From Ordinary Farmer to Selenium-Rich King: The Entrepreneurial Path of Zhang Dongming, a Farmer from Guangping, Hebei

"Selenium-rich wheat not only has high yields, but also sells at a higher price than ordinary wheat. My family planted 11 mu, which added more than 3,000 yuan in income." Recently, at the selenium-rich agricultural products base in Guangping County, Hebei Province, 61-year-old farmer Zhang Ziming from Tangzhuang Village said happily, "This is all thanks to Zhang Dongming, the 'Selenium-Rich King' in our village, who got us to grow selenium-rich wheat!"

Zhang Dongming, called the "Selenium-Rich King" by local people, was originally an ordinary farmer in Tangzhuang Village, Guangping County, Hebei Province, born in 1954. In rural areas in the 1980s, basking in the sun along the foot of a wall in winter and chatting idly was a true reflection of village life, but Zhang Dongming did not like this lazy lifestyle. At that time, after graduating from junior high school and returning to the village to farm, he gradually realized that to escape poverty and become prosperous, one must free the mind and rely on science and technology to develop efficient, distinctive agriculture.

By chance, Zhang Dongming, who loved reading books and newspapers, learned from a university journal that the element selenium is an essential trace element for the human body, and that many human diseases are related to selenium deficiency. "Could a technology be developed to make agricultural products contain selenium that is easily absorbed by the human body, so that people can both fill their stomachs and prevent disease?" Zhang Dongming was moved.

In 1992, Zhang Dongming, who had previously conducted research on superior jujube varieties, led the establishment of the Handan Selenium-Rich Fruit Research Center. In the same year, a project on increasing the selenium content of fruit was officially approved by the Handan Municipal Science and Technology Commission. Because this was a new topic, there were no relevant data at home or abroad at the time, and experts could only offer some suggestions. For this reason, Zhang Dongming began a arduous path of scientific research, and selenium-rich jujube was his first project to tackle.

"He tried foliar spraying and also soil fertilization, and spent all day in the fields doing research." Zhang Dongming's son Zhang Jing said that after 3 years and hundreds of experiments, selenium-rich fresh jujubes were finally successfully developed. After being put on the market, demand exceeded supply, and they also attracted attention from all sectors. In 1996, selenium-rich fruit products were rated as famous and high-quality agricultural products by the Hebei Provincial Government and obtained a national patent.

Starting in 2008, Zhang Dongming set his sights on selenium-rich wheat cultivation, which has a short growing cycle, relatively simple technology, and a long product shelf life. By applying selenium fertilizer at sowing time, ordinary wheat was transformed into selenium-rich wheat. "Selenium-rich wheat is not only good for health when eaten, but after 4 years of data comparison we also concluded that wheat treated with selenium fertilizer resists dry hot winds and late spring cold, matures 3-5 days later than ordinary wheat, and increases yield by about 15 percent." Zhang Dongming said. To increase the added value of selenium-rich wheat, Zhang Dongming also built a large automated stone-mill selenium-rich flour production line and actively developed downstream products such as selenium-rich high-protein handmade noodles and selenium-rich wheat kernels.

Over more than 30 years, Zhang Dongming has undertaken 11 national, provincial, and municipal scientific research projects and obtained three national invention patents, including "Method for Increasing the Selenium Content of Fruit."

Zhang Dongming did not "keep to himself" after becoming rich. Through various means such as providing seedlings free of charge and carrying out technical training, he led 4 townships and 15,000 people in Guangping County to develop the cultivation of distinctive crops such as selenium-rich wheat, selenium-rich jujubes, and selenium-rich cherries, totaling 46,000 mu. For selenium-rich wheat, which has a relatively large planting area, Zhang Dongming also signed agreements with planting farmers to purchase at a price 10 percent higher than the market price.

Today, the selenium-rich industry has become a major distinctive industry in Guangping County. Through his own study and research, Zhang Dongming grew from an ordinary farmer into a senior forestry and fruit engineer, and is even more widely known as the "Selenium-Rich King."