Gaoqing county – administered by the prefecture-level city of Zibo, in East China's Shandong province – was listed on Dec 13 as an agricultural mechanization demonstration county by the Shandong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
The county has been mechanizing the whole process of its staple crop production since 2020. It is said to have won recognition for its efficient mechanization, implemented to a high-quality and applied over a wide area.
By the end of 2020, the mechanization rate of the local planting industry had reached 99.7 percent, with the mechanized processing capacity for straw treatment hitting 100 percent.
It is understood that the county has secured a special fund of 1.1 million yuan ($172,660) to promote new equipment and technologies for agricultural mechanization, especially in soil preparation, grain drying and in other areas.
As of December, Gaoqing was home to 173 registered agricultural machinery cooperatives – including a provincial one and five at the municipal level – providing one-stop services covering farming, planting, harvesting, plant protection and crops drying.
In addition, the county is expected to further integrate its agricultural machinery and agronomy. It has formulated technical models for planting wheat and corn, as well as for animal husbandry, among other things.
It also values the technical training of farmers, leading it to hold agricultural mechanization meetings and technical training courses. This year, more than 3,000 brochures and pamphlets for training and publicity were printed and distributed.
An intelligent agricultural plant protection drone gets ready for takeoff in Gaoqing county. [Photo/WeChat account: gaoqingrongmei]
