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

Xinlin County Oil Press mainly produces rapeseed oil and camellia oil, with camellia oil production being relatively small; rapeseed oil production is still the majority.

Yaoling Agriculture has been producing rapeseed for years, but it does not have a dedicated rapeseed planting base. The varieties it grows are all winter rapeseed, and it only produces one crop a year.

So when he heard Fang Wei's question, Lin Bingkun shook his head and said:
“Secretary, it’s not impossible to expand the rapeseed planting area now, but it’s a long-term solution that can’t solve the immediate problem. The autumn harvest is next month, and after that, we need to plant winter rapeseed. There simply isn’t enough time.”

Lin Bingkun thought for a long time but couldn't find a good solution.

The main problem is that time is too tight right now, and Yaoling Agriculture has never planted spring rapeseed before, nor does it have its own spring rapeseed seeds.

Generally speaking, winter rapeseed is grown in the south and spring rapeseed is grown in the north. In Hunan Province, for example, spring rapeseed is rarely grown.

So, from the time we start planning to contract new land until we reach an agreement and sign the contract, this year's winter rapeseed planting season will be over. If we want to plant, we'll have to wait until September or October next year, and the harvest won't be until the spring after next.

We really can't wait.

"Think about it carefully first, and we'll discuss it further when we find a suitable place."

Fang Wei nodded and told Lin Bingkun to go and choose a suitable place to grow rapeseed first, and then they could talk about other things.

The company now uses a "rice-rapeseed rotation" system for planting winter rapeseed, planting it in the order of early rice, late rice, and winter rapeseed, which has basically maximized the use of land.

Currently, this farming model is being used in Yaoling Cooperative, Breeding Center, Xinlin Farm, and Yangshan County.

The reason why rice and oilseed rotation were not implemented in Chenzhou and Hengzhou is mainly due to the consideration of soil fertility. After all, the soil and water conditions are different in each place, and the company must first ensure the smooth progress of rice production.

Lin Bingkun didn't mention the Chenzhou and Hengzhou bases earlier because, after testing, the winter rapeseed yields in those two locations were low, and they also wasted soil fertility.

With that in mind, Fang Wei made a phone call to the head of the research institute.

"Did you previously conduct trial plantings of [Nanyou 002] at your Hengzhou and Chenzhou bases?"

Fang Wei hadn't paid much attention to this matter, since the rapeseed yield was sufficient to meet the needs of edible oil production, and there was even a surplus.

However, things changed drastically during this period. Sales of the company's rapeseed oil increased significantly, leading to a shortage of raw materials. This was an unforeseen event, but the problem still needed to be solved.

Therefore, he set his sights on Chenzhou and Hengzhou.

"No, the first trial planting didn't go well, so we didn't continue the research. At that time, [Nanyou 002] hadn't been developed yet. Secretary, what's the situation now? Is there a shortage of raw materials?"

The research institute was confused about the changes in the market, which surprised the other party.

"We'll discuss the specifics when we meet. I plan to test-plant [Nanyou 002] in Hengzhou and Chenzhou, and you'll need to provide technical support. Also, you should start research on the next generation of rapeseed ahead of schedule."

Fang Wei didn't offer any further explanation; after giving some instructions, he hung up.

He had already made up his mind to try planting winter rapeseed in Hengzhou and Chenzhou, even if the yield was low. He would figure out how to improve the variety and increase the yield later.

in the afternoon.

He then called Lin Bingkun to his office to discuss the matter with him.

“Our rice-oilseed rotation technology is already very mature, but low yields will lead to increased costs. However, with the sharp rise in rapeseed prices, we can try planting it for one season as a supplement.”

Lin Bingkun had not considered planting rapeseed at the Hengzhou and Chenzhou bases before, mainly due to cost issues.

He believed that low yields would inevitably lead to higher planting costs, which he considered unprofitable.

However, the situation is different now. The price increase of rapeseed, which is the most difficult to deal with, has already covered the cost increase, so it can be used as an emergency measure.

"Okay, you can arrange this. After the autumn harvest, we'll try planting [Nanyou 002] winter rapeseed at the Hengzhou and Chenzhou bases. I'll let Cai Tong and the others know about it later. You can get busy now."

Fang Wei didn't intend to discuss this further with Cai Tong and the others; he would make the decision himself.

Lin Bingkun got up and left, knowing he would be spending another month or two on the production line.

Of course, he still needs to find a new place. Rapeseed cultivation does not require much from the land, and it is relatively easier to contract land.

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Several major companies have raised the price of edible oil, and the price of oilseed crops is now clearly on an upward trend. This round of price increases is unlikely to end anytime soon.

It's frustrating to say, but in recent years, everything we sell on the international market has gone up in price.

Domestic demand for edible oil has surged, causing international oilseed crop prices to skyrocket, leaving consumers with no recourse.

After discussing it, Fang Wei, Cai Tong, and others raised the price by the same amount, but the price of their cooking oil was still cheaper than that of international giants.

In short, they adopted a follower strategy, keeping a close eye on the major players and ignoring public opinion.

During the peak sales seasons of Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, Yaoling brand rapeseed oil's market share increased by 47% compared to the same period last year, making it one of the major rapeseed oil suppliers in China.

Fangwei's long-term strategy of not raising prices has been successful, its high cost-performance ratio has won people's hearts, and its quality is impeccable.

Within a short period of time, several more domestic edible oil manufacturers were unable to hold on and withdrew from the market one after another.

Liang Wenhui was still gritting his teeth and persevering, but everyone could see that he was just a grasshopper in autumn, not going to last much longer. The day before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Fang Wei returned to the village. Pan Lianhua and his sister were both at home, so he couldn't possibly spend the festival outside.

Binbin and Xiaojie couldn't leave, so the three of them had a meal with their older brother and sister-in-law, which was quite lively.

"Third Brother, do we really have to make cooking oil? Look how worried you are, you've even lost weight lately."

After dinner, Fang Ping and Tian Guihua went back, while Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua sat on the rooftop, drinking tea and admiring the moon.

Pan Lianhua noticed that the man had been working too hard lately and couldn't help but complain.

"Of course we have to keep going. Just look at how many jobs this industry chain provides."

Fang Wei disagreed. He thought that no one could do things without worrying. He considered himself a very laid-back business leader, and most entrepreneurs were more stressed than him.

"I'm not going to talk about it anymore. Every time I do, you come up with this argument. We're not like we used to be. We still need to take care of our health."

Pan Lianhua didn't want to argue with the man, so she advised him to take care of his health and then remained silent.

Fang Wei felt that there might have been a problem with her attitude just now, so she changed the subject. Before long, the couple continued to enjoy the moon, chatting and laughing.

A few days passed quickly.

News has spread in the market that Liang Wenhui's company has merged with another large state-owned enterprise, and the former will serve as the vice president of the new company.

The merged company owns oilseed crop planting bases and multiple factories, making it much larger than the Yaoling Group.

Fang Wei thought this was a good thing, after all, it was a relief for Liang Wenhui, not to mention that he had been given a good position.

Liang Wenhui even made a special phone call to him to thank him for his continued support and to express his hope for future collaborations.

Fang Wei knew this was just a polite remark. The new company had also established a complete industrial chain. Even if it couldn't be 100% self-sufficient in raw materials, it was still much better off than Liang Wenhui's previous situation.

Yaoling Agriculture soon entered the autumn harvest season. Fang Wei and Lin Bingkun were in Chenzhou and Hengzhou respectively, supervising the subsequent winter rapeseed planting.

"Previously, we tried planting winter rapeseed at the Chenzhou base, but the results were not ideal. This time, we planted the newest variety, [Nanyou 002], hoping that the situation will improve."

In addition, I see that the soil fertility is insufficient. The base has enough farmyard manure, so don't be stingy and add more fertilizer.

Fang Wei wasn't idle at the Chenzhou base either; he worked with personnel sent by the research institute to provide technical guidance to the base.

He also made minor adjustments to the attribute values ​​to adapt to the local climate and soil.

“Okay, Party Secretary! But I’m quite confident. No matter what, [Nanyou 002] is a high-yield rapeseed. Even if the yield is a little lower, it’s still better than others.”

The person in charge of the base did not think there was anything wrong with planting [Nanyou 002]. He believed that the first trial planting was not up to standard and that it was a problem with the variety.

He feels that the large-scale planting of the new varieties will yield good results.

"Whether it works or not, we'll let the data speak for itself. It's too early to say anything now."

Fang Wei did not continue to discuss this hypothetical topic with the other party, but instead inquired about some details from the base.

The other party told him that the winter temperature at the Chenzhou base was similar to that of Xinlin County, with an average temperature at most one or two degrees lower. In Hengzhou, the difference would be greater, with the average winter temperature even lower.

After considering it for a moment, Fang Wei adjusted the attribute values ​​again, slightly increasing the growth rate.

This ensures that the rapeseed seedlings emerge early, which is beneficial for their overwintering growth.

After leaving the Chenzhou base, he went to Hengzhou and adjusted the attribute values ​​according to the local conditions.

With excellent seeds and attribute bonuses, he refused to believe that large-scale planting would fail. This wasn't blind confidence, but rather because the previous generation of rapeseed varieties was relatively poor, at least far inferior to [Nanyou 002].

After leaving Hengzhou, he returned to the village, and Yang Feng took over the inspection work for the other production units.

After the autumn harvest, good news came from the experimental fields in Shenzhen: after multiple rounds of screening, a high-yield and salt-tolerant seawater rice variety has finally been cultivated.

Fang Wei didn't stay at home for more than a few days before preparing to run away again.

"Third Brother, I don't have anything else to do anyway, so I'll go with you."

Pan Lianhua, feeling restless, asked her older sister to stay and look after the house while she accompanied Fang Weiyi to the Shenzhen Experimental Field.

Two hundred mu (approximately 6.7 hectares) of experimental fields were used for breeding (screening), and another 200 mu (approximately 13.3 hectares) were used to trial-plant a batch of seawater rice. He observed that the results of both experimental fields were good, with the seawater rice yielding 930 jin (approximately 415 catties) per mu.

Of course, this data isn't actually that good.

After all, these seawater rice plants are grown within the designated planting area. If they were not grown within the designated area, he estimated that the yield per mu would not reach 800 jin.

That's just barely passing. (End of Chapter)