1994: Vegetable farmers strike back

Chapter 418 Seedlings
Early winter vegetables in Yuanmou are usually transplanted starting in September, but Yunling Agriculture began seedling preparations as early as the beginning of July.

Chen Jiazhi held a faxed document, which mainly listed the orders for winter and early spring vegetable seedlings this year.

Firstly, the customer base is very broad.

In addition to farmers and growers like Wang Daxin and Uncle Gui that Chen Jiazhi remembers, there are also more breeding and seed production institutes and companies.

In addition, Yunling Agriculture also needs a large number of seedlings for its own use. The 100-mu greenhouse in Huangguayuan Town has been fully built.

Yuanma's 50-mu greenhouse will actually have less space available for growing vegetables this year because it is used for seedling cultivation.

With all three categories combined, Yuanmou Seedling Farm received over 400 million seedlings in its first batch of orders this year.

It can be planted on an area of ​​approximately 1300 mu.

Compared to last year's free giveaways, this is a huge improvement, and the sales of seedlings have reached over 40 yuan.

While reviewing the data, Chen Jiazhi made a phone call to Yunling Farm. By the time Li Mingkun answered the phone, he had a thorough understanding of all the data.

"Boss, what do you need me for?"

Chen Jiazhi, holding the document, asked, "I've looked at the data. Are the grafted seedlings still not selling very well?"

Li Mingkun replied, "Yes, 15 cents per plant is a bit high. For example, the cost of seedlings for cucumbers is five or six hundred per mu, and for eggplants and tomatoes it is more than two hundred per mu."

Apart from a few farmers, seed companies and research institutes are unwilling to use grafted seedlings.

Chen Jiazhi was somewhat surprised and wondered if he had misheard, but after glancing at the document again, he confirmed that the row of grafted seedlings had been purchased by the farmers.

"Research institutes are poor, so it's understandable that they don't buy, but seed companies are rich, so why don't they buy either?"

“Seed companies also want to save costs, and they understand the technology and are very confident in their technology.”

Li Mingkun said with a hint of helplessness, "Like Ms. Lü Shuzhen, the general manager of Lvfeng Horticulture, she said that ordinary plug seedlings would be enough to meet her needs."

Using overly expensive items is actually a waste of money and not worthwhile.

Lü Shuzhen is the wife of Academician Hou Feng, who specializes in cucumbers. Chen Jiazhi also remembered her and pondered, "Later, please send five trays of grafted seedlings to President Lü so that she can carefully compare them this year."

"it is good."

Chen Jiazhi then asked, "Have the greenhouses in Huangguayuan Town started transplanting seedlings? What are they planning to plant?"

"The plan is to plant 40 mu of cucumbers, 30 mu of eggplants, and 30 mu of tomatoes, mainly for demonstration purposes." Li Mingkun paused and said, "The seedlings are being transported over for transplanting these past two days."

"Okay, let's keep up the good work and see if we can produce ten million seedlings this year."

Chen Jiazhi then asked about some information not found in the documents, thus gaining a basic understanding of Yunling Agriculture.

Yunling Agriculture's revenue still mainly comes from vegetables. Last year's greenhouse vegetables, especially the eggplants, had the longest harvest period, lasting until the end of May this year, which can be described as an extremely long standby time.

It perfectly embodies the aesthetics of striking after the enemy has made their move.

Chen Jiazhi couldn't help but think of the two acres of eggplants that Huang Chuan's parents planted in Lianzhou. They also had an exceptionally long growing season, and the vegetable prices were not low during the peak production period, so they made a fortune this year.

Similar examples must exist in Pengcun and Panyu. Promoting and selling seedlings is a long process that requires persistence year after year.

But now there is a trend of multiple points of development.

In Yuanmou, Li Mingkun, wearing short sleeves and shorts, walked towards the seedling shed. The intense ultraviolet rays turned his exposed skin into a bronze color.

To prevent the seedlings from being scorched by the sun, Yunling Farm specially purchased shade nets from Guangdong.

This is said to be the first time that shade nets have been used in Yuanmou.

But it is an excellent fit.

The characteristics of Yuanmou winter early vegetables dictate that seedlings must be cultivated during the hot and rainy season.

Strong sunlight can cause sunscald and other damage to vegetable seedlings, but shade nets can prevent this problem.

This also gives the seedlings from Yunling Nursery a competitive advantage in appearance.

The shade netting also makes working in the shed cooler and provides sun protection.

When Li Mingkun arrived at the seedling shed, the workers were loading the truck, and the seedlings in the plug trays were growing very well.

However, transportation is also a problem; on bumpy roads, the seedlings in the plug trays are easily scattered.

This problem exists in trucks, horse-drawn carriages, rickshaws, tricycles, and so on.

However, after growing vegetables for a long time, you will encounter all sorts of unexpected situations, and problems always need to be solved in practice.

Upon entering a seedling shed, Li Mingkun saw Ji Song, whose once fair skin had been tanned dark.

Standing next to Ji Song were a man and a woman.

The man is Qi Xinghuai, the manager of the greenhouse base in Huangguayuan Town, and the woman is Lü Shuzhen from Lvfeng Horticulture Company.

Upon seeing Li Mingkun arrive, Lü Shuzhen greeted him, "Director Li, I've brought you business again."

Li Mingkun smiled and said, "Welcome, Mr. Lü."

Ji Song explained from the side, "General Manager Lü has placed another order for cucumber seedlings, which are seedlings grown from seed, and will be delivered in October."

Li Mingkun turned to face Lü Shuzhen, pointed to the seedlings in the shed, and said, "President Lü, is it because our grafted seedlings are not good enough? Look at these seedlings, they are growing so well."

Lü Shuzhen said, "Director Li, your seedlings are also very good. For us, seedlings are enough."

"Grafted seedlings still have advantages."

After personally planting a batch of vegetables, Li Mingkun could appreciate the difference between the two types of seedlings.

Increased production is only one aspect; enhanced resilience also makes management easier and strengthens the ability to cope with risks.

Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to persuade her, Lü Shuzhen only wanted the cheaper seedlings.

Lü Shuzhen tossed her short hair and said, "Director Li, I've been involved in cucumber breeding and growing for decades. My team has a wealth of experience and technology. Even if we use seedlings grown from seed, the results might not be worse than your grafted seedlings." Hearing this, Ji Song, Qi Xinghuai, and Li Mingkun all frowned slightly.

But given Lü Shuzhen's status as the wife of Academician Huang Gua and an expert herself, it's only natural that she has this confidence.

It's still a bit annoying.

After placing the order, Lü Shuzhen left. Yunling Farm did a very good job, and the seedlings were indeed of good quality.

Lvfeng Horticulture has only been established for two years, has not yet developed any varieties, and is also under tight budget, so it tries to save money wherever possible.

She believes that in her and her team's hands, the difference between seedlings grown from seed and grafted seedlings should be minimal.

Seeing her retreating figure, Qi Xinghuai asked, "Director Li, Master Ji, are the advantages of grafted seedlings really that obvious?"

Ji Song was relatively young, and as the technical director of the nursery, many people called him Master Ji.

Ji Song said, "At least in terms of resistance to downy mildew and wilt, our grafting combination has obvious advantages."

Qi Xinghuai then asked, "How is the yield?"

Li Mingkun continued, "According to our observations last year, grafted cucumber seedlings grown outdoors are more resistant to low temperatures, have a longer harvesting period, and have a more obvious advantage in total yield."

But these are experts, after all; the real concern is that they might have some new technology or tricks up their sleeve.

Having spent so much time with Jia Zhi, Li Mingkun has a deep understanding of new technologies.

I still vividly remember the knowledge I learned from growing cucumbers and ridged loofahs at the Dongxiang vegetable market a couple of years ago. Ridged loofahs need to be pollinated at 5 pm, while cucumbers need to be pollinated in the morning.

The use of facilities such as small arched sheds and shade nets, as well as the cucumbers with blossoms and thorns that I learned about last year, all demonstrate the effectiveness of planting techniques.

Ji Song pondered and said, "If Lvfeng Horticulture achieves the same effect as grafted seedlings using seedlings grown from seed, it will be a significant blow to the promotion of grafted seedlings in nurseries."

Grafted seedlings are more complex to produce than seedlings grown from seed, and therefore more profitable.

Having already trained so many workers, the nursery naturally wants to sell more grafted seedlings.

Li Mingkun said solemnly, "Give it your all, Lao Qi. The pressure is on you and Yongxiang. It's fine if we can't compete in the open field, but we must make up for it with the vegetables in the greenhouse."

"I've never grown vegetables in a greenhouse, but I have grown cucumbers." Qi Xinghuai smiled. "I think it's too early to say that we can't compete."

When you take something seriously, you have to be diligent. This is especially true for growing vegetables, since all the work in the fields is done by people.

Even if Ms. Lü is more technically savvy than us, when it comes to working in the fields, she can't compare to me.

Qi Xinghuai's confidence reminded Li Mingkun of someone else.

He was also deeply inspired.

Jiazhi once said that his strength is that he is very steady in doing things, which makes people feel at ease, but sometimes he is too steady.

Li Mingkun is experiencing this firsthand.

He has personally grown vegetables in Yuanmou for a year and experienced firsthand the real difference between grafted seedlings and seedlings grown from seed.

Lvfeng Horticulture only arrived this year, and Lü Shuzhen is not familiar with the characteristics of Yuanmou winter and early vegetables.

The climate and environment of Yuanmou and Tianjin are different, and the occurrence patterns of pests and diseases are also different. The grafting combinations of the nursery are more adapted to local planting.

Compared to the newcomer Lvfeng Horticulture, Yunling Agriculture has many advantages.

It seems there's really nothing to be afraid of.

Li Mingkun took out a cigarette and lit it for Qi Xinghuai. "Well said, Lao Qi. The worst thing is to take things seriously. Just do it!"

"Leave it to me and Yongxiang. You can prepare to give me a big red envelope at the end of the year!"

"Hahaha, okay, I'll be waiting."

Li Mingkun realized that Jia Zhi was truly prescient; the people from the township science and technology bureaus in Yuanmou were all talented individuals.

Not only are they eloquent and skilled at dealing with people of all ethnic groups and resolving disputes, but they are also experts in farming. A little extra bonus will boost their morale; we've really struck gold.

...

In Huacheng, Chen Jiazhi was eating a pomelo that Yi Dinggan had picked from the mountain when he received a phone call.

When I answered the phone, it was Ji Song calling.

He discussed the training of grafting workers in Yuanmou and the progress of rootstock selection. Currently, there are grafting combinations that are quite adaptable to chili peppers.

Only at the very end did Ji Song mention the anecdote about Lü Shuzhen.

Li Mingkun's alarmed demeanor reminded Chen Jiazhi of the game of Texas Hold'em. When someone bluffs slightly, Chen Jiazhi becomes uneasy and wants to fold, even though he actually has the best hand on the table.

Fortunately, he finally realized what was happening.

Chen Jiazhi thought for a moment and said, "As long as the grafting cost is reduced, the problem is very simple."

Ji Song replied, "The grafting process has been continuously simplified, and the workers' proficiency has also improved rapidly."

Chen Jiazhi said, "If necessary, grafted seedlings can be sold at a loss first."

Ji Song smiled and said, "It shouldn't have come to that yet. Director Li and the others are very confident right now."

"Just have confidence."

After the conversation, Chen Jiazhi found out about the seedling situation in Panyu, Pengcun, and Lianzhou, and then added Yuanmou, Fanrong, and Zengcheng to the letter paper.

In fact, every location has a need for seedlings. Seedlings and vegetable markets can be combined or separated.

After thinking for a while, Chen Jiazhi decided to leave it at that.

(End of this chapter)