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

"Since no one has any objections, then President Cai's production plan will be approved."

Fang Wei chaired the meeting and approved the production plan for the coming year.

This year, none of the units are planting rapeseed for winter, so most members have little to do. The directors of several cooperatives discussed organizing more activities during the off-season.

The first step is to hold a table tennis league, with teams registering as a unit and then playing a round-robin tournament.

The three winning teams will receive a prize, and all participants will also receive some subsidies. Overall, the cost is not high, but it is very popular among the club members.

Fang Wei even went to watch two matches. The skill level wasn't important; what mattered was the high level of participation.

Next up are badminton tournaments, mobile film screenings, a special film week held in the auditorium, and an "Agricultural Knowledge Competition" before the end of the year.

Engaging in healthy and beneficial activities is far better than everyone staying home all day playing cards.

The cooperative no longer has a production function, which has long been transferred to Yaoling Agriculture. What remains is only a service function, such as improving everyone's living and working environment and organizing activities.

Fang Wei was very satisfied with the performance of the directors of each cooperative.

morning.

Fang Wei looked at a few documents in his office and then went to the research institute.

"Secretary Fang, we haven't made much progress on the task you assigned us. We're ashamed!"

The researchers at the institute and their colleagues at the crop research institute were all somewhat hesitant to face Fang Wei.

After accepting the task assigned by Fang Wei, they began researching the next generation of high-yield soybeans. Fang Wei provided a framework of technical roadmaps, and they thought things would go smoothly, but they didn't even take the first step.

Researchers painstakingly sourced multiple soybean varieties, screened them, and then bred them in different directions.

Unfortunately, they have yet to see any hope of success, causing them great distress. Some want to follow the path of their foreign counterparts in genetically modified breeding, but unfortunately, this technology has not yet been fully mastered.

"Scientific research is like this; the process is not only long but also painful. Don't be discouraged. We must persevere. Once we break through the first step, the road ahead will be much wider."

Fang Wei encouraged everyone and then went to check on several soybean varieties that were currently being cultivated.

The project team is currently using traditional breeding methods, with round after round of cultivation just to find those special individuals, which are actually mutant plants.

It's really like waiting for a pie to fall from the sky; it's a cycle that goes on and on, both arduous and tedious.

"Secretary Fang, how about we change our technical approach and try hybrid soybeans?"

Some people are discouraged and wonder if they can change tracks.

Since traditional breeding methods are ineffective, it's better to pursue the hybrid soybean technology route. In reality, cultivating hybrid soybeans is even more difficult, and they have no other choice.

"Try again. Also, give me some seeds of the varieties you are currently cultivating, and I will let the breeding team in the Yao village give them a try."

When the research hit a bottleneck, Fang Wei naturally had to step in personally.

After all, he is the ultimate beneficiary (in terms of economic benefits), ownership belongs to him, and academic achievements can be shared with the research institute and the crop research institute.

So at this point, he used his trump card, taking advantage of the inexplicable good fortune of the Yao village experimental field to ensure the success of the first step of the breeding project.

However, there's no rush for this project; we can let Wang Songlin and his team work on it at their own pace.

Shortly after, Fang Wei left the research institute and went directly to the Yao village.

Wang Songlin accepted the experimental project. For the breeding team, this was a task that was handled by the factory and was not difficult at all.

"Third Brother, shouldn't we just continue with the old method of nurturing them in rounds?"

"That's right, your task is to screen out qualified mutant strains and eventually find the variety we need."

Everyone was familiar with traditional breeding methods, so Fang Wei gave a brief explanation and left the Yao village.

He didn't know how long it would take for the breeding team to see results; luck played a part, and it wasn't something that could be solved by hard work alone.

Fortunately, there is no time limit, so we can just move forward slowly.

This afternoon.

Fang Wei didn't go to the office; he was sitting at home drinking tea. There wasn't much to do lately, and when he went to the office, it was only to look at documents and pick up the newspaper.

Zhang Chu suddenly walked in, startling him.

"Old Zhang, why did you suddenly come back from the provincial capital? Is something wrong?"

"Yes, Party Secretary, we've run into some trouble with our raw material supply. A chili sauce factory has been quietly built in Qinghe County, and they're raising prices to buy Yaoling chilies from our contracted growers."

"I didn't notice this at first, but then I realized the seriousness of the problem when I saw the quantity of chilies being purchased was decreasing. I sent people to investigate and that's how we discovered this situation." Zhang Chu quickly explained the whole story, making Fang Wei roll her eyes.

Economic behavior is currently subject to fewer constraints, and people generally lack integrity. This isn't the first time a farmer has prioritized profit over ethics; if he hadn't been so busy before, he would have already tried to secure his own raw material supply.

How long can the factory's raw material supply last?

Fang Wei didn't dwell on the details, but instead asked about the most crucial point.

"We can hold out until April or May next year without any problem. After all, the farmers in our county haven't betrayed us. This time, it's all the farmers from other counties who have turned against us."

At the time, the idea was to diversify the risks, so Zhao Jinsheng came forward to find several raw material supply bases and signed contracts with the growers.

Our cooperation has always been good, but who would have thought that someone would throw away their integrity again when faced with profit? These days, lawsuits are a real hassle, and even if you win, it'll probably be ages before you know it.

The company's relevant departments will naturally handle the disputes with these farmers, but they cannot solve the problem of raw material supply.

Fang Wei's previously proposed "company + farmer" model has suffered another major blow, resulting in a crisis of trust.

“Then let’s establish our own chili pepper planting base. You can talk to General Manager Cai about this. General Manager Cai and Yangshan County have a verbal agreement that if we need dry land, they can provide us with at least 2 mu of land.”

As the company has grown to its current state, it has long since developed a complete set of crisis management plans.

Because of the long-term agreements Zhao Jinsheng had previously signed with the farmers, Fang Wei had no intention of abandoning them. Now that a large number of farmers were breaching their contracts, it became necessary to establish their own chili pepper cultivation base.

Cai Tong had already made a verbal agreement with Yangshan County, which was actually to prepare for the current situation.

"I knew it! How could the company be stumped by such a small difficulty? But, Secretary, what's the story behind that chili sauce factory in Qinghe County? I have a feeling they're up to no good."

Zhang Chu thought of the chili sauce factory in Qinghe County and felt a sense of unease.

"Is there any need to say more? They've already started undermining your foundation. What else could they be but an enemy? You don't need to worry about this. I'll have someone investigate, and we'll soon find out which kind of monsters they are."

Fang Wei already had a guess in his mind, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he planned to have someone investigate.

Zhang Chu then left the office to call Cai Tong to discuss establishing a chili pepper planting base in Yangshan County.

Currently, some farmers in the county have signed contracts with food companies, but their numbers are not large and their output is limited, so establishing their own raw material supply base is urgent.

The county doesn't have much extra land, and negotiating cooperation with other townships would take a lot of time, so it's better to talk to Yangshan County first.

After all, there was a verbal agreement beforehand, and as long as the other party doesn't go back on their word, the matter can be implemented quickly.

The next day, Luo Zhimin rushed over in a hurry.

“Secretary Fang, there’s a saying that good things shouldn’t go to outsiders. You trust Yangshan County that much? I have an idea. Xiangyang Town has 2 mu of excellent dry land, with flat and contiguous plots. Why don’t you Yaoling Agriculture contract it out?”

Luo Zhimin couldn't help but be anxious. Yaoling Agriculture had already moved its food company away, and if the factory were to be moved as well, it would be a huge loss for the county.

He had to do something to keep the company afloat.

As a result, he learned that the chili sauce factory was experiencing problems with its raw material supply. He then held a meeting overnight with Secretary Ma and others from Xiangyang Town and finalized the agreement to allocate 2 mu of dry land for cooperation with Yaoling Agriculture.

So, Luo Zhimin came to find Fang Wei early in the morning.

"Oh? Xiangyang Town agreed? The county is not only well-informed, but they also acted very quickly this time."

Fang Wei was quite surprised by what the other party said, so she was somewhat skeptical.

Xinlin County is rather conservative in many ways. Luo Zhimin is a principled person, but certainly not one to be enterprising. However, the developments in Yaoling agriculture have a significant impact on the county, and Luo Zhimin certainly cannot sit idly by.

"Secretary Fang, let's go to Xiangyang Town now."

Luo Zhimin noticed Fang Wei's hesitation and immediately took him to Xiangyang Town to find Secretary Ma.

By this time, the leadership of Xiangyang Town had almost arrived and had begun mobilizing the farmers. Their efficiency was simply astonishing, even surprising Luo Zhimin.

Fang Wei saw the sincerity of the other party and put aside her previous worries.

“Secretary Fang, as long as the contract fee offered by Yaoling Agriculture is not excessive, I guarantee that the contract can be completed within a month.”

No one knows Fang Wei's asking price yet, but based on the example of Qianjin Township, as long as Yaoling Agriculture offers the same contract fee, this deal is guaranteed to succeed.

Conditions in Xiangyang Town are not good; the paddy fields are scattered, and irrigation is troublesome. These 2 mu of dry land look good, but in reality, they have never yielded the expected benefits.

For example, the town lacks water resources, and drilling wells would require drilling deep wells. In the past, the commune didn't have the money to drill them, and now that the land has been distributed to individual households, it's even more impossible.

If Yaoling Agriculture wants to grow chili peppers on these 2 mu of dry land, initial investment is inevitable. (End of Chapter)