Developer turns to farming member vegetables and builds a brand online
On transferred land, he exclusively grows "member vegetables"
Developer returns home to become a vegetable farmer, this year's income could reach 2 million
Li Hongtao says that although no chemical fertilizer was applied, the Chinese cabbages grown are still not small in size.
Li Daxing, 70, and many other villagers came to work at the vegetable base growing vegetables.
The land is in contiguous plots, breaking the field ridges that separate household from household, and is suitable for mechanized large-scale operations, allowing unified varieties, unified land preparation and sowing, unified fertilizer and water management, and unified pest control, greatly saving labor costs... The answer to the benefits of land transfer can be found at the vegetable base in Lijiapo Village, Jiangshan Town, Laixi. According to reports, in recent years, Li Hongtao, the person in charge of the vegetable base, has transferred more than 600 mu of land to grow vegetables using traditional methods. The vegetables grown are not only safe and healthy, but can also sell at high prices, with considerable benefits. Annual profit is expected to reach more than 2 million yuan, greatly increasing land returns. The vegetable base has also created employment opportunities for villagers who have transferred their land, especially some elderly people over 60, whose annual income exceeds 20,000 yuan. Now, after the success of his planting experiments, Li Hongtao has also caught the express train of Internet Plus in the sales segment, truly becoming a trendsetter of the times.
Developer returns to the village to become a farmer
Li Hongtao is 40 this year. This should count as his second venture, and this time he has poured almost all his efforts into it.
On the afternoon of November 20, inside a plastic greenhouse, the newly planted garland chrysanthemum had just sprouted tender buds. Li Hongtao was inspecting the growth of the vegetables in the field. Then he walked into the cauliflower field. Because it had rained before, the soil in the field was still very wet. After only a few steps, his shoes were covered in mud. After walking out of the cauliflower field, he shook his foot hard, but still got his shoes dirty.
Who would have thought that Li Hongtao, who deals with the land almost every day, was not a farmer before, but a real estate developer. Li Hongtao is a native villager of Lijiapo Village, Jiangshan Town, Laixi. In his early years, he made his fortune by operating in real estate. Although he had money, he always had the feelings of a farmer.
"Farmers growing land all rely on heaven for their food. Without a brand, the price cannot be raised, and the added value of the land is too low. Moreover, because of the abuse of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, the grain and vegetables grown in the fields are not safe and reassuring to eat... So can this current situation be changed?" Li Hongtao often thought silently in his heart.
"Under the traditional planting model without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, didn't our ancestors still manage to grow grain and raise generation after generation?" So in 2009, he made a decision - return to the village to farm the land and become a farmer, growing healthy vegetables!
That year, he returned to the village and was appointed village Party branch secretary. He then took out the funds he had accumulated from his previous real estate work and, through transfer, first contracted more than 100 mu of land, and at the same time established the Qingdao Xingfu Laojia Agricultural Products Planting Professional Cooperative. He signed agreements with many villagers, obtained their land management rights, and paid the villagers certain fees.
Insists on applying no chemical fertilizer and spraying no pesticide
The so-called traditional planting model, in Li Hongtao's view, means applying not a single grain of chemical fertilizer and spraying not a single drop of pesticide, "so what he uses is all farmyard manure." At the northernmost end of the planting base, there is a soil mound completely covered with plastic. This is where Li Hongtao composts farmyard manure. "The main components of farmyard manure are chicken manure, cow manure, and crushed straw. After a period of sealed fermentation, it becomes the farmyard manure I use," Li Hongtao said. Laixi has many cattle farms and chicken farms, which also provides convenient conditions for him to make his own farmyard manure.
In addition to not applying chemical fertilizer, Li Hongtao's planting base also never sprays pesticides. During the visit, the reporter found that many plots had sticky insect boards set up, covered with all kinds of insects. Li Hongtao revealed that in addition to sticky insect boards, he also uses tools such as insect-proof nets and insect-killing lamps, all of which can effectively deal with various insects. "I also regularly hire workers to go directly into the fields to catch insects. Although it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, it ensures the safety of the vegetables." Li Hongtao is proud of this.
"Not applying chemical fertilizer and not spraying pesticide, this point must be achieved." Li Hongtao said that he once hired an experienced technician from elsewhere. After seeing the pests in the field, the technician secretly told workers to spray pesticide. "When I learned about this, I could only very tactfully dismiss this technician." Li Hongtao said that in the technician's view, spraying pesticide might be the best way to kill insects and was good for the growth of vegetables, "but I cannot give up halfway. I must ensure that my planting method is not changed."
During the visit, the reporter also saw that some milk cartons were piled up at many field edges. Li Hongtao said that this milk was used by him to "feed" the vegetables. Milk can not only increase the protein content of vegetables, but more importantly, it can make the vegetables taste better. "Laixi has many cattle farms and also many milk processing enterprises. Some milk that has just passed its shelf life is bought by me to 'feed' the vegetables."
Although no chemical fertilizer was applied and no pesticide was sprayed, the various vegetables in Li Hongtao's vegetable base did not become smaller in size; instead, their quality became even higher. Li Hongtao pulled a large Chinese cabbage from the cabbage field and said, "Look at this cabbage. It must weigh at least more than ten jin, not at all smaller than cabbage grown with chemical fertilizer."
Li Hongtao introduced that growing vegetables had not been smooth sailing for him. He began growing vegetables in 2009 and encountered setbacks repeatedly at first, but he did not give up and kept exploring, so his vegetable-growing experience became richer and richer. "Especially since last year, it seems I have had an inspiration, and I feel that success is not far away." Sure enough, 2015 was a year of harvest for Li Hongtao. Not only did the yield of the vegetables he grew increase several times, but more importantly, the quality also advanced by leaps and bounds and gained consumer recognition.
Sales catch the "Internet Plus" express
Zero pesticides and zero chemical fertilizers are Li Hongtao's vegetable standards. In sales, he uses a membership system. Li Hongtao explained that this method is essentially contract farming.
Customers can buy membership cards to become members. Membership cards are divided into many types, including annual cards, monthly cards, and trial cards, with face values ranging from several hundred to several thousand. Li Hongtao gave an example: an annual card with a face value of 7,266 yuan allows 60 free deliveries of healthy vegetables. The supply season is mainly from May to November, with two deliveries per week of 6 to 8 kinds of seasonal field vegetables. "It looks like the price is very high, but in fact, if averaged out, the daily cost is not high." Li Hongtao said that from May to November there are 214 days, and the daily cost is about 34 yuan. If calculated for a family of three, it is less than 10 yuan per person on average.
Li Hongtao said that with the development of the Internet, in addition to the membership system, he also sells vegetables through the Internet. At present, orders can be placed directly through mobile phone apps and WeChat shops. Not only that, Li Hongtao is also currently planning to open a shop on Taobao to make the business bigger.
Li Hongtao also revealed that at present all his vegetables are shipped through SF Express. "At around 9 every morning, the SF Express truck drives to the base, loads the goods, and sends them out directly. Customers in Qingdao generally can get fresh vegetables at two or three in the afternoon." Li Hongtao said.
Li Hongtao said that at present his number of members has reached more than 600, among whom customers in Qingdao account for the majority, and there are also many customers in Beijing. "Out-of-town customers mainly rely on air transport. One box of vegetables only requires paying 40 yuan more, and it can arrive the next day." Li Hongtao calculated that for 2015, the annual income can reach 2 million yuan.