Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

after a few days.

The team has started harvesting rapeseed, and the next step is to plow the land.

This season's rapeseed harvest totaled 650,000 jin (325 tons), completing the statistical data for last year's cash crops.

In addition, the team also harvested 100 million jin of soybean seeds and 120 million jin of peanut seeds last year.

The peanut and soybean seeds brought in 756 million yuan in revenue for the team, exceeding the revenue from rice seed cultivation.

Harvest crops, points +650000

Harvest crops, points +1200000

Harvest crops, points +1000000

Total points: 6061550.

After harvesting the rapeseed, the oil was pressed, yielding a total of 195,000 jin (92.5 tons) of rapeseed oil. This oil was then distributed according to an average of 80 jin (40 catties) per person, resulting in a total of 160,000 jin (80 tons) of rapeseed oil being distributed.

The remaining 3.5 jin of rapeseed oil were put into storage.

Subsequently, the other brigades also harvested rapeseed one after another. The various rapeseed varieties tested performed differently, but the yield of each variety was not low, which broadened the horizons of the members of the 16 brigades.

After rigorous selection, Fengyou No. 7 was ultimately chosen as the variety for further cultivation.

This variety of winter rapeseed has a high yield and high oil extraction rate, making it very suitable for local cultivation. Its disadvantage is that it is less resistant to disease and pests.

With the added attribute bonuses, the [Fengyou No. 7] rapeseed mutated, resulting in a significant increase in yield and oil extraction rate. Most importantly, its resistance was fundamentally improved.

After pressing the oil, it was found that the quality and taste of [Fengyou No. 7] had changed significantly, and its quality can be described as perfect.

“Secretary Fang, according to our calculations, the yield of [Fengyou No. 7] rapeseed can reach 180 jin per mu, with an oil extraction rate of about 35%, which far exceeds the current rapeseed varieties.”

The person in charge of rapeseed breeding provided very convincing data, and Fang Wei nodded, indicating his approval of their experimental conclusions.

We haven't yet seen the yield limit for [Fengyou 7], meaning this rapeseed variety still has potential for further development. After one or two more plantings, the new rapeseed variety will be ready for market.

To distinguish it, the new rapeseed variety was named "Fengyou 726".

"Save the seeds, and after this autumn harvest, we will try planting this rapeseed in all the production brigades. Once the new rapeseed variety has stabilized, our next step will be breeding."

There's no doubt that cultivating seeds is more profitable than growing crops.

However, rapeseed affects the villagers' cooking oil supply, and how to balance this in the future is another problem.

Next, all the teams began preparations for spring planting, starting to plow the land in a planned manner.

The Xiatang brigade still had some diesel fuel, and tractors were definitely the main force for tilling the land, as they were much more efficient than manpower and animal power. However, the brigade's diesel fuel was limited, so when it came to sowing and transplanting rice seedlings, all the members of the commune had to work together.

After so many years of hard work and accumulating a large amount of agricultural machinery, in the end we still have to adopt this large-scale campaign approach.

"These monstrous things deserve a terrible death!"

Zheng Hu and the others would start cursing whenever they thought about it; it was the first time they had ever encountered something like this in their lives.

Fang Wei wasn't idle either; he continued to write down the chaos in Xinlin County and sent it to the capital. Some people had gone completely mad, and at this point, he had no choice but to stand up and fight them to the end.

Not long after he sent out the materials, he received a meeting notice.

A few days passed quickly.

Fang Wei, carrying a travel bag, took a train from Chenzhou to the capital.

He's used to this route, making the round trip at least once a year. Fortunately, given his status, he's entitled to a hard sleeper berth, so the journey isn't particularly arduous.

Upon arriving in Beijing, Fang Wei stepped out of the train station and shivered involuntarily as the cold wind blew. The spring chill was still in the air; the north was still quite cold at this time of year.

The meeting originally had no major agenda items, and the first two days proceeded smoothly. However, during the group discussion phase, the relevant parties presented materials previously submitted by Fang Wei, which immediately caused a huge uproar.

Food is the most important thing for people, and this is the first time that people have seen such restrictions on local agricultural production.

Many delegates expressed great indignation at Xinlin County's numerous checkpoints, restrictions on rice production, and the cutting off of oil and fertilizer supplies to the advanced breeding team.

"In recent years, our grain production has increased year after year, and the problem of tight grain supply has been greatly alleviated. But we are not at the point where we can't eat all the grain. What is the purpose of suppressing agricultural production like this?"

“Breeding work occupies a very important position in agricultural production. High-yield rice varieties developed by Comrade Fang Wei are our wealth. How can we take such punitive measures?”

"Of course, many production teams in Xinlin County have deviations in the distribution of resources and ideological work, which need to be corrected. But they cannot be dealt with in such a simple and crude way; they need to use more appropriate methods."

"We cannot unilaterally pursue grain production; we must also constantly strengthen ideological work. Comrade Fang Wei still has some ideological issues."

Although opinions differed on the issue of allocation, most representatives disagreed with Xinlin County's restrictions on agricultural production, especially its suppression of breeding work.

The biggest disagreement lies in how to view the development model of Xiatang Brigade, and the debate on this issue is particularly intense.

There are critics and supporters, and neither side can convince the other.

Fang Wei did not defend himself. His goal was to break the blockade imposed on Xiatang Brigade by some people, and he could ignore the criticism he received.

As long as the higher authorities do not define the brigade's actions, the Xiatang brigade will still have room for ambiguous operations.

Ultimately, the meeting rejected the development model of Xiatang Brigade, concluding that it was not suitable for publicity and promotion, and criticized the ideological work of Brigade Party Secretary Fang Wei.

However, the achievements of Fang Wei in vigorously promoting breeding work were also acknowledged, and relevant departments were strongly advised to lift the suppression of breeding work in Xinlin County and to do their utmost to ensure agricultural production.

Therefore, the materials submitted by Fang Wei ultimately resulted in the following outcome: Fang Wei himself was criticized, Xinlin County's actions were severely criticized, and relevant departments were required to take effective measures to correct the situation.

The previous investigation targeting the region and county has not yet yielded any results, and now a new round of actions has begun.

The fact that previous attempts to hold people accountable ultimately came to nothing indicates that there's a lot more to the story behind it all. Otherwise, how could some people in Xinlin County dare to be so arrogant?
The reason they are so fearless is that no one can touch them.

When Fang Wei returned to the team, the checkpoints set up on the county roads began to be removed one after another, and the oil and fertilizer supplies to Xiatang Brigade were allocated in full. However, the purchasing department was still strictly prohibited from purchasing second-grade rice seeds. Fang Wei didn't have time to argue with them anymore, and the 17 brigades of Yaoling Commune began their spring planting work one after another.

Under the unified arrangement of the coordination group, this season, all production teams in the commune will produce the "Nanguang No. 2" standardized rice seed and try to cultivate seeds of various cash crops and vegetables.

In other words, Yaoling Commune officially became a "breeding specialist" and, at least on the surface, would not be subject to any restrictions.

The county believed it had grasped the weaknesses of many production teams and attempted to force most of them to return to grain production rather than engage in breeding work by blocking the sales channels for secondary rice seeds.

They dare not restrict the production of standardized rice varieties because the higher authorities are keeping a close eye on it.

But they had no idea that all 17 production brigades of Yaoling Commune could now produce standardized rice seeds.

It's truly bizarre that the division between the upper and lower levels has reached such an extent.

Other communes, including Xiangyang Commune and Hongqi Commune, could not tolerate the sharp decline in income.

Most people adopted a "dual-track system," producing a portion of grain, including rations, public grain, and requisitioned grain, while cultivating as many secondary rice varieties as possible.

Now that the checkpoints have been removed, everyone will sell all the second-grade rice seeds to other places.

Rice seeds (second-grade) produced in Xinlin County are very popular in other counties. Firstly, they have a high yield, with a yield of nearly 1,000 jin per mu. Secondly, they are of good quality, with plump grains and a very good taste.

At this point, who can stop the ban on the private sale of rice seeds? If you don't even care about the second-grade rice seeds, what bans can the teams possibly follow?
In any case, the units that purchase the seeds are responsible for finding their own transportation methods, and each team can simply wait for the seeds to come to them, without having to bear any risk.

This period was one of intense clashes of ideas. There were forces hindering agricultural production, and forces promoting it. The convergence of these two forces gave rise to all sorts of strange and unusual phenomena.

People are much bolder than in previous years. In short, everything is for the purpose of increasing production and income.

"Secretary Fang, I have to thank you for speaking up for me this time! I heard you were also criticized? But thankfully it wasn't classified as a serious mistake, so a few words of criticism are fine."

"Yes, your brigade built new houses, and everyone moved in. The problem is, how many production brigades have your capabilities? They can't promote this model even if they wanted to."

Time flies, and the coordination group held another meeting.

In response to the problems that arose during the spring planting process, everyone brainstormed and came up with solutions.

The situation is now clear: the standardized rice seeds can be sold directly to the purchasing department, and grain supply quotas can also be obtained. So the only question now is whether the 16 production brigades can successfully cultivate the standardized rice seeds.
Fang Wei promised that the Xiatang Brigade would send breeding technicians to various brigades to provide technical guidance.

In reality, all of this is just for show, done to impress others. With the attribute bonuses, cultivating standardized rice varieties is a piece of cake, with virtually no possibility of failure.

However, they encountered some trouble in cultivating various cash crop seeds and vegetable seeds, because the other 16 brigades had never done it before and had no experience at all.

This requires a coordination team to step in and organize short-term training and follow-up technical guidance.

Only now have people realized that the "mutual aid and coordination groups" that were initially established for emergency purposes actually played a huge role in agricultural production.

It not only enabled the advanced to lead the less advanced, but also achieved resource sharing.

"Everyone, let's not stand on ceremony. Mutual assistance is the original intention of the coordination group. I think that new residential buildings like ours will be rolled out in all brigades in the future."

Fang Wei painted a rosy picture for everyone, and they all fell for it, laughing heartily.

After the meeting, everyone went to the second team's canteen for a meal, and Fang Wei even contributed a lot of rice wine. In fact, if it continued to develop according to the "coordination group" model, it would definitely become an "advanced agricultural cooperative."

In short, everyone's cooperation is limited to agricultural production, and they are not afraid of what others will say even if it is brought into the open.

The next day.

Fang Wei invited some experts to conduct the final inspection of the [New Residential Buildings] project.

Now, not only are all the new houses completed, but all the supporting projects have also been completed and put into operation. The villagers now have access to running water, and the sewage network has also been built.

Wastewater can only be discharged after it has been purified in a treatment pond.

In addition, streetlights have been installed in the new residential area, and the area has been landscaped, resulting in a clean and beautiful environment.

“Secretary Fang, as per your request, we have built a biogas digester at a safe distance, which can provide fuel for tobacco curing barns, canteens, pig farms, poultry houses, etc.”

Fang Wei originally planned to build a biogas digester for every household, but later abandoned the idea due to safety and cost considerations.

Later, a large biogas digester was built separately to produce biogas and fertilizer.

The villagers are still using firewood as fuel. Once the technology is more advanced, the team might consider connecting every household to biogas. Of course, with societal development, gas cylinders will become commonplace, making things less complicated.

"Let's go check out the cafeteria."

The Xiatang Brigade has a considerable number of transient personnel, including those who come to visit and learn, as well as those who go to the mountains for scientific research.

The canteen solves the problem of meals for these outsiders. Consequently, the annual consumption of food, various supplies, and fuel is enormous.

Taking advantage of this new residential construction project, biogas has been connected to the canteen. For example, biogas can be used in some steaming and cooking processes, but coal is still needed for stir-frying.

In addition, biogas can also be used to process camellia seeds and rapeseed. If Fang Wei leads everyone to make loquat syrup, biogas can also be used.

In short, biogas can be used wherever fuel is needed, but it cannot be used for cooking at home.

After a full day, the acceptance process was finally completed.

Fang Wei then settled the final payment with the construction company, as well as the subsidies paid to the members who participated in the project.

The new residential building project is finally completed. This is the largest project he has undertaken since becoming the brigade's Party branch secretary.

Currently, all the production teams are cultivating seedlings, and transplanting will only begin after the seedlings are cultivated. Only then will the planting work for this season be completely finished.

Agricultural production is repetitive labor, but this year is slightly different because each team used a small amount of chemical fertilizer.

Not all farmland was used; only a small portion was used. A comparison will be made at the summer harvest. (End of Chapter)