Flexible Farming and Harvesting "Order" for Old Farmers with New Experience in Wheat Harvesting | Services | Wheat Harvesting

Gaotang is a major grain producing county in Shandong Province. In this county, the land managed by small farmers aged 60 and above accounts for more than 70% of the county's planting area. These old hands who were active in the fields used to rely on a hoe and a sickle to manage their own one acre and three parts of land, but today, with the gradual promotion of modern farming methods, they have a different wheat harvesting experience.

The New Experience of Wheat Harvesting for Old Farmers

Liu Zhihua, who is 64 years old this year, is a villager from Yingmaxin Village, Gaotang County. Although his children are all working outside and his family lacks strong labor, he and his wife have planted more than 30 acres of land.

Liu Zhihua, a villager from Yingmaxin Village, Liulishi Town, Gaotang County: Farming now is very convenient. You see, the wheat is ripe. We just watch the unloading of the wheat here, without the need for people to cut it. It's really worry free, it's different from before.

Old Liu told reporters that there are over 500 households in Yingmaxin Village, Gaotang County where he is located. In recent years, as young people go out to work, the main force of grain cultivation in the village has suddenly become the elderly.

Dong Hejiang, Director of the Agricultural Socialization Service Office of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Gaotang County: They have a strong emotional attachment to land, and it is more reassuring to cultivate it on their own. They still rely on traditional experience and old-fashioned farming methods, which cannot increase grain production.

A phenomenon like Yingma New Village is very common throughout the country. Currently, there are approximately 207 million agricultural operators in China, of which over 98% are small farmers. Small farmers account for 70% of the total cultivated land area. This situation is also a thorny issue that troubles various regions to further enhance grain production capacity.

The predicament of Yingma New Village began to turn around in 2021, and in that year, Gaotang County became one of the first pilot counties in China to carry out agricultural socialized services. Without the transfer of land management rights, develop agricultural production trusteeship, connect with scattered small farmers, and provide them with a "one-stop" full process trusteeship service for cultivation, planting, management, and collection, or a "menu style" half process trusteeship service.

Dong Hejiang, Director of the Agricultural Socialization Service Office of the Agriculture and Rural Bureau of Gaotang County: Let agricultural socialization service organizations participate, organize small farmers, and let agricultural socialization service organizations help them with farming.

New farmers farming, old farmers increasing income

The social service organization has arrived, but the initial connection was not smooth. The reason is that the elderly believe more in their down-to-earth farming experience, are not familiar with new technological methods, and have many concerns.

Han Qingfeng, a staff member from Liulishi Town, Gaotang County: Whoever doesn't believe it, whoever has concerns, you have to keep an eye on every aspect. You put forward your rectification suggestions on the spot, and we will promptly implement them accordingly. At first glance, the common people seemed to have done what they said and only then did they push this matter aside.

The elderly have gained some trust, and these service organizations have also demonstrated "eighteen martial arts", from soil testing formulas, seed coating, suppression technology to unified prevention and control, a series of new technologies and varieties have been applied and promoted, allowing the elderly to flexibly order according to their own needs.

Liu Zhihua, a villager from Yingmaxin Village, Liulishi Town, Gaotang County: Drones are evenly and solidly used for pesticide spraying, and their proportions are also scientific. They use rust and powdery mildew prevention methods, but we didn't know how to use them ourselves. Our own cultivation yields a thousand kilograms per mu. This year, through trusteeship, the minimum yield per mu of land is 1200-1300 kilograms.

Liu Zhihua, a villager from Yingmaxin Village, Liulishi Town, Gaotang County: The cost does not increase. They use scientific farming, so they can apply as much fertilizer as needed. I calculated that one acre of land can save 40 yuan in cost.

The modern agricultural production methods brought by socialized service organizations have given Liu Zhihua and his wife, two elderly people in their 60s, the confidence to easily plant over 30 acres of land. At present, there are 152 agricultural socialized service organizations in Gaotang County, with a service area of 1.196 million mu, accounting for more than 80% of the total area. This also makes local elderly people like Lao Liu more flexible and relaxed in farming.

Liu Zhihua, a villager from Yingmaxin Village, Liulishi Town, Gaotang County: As long as I have the time, ability, and physical conditions permit, I will manage a part of it myself. If I cannot manage it, I will ask the service organization to take care of it, so it is very free.

With the gradual recognition of custody services by small farmers like Lao Liu, the area of custody is also constantly expanding. This has also attracted enterprises such as Shandong Seed Industry Group to carry out contract agriculture in Gaotang, and small farmers have been connected to the large market.

Wang Miaomiao, the mayor of Liulisi Town, Gaotang County: 40% of the land in the town has signed a breeding contract with the seed industry group. The contract is calculated based on selling an extra 10 cents per kilogram, and the yield is calculated based on 1000 kilograms per acre. This will increase the income per acre by 100 yuan, and the income of 30000 acres of land in the town will increase by 3 million yuan.