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

"Chairman, will there be any problems with this year's soybean planting?"

Fang Wei took Yang Feng as far as the Great Northern Wilderness, where they saw soybeans growing well along the way.

Yang Feng began to have some doubts about his previous judgment, after all, so many research institutions in China had failed to detect any problems with Monsanto's genetically modified soybean seeds.

You'll know the answer soon enough.

The growth cycle of soybeans in China is generally around 110 to 130 days. Even if the planting time is later in the north, the harvest will still come in August or September.

Therefore, Fang Wei did not answer the other party's question directly, but planned to let the facts speak for themselves when the time came.

"Chairman Fang, Assistant Yang, welcome to our office for an inspection."

The two were warmly welcomed by the local state-run farm upon their arrival.

The farm is currently undergoing restructuring and will no longer be called a farm but will become an agricultural group.

"You flatter us. We're here to visit and learn, and we hope we haven't caused you any trouble."

After exchanging a few polite words, the farm manager personally accompanied them to the farmland.

This year, the farm planted a significant amount of [Nan Dou 336] soybeans, as well as a portion of [Nan Dou 339]. This farm is a long-term customer of Yaoling Agriculture and its largest customer for soybean seeds.

Fang Wei walked around, occasionally stepping down from the field ridge to check on things.

The soybeans on the farm are growing well, and it is clear that they are highly resistant, a fact confirmed by the manager's explanation.

"Director Lu, soybean prices have fallen sharply recently. Do you think this will have a significant impact on the market?"

After returning from the fields, Fang Wei and Yang Feng followed the person in charge to the reception room.

Fang Wei felt it was necessary to remind the other party that, after all, the planting costs in China were slightly higher than in North America, and the country's ability to withstand price pressures was also weaker.

"There will definitely be an impact, but we have signed a price protection agreement with the relevant parties, and everyone will share part of the price loss, so it won't be too serious for us."

Farm manager Lu explained that the farm has a price guarantee agreement in hand, so at least there is no need to worry about losses.

He also mentioned that relevant departments have already conducted on-site inspections and plan to establish a soybean reserve system in order to prevent large fluctuations in soybean prices.

In essence, this means restricting certain international giants from causing trouble in the domestic market.

"Oh? That's good news. It means that international giants now have a counterparty, and it won't be so easy for them to manipulate soybean prices at will."

Fang Wei understood what the other party wanted to express and felt very gratified.

The relevant authorities are finally taking action to prevent the domestic soybean market from collapsing at this critical moment.

After leaving Northeast China, Fang Wei and Yang Feng returned to their village.

This trip took about a month, and the Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner.

"Third Brother, are you coming to Shenzhen for the Dragon Boat Festival?"

After resting at home for two days, Pan Lianhua called to ask Fang Wei where he planned to spend the holiday.

The family is now scattered in several places. Pan Lianhua and her sister are taking care of Xiaojie in Shenzhen, while Binbin and his wife and child are staying in Guangzhou. Now, only Fang Wei is left at home.

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to go. I'll go after the summer harvest."

Fang Wei was too lazy to make a trip to Shenzhen for the holiday, and Pan Lianhua didn't say anything either.

A few days passed quickly.

Good news came from the soybean breeding base: the [Nan Dou 339] variety has achieved a bumper harvest, yielding a large number of high-quality seeds.

Fang Wei was delighted. With this batch of [Nan Dou 339] seeds, soybean yields could be significantly increased for farmers. Although many farmers were planting Monsanto's genetically modified soybeans, the facts spoke for themselves: there was still hope for domestically produced soybeans.

Then came the summer harvest and planting season, and Fang Wei and Yang Feng embarked on their journey again, splitting up to conduct inspections.

This year, from New Year's Day until now, he has basically been busy, constantly running around.

This perfectly illustrates that this year has been a turbulent one, with one thing after another, and he dares not slack off for a moment.

The weather has been good this year, and Yaoling agriculture has once again ushered in a bumper harvest.

The production of rice seeds and paddy rice both reached record highs, and the production of seeds for other cash crops also increased. Yaoling Agriculture's profit figures for this year are expected to be very good.

【Nan Dou 339】seeds are on the market in bulk, but apart from our existing customers, not many other growers are buying them.

Perhaps the free admission effect of Monsanto is still present, and some people are planning to wait and see for a while, hoping to find a bargain.

Fang Wei wasn't in a hurry. As he always said, some people can only get rid of their habit of taking advantage of others after they've suffered losses.

"Chairman, the statistical data for each unit has been released. I've put the reports on the table for you to take a look at when you have time."

Yang Feng didn't need to interpret this quarter's report, because he and Fang Wei had been traveling around for the past six months and were very familiar with the situation on the front lines of production. Currently, Yaoling Agriculture's output and sales were not a major problem; the only issue was the soybean seeds.

[Nan Dou 339] Soybean seeds have entered the market in bulk for the first time, and it's normal that many growers are not buying them. This requires the company to increase its promotional efforts and also be prepared to compete head-on with Monsanto.

Time flies.

Soybean growers from south to north have begun harvesting one after another, and all those who planted Mengshangtuo genetically modified soybeans have achieved an unprecedented bumper harvest.

Genetically modified soybeans have a high yield, approaching 800 jin per mu. Although it doesn't reach the 900 jin advertised by Monsanto, this figure has already made many people ecstatic.

Soybean prices have been low for some time now, so while they can't make a lot of money, they can still make a profit.

"Are you just making up these shameless rumors out of jealousy, claiming that genetically modified seeds are harmful and will damage the land?"

"Exactly, exactly. This year, soybean prices are low because of the price. Once prices rise again, won't we make a fortune?"

Some farmers have developed blind faith in genetically modified soybeans and look down on domestically produced varieties.

However, some farmers were very cautious and hired people to test the soil after harvesting the soybeans. The results of this test left many people speechless.

The soil has been severely damaged, and at least a year of fallow time is needed to replant soybeans.

Planting other crops won't work either; if we insist on planting them, the yield will be disastrous.

This matter attracted the attention of the local agricultural department, and after authoritative identification, the culprit for this situation was indeed the genetically modified soybeans from Monsanto.

The relevant departments issued a notice, and the soybean farmers who were still immersed in the joy of the harvest were stunned.

Some people wanted to seek redress from the Monsanto agent, but the agent produced a disclaimer that was signed when the free soybean seeds were received and is legally binding.

They do not acknowledge that the problem lies with the seeds, nor are they deliberately stating it outright.

Next, someone might sue them. Putting aside whether they can win, the long wait alone could drive anyone crazy.

"Damn it, I'm never planting soybeans again."

For farmers, leaving land idle is the biggest loss.

Some people were heartbroken and decided to stop growing soybeans altogether, even preferring to work in the city instead.

Some people regretted it, feeling that they shouldn't have been greedy for small gains, and ended up suffering such a loss.

However, some people are relieved, as some of them have planted [Nan Dou 336]. Although the yield is not as high as that of the genetically modified soybeans in Monsanto, it does not damage the land.

I heard that Yaoling Agriculture recently launched a new generation of high-yield soybean variety, [Nan Dou 339], which has a higher yield and better quality than the genetically modified soybeans from Monsanto. Farmers immediately started snapping them up.

A tiny soybean can bring different kinds of joy and sorrow.

Authorities quickly halted the sale and free distribution of Monsanto genetically modified soybean seeds within the country. In short, cultivation is temporarily prohibited, pending the investigation results.

In fact, after this incident, who would dare to plant Monsanto's genetically modified soybeans?

Many farmers were indignant, and even international giants like Monsanto were not happy. They had planned for so long, and could have won in one fell swoop, but Yaoling Agriculture ruined things, preventing them from achieving their goal.

"Let's put aside Yaoling agriculture for now and speed things up, otherwise all our efforts will be in vain."

Even before the scandal broke, major companies had already begun buying up newly produced soybeans at low prices.

After the incident was exposed, there were actually very few soybeans left on the market, but the price was already difficult to suppress and began to rise spontaneously.

This matter wouldn't have been exposed so quickly. If it weren't for the rumors in the market that alerted some people, they would definitely have been able to complete the task of acquiring everything at low prices.

In fact, the giants overlooked a crucial factor: the relevant departments' stockpiling units quietly entered the market and acquired a considerable amount of soybeans without making a sound.

However, all the soybeans purchased were non-GMO soybeans; not a single GMO soybean was taken.

Large-scale non-GMO soybean growers are almost all major clients of Yaoling Industry. No wonder giants like Monsanto didn't notice; their secrecy is quite impressive.

"Is this the price guarantee agreement that Director Lu mentioned? It seems that soybean reserves will become a regular practice in the future."

Fang Wei couldn't help but laugh when he received news that the relevant authorities were stockpiling genetically modified soybeans.

He didn't expect the relevant departments to act so quickly, and the so-called "price guarantee agreement" finally came to light.

The price stipulated in the price guarantee agreement is higher than the current market price. Although it may seem that the storage units are at a loss, it actually ensures the normal operation of soybean production units.

If soybean prices become too high in the future, the storage units will release soybeans onto the market to help stabilize prices.

"A brilliant move! The international giants will drive up soybean prices next, and then we might see something interesting."

Yang Feng felt he had learned a great deal. Establishing a soybean storage unit and then entering the soybean storage market would likely give international giants a headache. (End of Chapter)