In the expansive wheat fields of Ximulitu Village, Mulitu Town, Horqin District, Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia, lush greenery now thrives with vibrant life. Stretching to the horizon, neat rows of wheat seedlings stand about 6 centimeters tall, with two new Beidou navigation seeders parked by the ridges. Village Party Secretary Xie Enting guided villagers in adjusting the equipment, efficiently loading seeds, fertilizer, and drip irrigation tapes into the hoppers. "This year, we're trialing 'triple harvest on one plot' for the first time, intercropping corn between wheat rows. After harvesting the wheat in July, we'll plant soybeans, allowing three harvests in one year. Rotating these three crops next year will also help maintain soil fertility," Xie explained, crouching by the field. He pointed out the green areas, where spring wheat was urgently planted on April 1 and has grown robustly in just over 20 days, and the yellow strips reserved for corn planting, awaiting machinery. As he finished speaking, the seeders roared to life, moving steadily along the ridges, seamlessly completing sowing, fertilizing, and laying drip irrigation tapes in one pass. Speaking of the new machinery, Xie expressed pride: "These seeders are equipped with Beidou navigation and precision seeding technology, with an operational accuracy within 2 millimeters. Each ridge sows 5,800 seeds, with an error of no more than 10. Even if the driver steps out, the machine can operate autonomously along the route, automatically alerting for missing seeds, fertilizer, or incorrect sowing depth. One machine can plant 100 mu per day, ensuring no delay in the farming schedule." Villager Feng Jianjun, who was carrying fertilizer to the hopper, added: "All 21 mu of my land have been transferred to the cooperative, with an annual rent of 1,000 yuan per mu. Both my wife and I work for the cooperative—I earn 150 yuan a day, and she earns 130 yuan. Combined, our annual income is nearly 100,000 yuan. Before, farming depended on the weather, and income was never this stable. Now, with dual earnings, we have no worries and feel very secure." The cooperative Feng referred to is the Ximuwotu Planting Professional Cooperative, established in 2018 under the leadership of the Ximulitu Village Party Branch. In recent years, the village committee has coordinated the transfer of 3,200 mu of land from 300 households, unifying operations for large-scale farming and moving away from fragmented individual plots. This year marks the first trial of the "8 rows of wheat + 2 rows of corn" strip intercropping model. Already, buyers have inquired about wheat purchases in advance. Corn employs high-density planting techniques aimed at achieving high-yield "ton-grain fields." After wheat harvest, the vacated strips will be planted with soybeans, effectively adding an extra season's income from the same land. Xie calculated that with integrated application of quality fields, seeds, machinery, and methods,每亩 (mu) is expected to increase revenue by several hundred yuan. The crop rotation also addresses soil compaction from continuous monocropping, achieving dual benefits. "This year's national policies are very supportive, with subsidies for soybean-corn strip intercropping, agricultural machinery purchases, and crop rotation and fallow. With these favorable policies one after another, our motivation to farm has strengthened," Xie said. To ensure the new model runs smoothly in its first year, he has been in the fields daily, overseeing every step from plowing and harrowing to sowing, wary of any mishaps. "The farming season waits for no one; we must ensure everything is foolproof." The transformation in Ximulitu Village reflects Mulitu Town's development of modern agriculture. Deputy Mayor Quan Yixin has been visiting fields across villages daily to monitor planting progress. She noted that the town has transferred 20,000 mu of land this year. To safeguard agricultural production, the town made three advance arrangements: closely tracking weather changes and issuing disaster warnings to minimize spring sowing risks; conducting special inspections of agricultural supply markets to crack down on counterfeit seeds and fertilizers, protecting farmers' rights; and coordinating全镇 (town-wide) machinery resources to schedule operations across villages and cooperatives, ensuring all arable land is planted during the optimal period. "The 'triple harvest in one year' model in Ximulitu Village is our new approach to maximizing land returns. The town has specifically connected agricultural social service organizations to provide technical support, aiming to genuinely increase people's income," Quan stated. Qi Xiaochao, general manager of Inner Mongolia Chengfa Agricultural Technology Service Co., Ltd., which partners with the village, has been testing soil moisture daily, checking corn spacing, and calculating crop growth periods. He said: "Tongliao's high-standard farmland has a solid foundation and mature planting conditions. We provide technology and services, while the village contributes land and labor. Currently, we've promoted the intercropping model across 20,000 mu in Horqin District and Kailu County, and we are optimistic about its yield potential." Currently, Mulitu Town is leveraging "whole-process social service demonstration fields" to accelerate land trusteeship and transfer, popularize advanced planting techniques through high-standard farmland construction, and consolidate fragmented land resources. The plan is to achieve full coverage of whole-process social services across the town's 160,000 mu of arable land by 2028, allowing more villagers to reap the benefits of modern agricultural development.
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