More used to farming data via his social media empire, Mark Zuckerberg is expanding his horizons to raise cattle at his Ko’olau Ranch in Hawaii - the one where he’s also preparing for the end of the world.

The world's fifth richest person, with a fortune worth almost $127 billion - and one-time would be sparring partner of Elon Musk - says his goal is to "create some of the highest quality beef in the world" on the island of Kauai.

"The cattle are Wagyu and Angus, and they'll grow up eating macadamia meal and drinking beer that we grow and produce here on the ranch,” said the unlikely cowboy-cum-data-wrangler via his Instagram account.

Wagyu beef - specifically the Kobe variety - is the most expensive beef on the planet. The rearing of the animal, at least in the Land of the Rising Sun, is often said to involve the farmer massaging the cow, singing to it and in some cases pouring it a pint or two of the amber nectar. The name Wagyu translates into English as Japanese cow and includes four native breeds.

Angus, a breed of black or red cow, is referred to as Aberdeen Angus because it originates from north-east Scotland. Again, this is a fine quality meat yet it isn't lavished with the same level of affection that Wagyu is: Angus is grass fed, and in later life lives on corn and wheat.

Zuck said in his post: "We want the whole process to be local and vertically integrated. Each cow eats 5,000-10,0000 pounds of food each year, so that's a lot of macadamia trees."

It's just as well that Zuck owns 1,400 acre estate on which to rear the cattle: he bought 700 acres in 2014 and then in 2017 sued some locals that had land access rights going back generations to secure the perimeter. He later backed down. There's no point in Meta paying millions of dollars in security for Zuck each year if he can be reached. As we've pointed out before, the man likes his privacy, even if he cashes in on other's personal data.

Zuck reportedly added another 710 acres in 2021.

"My daughters help plant the Mac trees," he said, "and take care of our different animals. We're still early in the journey and it's fun improving on it every season. Of all my projects, this is the most delicious."

And possibly least nefarious… assuming you aren't a Hawaiian native.

At the end was last year, it emerged that Zuckerberg was bankrolling a costly construction project on his estate, which allegedly includes a 5,000 square foot underground shelter, plus self-sustaining energy and food stuff… and now we know what one of those foodstuffs is.

If the end times come though, Mark, taking those cattle into the bunker is going to be a squeeze, and it might get a bit farty too. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/01/10/zuckerberg/