well-fed, so livestock selection had to prioritize minimal grain consumption.
In that regard, castrated pigs and White Feather Broilers were the perfect choices.
...
In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.
To Bruno's surprise, the castrated piglets were much tougher than expected.
Aside from one unfortunate piglet that died from an infection, the rest all survived.
Though they had lost a certain "something", they were still alive and thriving!
The first batch of over twenty piglets was now kept together. Gone was their previous liveliness now they were lazy, sluggish, and content.
They rolled on their backs, dozed off, and occasionally let out soft grunts.
When hungry, they'd get up, waddle over, and start eating without hesitation.
Eat, sleep, repeat.
For these piglets, this was the dream life!
Moreover, now that they were castrated, even when two male piglets were together, they no longer fought as they did before.
Fighting? That was boring! Eating was so much better!
As a result, they stayed peacefully in their pens, focusing on their one true purpose getting fat.
Even when they reached maturity, they would remain calm and obedient, dedicated to their ultimate destiny becoming plump, delicious pork.
Watching his adorable, well-fed piglets, Bruno felt immensely satisfied.
After all…
Once this batch of piglets grew up, Bruno would finally get to enjoy delicious, odor free pork!
Two words pure happiness!