Chapter 331 Pasture; Water Conservation Project
Bakersfield, California.
It was another pleasant day, but not a good one for Nitro Forage Company.
Barnes, an old white man, stood at the gate of the company and waited anxiously. The joy of obtaining huge profits from the futures market could not hide the sadness on his face.
I can’t understand that in just half a month, I have experienced the scorching heat of ice and fire.
Because he mastered the information about Tribulus terrestris mutants and fire ants in advance, he and AIG made a huge profit in the Chicago futures market in more than half a month.
However, something happened at home.
Before the grass was cut, Il Jacob, who stayed at the farm, reported that dodder had appeared in the alfalfa farm this year.
At first, he didn't pay attention because Chicago was at a critical moment and money came faster in the futures market.
But Il Jacob’s report did not stop.
Because of the parasitism of dodder, the alfalfa plants died. Existing methods cannot control it and the disease is likely to spread.
Barnes became a little worried and frequently called agricultural service companies and association experts to request assistance.
In the end, the problem was still not solved, but it was time for harvesting. Barnes breathed a sigh of relief. If he reduced production, he would reduce production. The quality would not be the same. The money earned in the futures market this time was more than enough to make up for it.
But in the end, the severity of the matter was unexpected. Just a week later, importers from island countries, South Korea and other countries not only refused to continue importing, but also applied for a large number of returns.
Even domestically, there are serious problems. Because the weeds have not been cleared away, many livestock have gastrointestinal pus and bleeding.
He realized something was wrong.
Hurry back to Bakersfield.
After waiting at the door for a while, Professor Putnam from Davis College finally arrived.
The group hurried to the farm again, where the farm manager Il Jacob had been waiting for them.
Barnes asked: "How are things going now?"
Il Jacob said in frustration: "The farm is finished."
Nitro's 180,000-acre alfalfa farm base is located at the junction of California and Arizona, close to the desert area, with drought and little rain, and climatic conditions It is extremely suitable for the growth of alfalfa, and the quality of the alfalfa produced is among the best in the world.
But as Barnes and Putnam drove through the farm, even though it had been mowed, they still saw devastation.
In late October, the temperature begins to drop, but in the farm, the situation is clear after mowing, and the dodder is clearly visible.
“How could this happen?”
Barnes' heart bleeds.
He is very clear about the harm caused by dodder to alfalfa. The parasitic dodder will absorb water and nutrients from the alfalfa, resulting in a decrease in yield and quality.
But he was fine when he left last time. How big a problem could go wrong in such a short period of time?
However, the dodder that could be seen everywhere hit him hard in the face. He even saw a dodder that spread more than ten meters in diameter.
The car stopped in front of this dodder plant.
Professor Putnam's face was also solemn. Under the entanglement and parasitism of dodder, the roots of this small circle of alfalfa had begun to rot and die.
“Have you sprayed all the pesticides?”
El Jacob said: “It’s useless even if you sprayed them. The chemicals that were effective in the past are all difficult to use this time. The root system of dodder will come back soon."
"Is it genetically modified grass seeds?"
"Some of them are."
Barnes was awakened and remembered the Tribulus terrestris mutant in Illinois. Nitro also had a biotechnology laboratory that had developed genetically modified pasture varieties a few years ago.
"The professor is saying that this dodder is also a mutant?"
"It should be." Putnam said: "Generally, dodder does not spread so fast. The base here It’s over, plant it again, and don’t plant anything that can be parasitized by dodder for a few years.”
“Is there really no other way?”
Putnam shook his head in silence.
It is twisted into sheets, and the diameter of one plant can reach 20m. It is difficult to be killed by chemicals, and the mortality rate of alfalfa plants is high...
Change to planting and plowing early so that there are no parasitic plants for dodder. This is the only way that can be thought of. .
A few people went to see the production situation in the seed fields again, and found that the production was severely reduced.
Putnam said: "This kind of seed should also be scrapped. It is mixed with too many dodder seeds and is useless."
Barnes felt half-hearted.
Alfalfa forage and seeds are Nitro's two main businesses, and now both the forage and seed bases have suffered a fatal blow.
Nitro’s foundation was destroyed in one fell swoop!
Professor Putnam took this matter very seriously, and in the next few days he visited several large ranches in California and Arizona.
The situation was not as serious as Nitro's alfalfa farm, but traces of dodder were also found.
Seven western states account for 99% of U.S. alfalfa exports, with California and Arizona accounting for the majority.
The trouble happened to be in these two states.
This made him feel like he was facing a powerful enemy.
In the international grass product market, demand is becoming increasingly strong, but quality is also becoming increasingly prominent in the competition.
Once dodder cannot be controlled, not only will its foreign trade advantage be lost, but the country's livestock industry will also suffer a heavy blow.
However, as soon as Davis College took action, the international alfalfa trade in the United States suffered heavy losses one after another.
Order volumes from island countries and South Korea continue to drop sharply, and those already traded are also suing the WTO.
Furthermore, due to the harm to livestock, the two countries have also introduced measures to restrict the import of alfalfa from the United States.
Subsequently, important alfalfa trading partners of the United States such as Saudi Arabia, Canada, Pakistan, Switzerland, India, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates also issued announcements one after another.
Alfalfa products will not be imported from the United States until the United States solves the quality problems of alfalfa products.
The business reputation that has been accumulated for decades has been damaged.
Alfalfa trade volume in Spain, France, China and other countries began to increase.
…
Jiuquan.
When Guo Yang returned to the company, he had been off work for a while, but when he passed by the Alfalfa Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Sales Department, there was a burst of noise.
So he stood at the door for a while.
"Malaysia also wants 5,000 tons? There is a feed and animal husbandry company in Aksai. It should have 5,000 tons left. Please contact me."
"The brilliant oat grass is not enough? How about sending it from Shandan? There are still 110,000 tons of oat straw in the first and third farms of Shandan Horse Farm.”
“Minqin Xinyuan Grass Industry and Shengyuan Agriculture still have more than 30,000 tons of alfalfa bales. Find the dealer. We are helping to coordinate.”
“Wuyuan’s alfalfa has been ordered by domestic dairy companies. Please contact Binhai Saline-alkali Land, and the quality will be lower.”
"South Korea still wants it. Let's ask the companies in Black Province to see if they can take it over."
"I won't take the order from the little devil. Why don't you take it? You're a bastard if you don't make money."
Lin Zhang walked out with a cigarette in his mouth, holding the phone in one hand and picking up the phone in the other. I took out the lighter and was about to light it when I saw the figure standing outside the door.
I shivered and almost lost my cigarette.
"Boss, why are you here? Come in and sit down?"
Lin Zhang was one of Yu Xiaochuan's former horses. After Yu Xiaochuan went to the Middle East, he recommended Lin Zhang to take up the position of Alfalfa Vice President of Sales of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.
There is nothing to say about his professional ability, but he has a bit of a martial arts vibe about him.
Guo Yang said with a smile: "It's okay, I see you are busy, I will listen at the door, business is doing very well recently."
"Foreign trade is doing very well this year, forage, seeds The export volume is growing rapidly, and companies with the ability to process are making money."
"Okay, you can go smoke. Oh, by the way, send me a recent order report."< br>
Walking to the office, Lin Zhang also sent the report.
There was a long list of companies listed on the table. Guo Yang counted 21 companies in the province.
In addition, Xinjiang, Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shandong and Heilongjiang also have more than ten companies each, with production capacity of more than 10,000 tons.
Taking it all together, the annual processing capacity exceeds 4 million tons, accounting for more than 80% of the country's total. The revenue from commercial forage sales alone has stabilized at more than 10 billion yuan.
These are the advantages brought by industrial clusters.
Companies capable of processing basically have some relationship with Jiahe, such as seeds, agricultural machinery, processing equipment... Through this bond, the leading forage companies in the country are closely connected.
Jointly formulate industry standards, coordinate production, maintain industry reputation, and jointly face domestic and foreign markets.
Before the rise of alfalfa farming and animal husbandry, domestic alfalfa production could stabilize at more than 20 million tons, but commercial alfalfa was less than 500,000 tons.
The quality is mostly at the second and third level, or even below the third level.
In the same period, most of the imported alfalfa was special grade and first-grade products, and the packaging, shelf life, and quality were higher than those of domestic alfalfa.
A few years have passed.
The entire industry has been turned upside down.
The yield per unit has been increased, the quality has been improved, logistics costs have been significantly reduced, commercial alfalfa production capacity has increased eightfold, and the income of the entire industry has increased significantly.
Due to the melamine incident, the dairy industry has increased demand for high-quality pasture.
This year alone, the demand for domestic commodity alfalfa is close to 2 million tons, and it is still growing rapidly.
In the international market, because the United States, the largest exporter of alfalfa, has been hit hard, prices are also rising.
The average price has reached US$396/ton, and Alfalfa No. 1 has even reached US$415/ton.
The domestic and foreign markets are booming, and the spring of the industry has arrived.
In addition to forage, the forage seed market is also getting better.
In fact, China has always been a major exporter of alfalfa seeds, exporting thousands of tons of seeds every year.
It’s just that the price of exported seeds is not high. Most of the time, the price is less than 2,000 US dollars/ton, which is equivalent to less than 10 yuan per catty.
However, due to the development of alfalfa industry clusters in recent years, many forage companies are engaged in specialized seed production.
In the past, the entry threshold for the pasture seed production industry was very low, and any village could produce it.
When market demand is strong, there is a rush, causing companies to bargain with each other and fall into disorderly competition.
But now that industrial clusters exist, advantageous companies have formed very high financial and technical thresholds, and scale has reduced production costs, making it difficult for latecomers to stand a chance.
The seed yield per mu has increased by leaps and bounds. In the past, it could only produce 40 to 50 kilograms of seeds, but now it can reach an average of more than 80 kilograms.
The brilliant seed industry and oasis grass industry in the head can generally reach the level of 120 to 160 kilograms/mu, and the alfalfa No. 1 has been stable at 200 kilograms/mu for a long time.
At the same time, due to specialized production, the quality qualification rate of alfalfa seeds has also increased from 40% to more than 80%, and the germination rate has been greatly improved.
A virtuous cycle of 'scale production - comprehensive promotion of technical experience - product quality improvement - smooth international trade - gradual stabilization of the market - scale development' has gradually formed.
Guo Yang couldn’t help but feel excited after reading the information.
The alfalfa industry is very critical in Jiahe’s system. It can not only control saline-alkali land, but also provide momentum for downstream dairy and meat industries.
It is also very friendly to soil and water conservation in the northwest.
Guo Yang weighed it in his mind for a moment. Jiahe Ecological Environment Restoration Company is composed of Algohe Engineering Department, which weakens Algore's functions.
In this case, let’s make the alfalfa more pure.
After having an idea, Guo Yang dialed Xie Shijie's phone number, exchanged a few words, and then got to the point and adjusted the business structure of Alfalfa.
The main business is alfalfa seed production and forage processing, supplemented by new variety breeding and forage processing.
Although the forage business is in full swing, Alfalfa's main income in the past two years still comes from Alfalfa No. 1 seeds. In 2006, revenue exceeded 10 billion, of which 8.5 billion was contributed by Alfalfa No. 1.
It is certain that this year’s revenue will exceed 20 billion yuan, but the revenue from the forage business is still only 20 to 3 billion yuan, which also includes acquisition and processing.
The pasture business cannot be given up.
However, the seed business must speed up its overseas expansion, including the export of Alfalfa No. 1 to some countries.
Building pasture bases overseas is also an option. Domestic farmland should not be developed too harshly, and it is best if it can be self-sufficient and export part of the surplus.
After taking care of the Alfalfa matter, Guo Yang started to deal with the serious business of working overtime today: capital planning.
The money earned from futures is a bit too much, totaling 184.8 billion yuan including principal and interest.
After thinking for a moment, Guo Yang began to write and draw on the blank document, calculating and revising at the same time. It took him more than an hour to come up with a draft.
First, the domestic warehousing and logistics plan is 15 billion yuan; overseas, we should also take advantage of the financial crisis to deploy 20 billion yuan. Total 35 billion;
2. Jiahe ecological environment restoration: Dunhuang West Lake Wetland, 30 billion;
3. Fengkai drip irrigation water-saving factory, 2 billion;
4. Jiahe Nutrition and Health Research Institute directly under the group, 1 billion ;
Fifth, the biochemical energy division directly under the group has a germplasm base of RMB 12 billion; four processing plants of RMB 4 billion;
Sixth, Jiahe grain and oil industry chain is complete, RMB 2 billion;
Seven; Hexi Dairy's alcoholic beverage company, 1 billion;
Eight, Jiahe Supermarket, 1 billion;
Nine, Denong Agricultural Products Supermarket, 4 billion, expanding to 20,000 stores nationwide;< br>
10. Shahai Agriculture and Animal Husbandry’s follow-up budget for next year is 1 billion...
There are a lot of lists, a total of 18 branches, two directly affiliated companies, basically all of them have been taken into consideration, and the total is less than 95 billion.
And this money cannot be invested all at once. It is basically a budget for 2 to 3 years.
Of course, this is just what he is thinking. Detailed plans must be reported by each branch.
However, he estimated that the funding requirements reported by the branch were not necessarily more than what he wrote. For example, in the case of bioenergy, the total amount planned by Ning Xiaojing was only 10 billion, which was 6 billion different from his.
Money is still valuable in this era, but at this point, the profit from the futures market is still nearly 90 billion.
If you include the income of Tianhe, Luhe, Hexi and Fengkai this year, the remaining funds are far more than 100 billion.
There was too much money, and Guo Yang didn't know how to spend it for a while. The main reason was that the current pace of development was already fast enough, and it would be a waste if it went any faster.
After thinking about it for a while, the best fund storage pool is the financial market.
However, there has been a lot of thunder in the financial circle recently, the global stock market is not peaceful, and the international commodity market is also making people feel uneasy.
There really isn’t much to do.
Except for certain investments, earning interest is the most stable.
Guo Yang sighed: "It's annoying!"
Lin Zhang knocked on the door with his briefcase slung across his body and asked: "Boss, what are you annoying about? Are you still busy?"
Guo Yang Pa He turned off the computer and said: "I'm not busy anymore. Let's go and have some midnight snacks together."
"That's great."
It was already late now, and there was no one in the office. The others, including Luo Xiu, walked towards the city.
On the way, Guo Yang also called Qu Yang, Yan Qun and other people who have not settled here, and then sent a message to the irrigation group.
The three of them found a barbecue restaurant with a better environment and ordered some red willow branch mutton skewers, lamb kidneys and the like.
Guo Yang asked: "Lin Zhang, where is your hometown?"
"Heyuan, Guangdong."
"That's quite far away."
< br>
Lin Zhang said: "I came to the northwest by chance. I first did foreign trade in Yangcheng. I met Mr. Yu at the Canton Fair and was brought to the northwest."
Guo Yang said: "In the past two years, I Are you doing well at Alfalfa? ”
“It’s great. The quality of the products is quite good. Except for the little devil’s attack at the beginning of this year, it has basically never fallen off the chain. Recently, the international market has gone crazy. ”< br>
“Have you ever thought about living in Jiuquan?”
“I have thought about it, but it’s not realistic.”
After a while, the skewers were served. The fat meat was grilled to a crispy texture, the lean meat was chewy and juicy, and the fat meat was suitable.
"Eat and wait." Guo Yang took a bunch for each of Lin Zhang and Luo Xiu and said, "What if the company distributes houses here?"
Lin Zhang said: "My family are all in Heyuan, and the conditions in Jiuquan are a bit worse."
This situation is very common in Jiahe, and many people who are recruited from other places have no intention of living here permanently.
After chatting for a while, Qu Yang and Yan Qun followed.
The two of them also live alone in Jiuquan. Fortunately for Qu Yang, he travels around on business for a long time and can return home from time to time.
Because Yan Qun is in charge of seed production, he basically lives in the Hexi Corridor. It is far and inconvenient to go home.
They also have quotas in the first batch of Jiahe employee houses, but with their income, a house is more symbolic.
Education, environment, economy...Jiuquan has no advantages in any area.
Just because Jiahe is here.
After drinking two bottles of wine, Qu Yang said: "Actually, many young people in Tianhe are willing to settle down in Jiuquan, but Jiuquan is too big, and there is a couple in the company. The girl is in Suzhou, and the boy has been in Yumen for a long time. This is different from other places. There is no difference."
"The proportion of boys in the grassroots class is too high. If you don't have any relationships in school, it will be even harder to talk about it after graduation."
Yan Qun said in a deep voice: "Actually, Jiahe is not bad. At least the salary is high, and there are advantages in going out on blind dates. When the staff housing is issued, the situation will only get better.”
The staff housing is more attractive to young people, they are all agricultural students, and few of them can live in the family. Provide assistance in buying a house.
Not to mention this is still 2007.
Regarding the staff room, the progress can be accelerated.
Don’t just limit yourself to Jiuquan. Branches in other places should also give due consideration and take advantage of the real estate boom to get started first.
Lin Zhang asked: "Boss, what are you bothering about when you get off work? That voice scared me."
The other people also looked over curiously. Lin Zhang explained.
Guo Yang raised his head and drank a glass of beer and said with a smile: "I have too much money."
"Huh?"
Everyone was dumbfounded.
As for Jiahe’s operations in the international futures market, a few people here only know that they made a lot of money, but they don’t know exactly how much.
Guo Yang revealed a little bit of the inside story.
How to take advantage of the news that domestic production will increase and go short, and then accurately judge that the United States will reduce production and go long.
The ups and downs of the exaggeration, which was slightly embellished, made several people listen with great concentration, and they also understood the group's confidence in promoting the national desert park.
But they still don’t understand the boss’s troubles.
…
Dunhuang, Reed Grass Forest Protection Station.
“Really passed?”
"Well, the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Forestry Administration have already met. The next step is to wait for approval from the top."
After hanging up the phone, Wu Xiong was still a little incredulous.
At this moment, he already knew the amount of Jiahe’s investment in the Dunhuang West Lake project: 30 billion yuan!
MD! It is enough to protect 100 West Lakes.
Wu Xiong couldn't wait to convey the news to Bao Hairong, Yuan Haifeng, Zhao Xin, Sun Xing and others.
Upon hearing this news, several guns in the Administration were shaken.
Bao Hairong asked: "Where is Secretary Wang? He hasn't come back from the province yet?"
At this time, Wu Xiong's phone rang again. After a while, he said with some regret : "Secretary Wang has been transferred to other places."
A group of people felt Jiahe's energy.
I can’t afford to offend you!
In name, the West Lake Management Bureau has supervisory responsibilities, but as long as Jiahe doesn't mess around, it can only cooperate with the work.
Not long after, Niu Hulin called Wu Xiong again. The newly established Jiahe Ecological Environment Restoration Company will bring a team of experts to formulate an implementation plan.
As for the on-site inspection, assistance from the administration is also needed.
Of course, there is a subsidy.
This made the people in the administration quite excited.
——
In the following days, Jiahe was going through various procedures, and it was expected to last for some time.
Guo Yang no longer worries about the use of funds. He still retains 20 billion in financial funds overseas, maintaining a sense of market participation with low risk.
Another 20 billion yuan is scattered in overseas banks to earn short-term interest, and participated in acquisitions during the financial crisis.
The remaining funds returned to China.
In addition to the funds needed by various companies, the remaining more than 50 billion is used to invest in low-risk investments such as real estate, Internet and technology companies, and bonds.
After arranging the use of funds, Guo Yang began to follow up on the most important aspect of the West Lake Wetland Project: fallow water conservation.
Fallow cultivation is very difficult at this stage and can only be piloted in small quantities, but water-saving drip irrigation is imperative.
After in-depth investigation, Guo Yang found out how low the water-saving irrigation rate of each farm was.
Note that this is not drip irrigation. Generally, anti-seepage trunk and branch canal systems are included in water-saving irrigation. In this way, the area covered by water-saving irrigation is less than 30%.
The actual area under drip irrigation is less than 100,000 acres.
The potential for water conservation is quite high, but implementation is also quite difficult.
During this period, Guo Yang personally stationed at the Water Conservancy Bureau and other departments, the purpose of which was naturally to support policies.
The city still has the strength to build some main and branch canal systems.
Wei Zheng, the top leader of the Municipal Water Conservancy Bureau, said after some wrangling: "There can be no more. There are 4 large irrigation districts, 7 key medium-sized irrigation districts, and the five-year water conservation target of 1 million acres. The target is to save 124 million m of water, which is already the city’s limit.”
Guo Yang said: "Five years is too long, three years is more appropriate, and the main and branch canals in the Shule River Basin should be completed next year."
Wei Zheng said: "Time is too late, "
Guo Yang looked at Qin Lijun aside and said, "Jiahe will promote corn and cotton drip irrigation in Yumen, Guazhou, and Dunhuang next spring. If the channel is not completed, the position of the head office will be lost. There is no way to choose a point."
Qin Lijun said in a deep voice: "Old Wei, we will do our best to protect the Shule River Basin, and we can slow down in other areas."
Wei Zhengdao: "Golden Pagoda, What to do when trouble occurs in Suzhou and other districts and counties?”
"Let them come to me." Qin Lijun said: "Mr. Guo, what do you think of this?"
Guo Yang smiled and said: "No problem."
The city is 124 million square meters, divided into At least one-third of the area reaches the Shule River Basin, which is 041.3 million m, and the first-phase target is 90 million m.
Including the pilot program of fallow, not to mention 10% fallow, but only 1% fallow, which is 70,000 acres, which is at least 20 million m2.
As long as the fallow area in the basin reaches 3%, the water saving goal can be achieved.
However, 3% is too difficult. It is more reliable to save water through the popularization of drip irrigation.
Qin Lijun said: "I have also made an appointment with the Provincial Farm Reclamation. Most of the farms in Jiuquan are owned by Yasheng Tianyuan. Jiahe should have had a lot of dealings with it, right?"
"Business "There are a lot of interactions with each other," Guo Yang said, "But I haven't met the senior management of Yasheng Farmland yet."
Long Province Agricultural Reclamation has three major companies: Yasheng Shares, Mogao Shares, and Manor Ranch. All are listed companies.
Yinma and Huanghua Farms in Yumen, as well as Dunhuang Farm, etc. all belong to Yasheng.
These farms are mainly involved in hops, spices, peppers, sunflower, wolfberry, cotton and other industries.
Qin Lijun said: "Tomorrow we will go to Xiaheqing Farm, senior executives of Nongken, Yasheng, and people from Tsingtao Brewery to inspect the beer garden area and meet together."
Qingdao Beer coming now? Guo Yang paused and said: "Okay."
(End of this chapter)