A Returning Genius Farmer Grows Money Indefinitely

Baek Min-seok lay down on the bed before unpacking.

“Coming to California, I still can’t believe it.”

“How does it feel to be abroad for the first time?”

“Is it a strange feeling? it’s good though It’s been a while since I’ve been away from work.”

“Aren’t we here to play?”

“It’s still good.”

Baek Min-seok jumped out of bed and said.

As it was a 4 days 3 nights itinerary, I didn’t have much personal luggage.

We took a shower and headed to the Sky Lounge.

The vast expanse of California caught my eye.

“Is that all cornfields? It is very spacious.”

“Well, there is no end in sight. Do you know what percentage food self-sufficiency in America is?”

“One hundred percent?”

Baek Min-seok tilted his head and said.

“133 percent, the stronger the country, the higher the food self-sufficiency rate.”

“Then how many pros in Korea?”

“If you exclude rice, it will be less than 20 percent.”

“So low?”

“Korea is one of the top five grain importers in the world.”

“I didn’t know about that while working for an agricultural corporation.”

“Korean agriculture still has a long way to go.”

The phone vibrated. It was a letter from Hae-ri. He said he would arrive in thirty minutes.

“Mr. Harry, we will arrive in thirty minutes.”

“Is that time already? But Harry also said he works for an agricultural company. Did you say plant factory?”

“That’s right, Plant Factory.”

“The name is unique, it’s a plant factory. But what is Harry doing in that company?”

“I heard you are a researcher.”

“A researcher like Young-ho Lee?”

When I saw the name of the company called Plant Factory, I asked what kind of work it was doing.

She said she majored in biology and is working as a researcher.

Hae-ri arrived earlier than the promised time and was waiting for us.

went home with her. As I entered the residential area, I saw a long line of similar-looking houses.

Jeon Hae-ri parked her car in one of them.

“welcome.”

As we entered the house, we were greeted by a man who looked like a mother.

“The dried persimmons were very good. It tastes really good. It tasted just like the one my father made.”

A family of three lived in her house. Jeon Hae-ri was the couple’s only daughter.

Her parents were second-generation immigrants. Although he was born in the United States, he was fluent in Korean.

Perhaps because she was taught by her parents, Jeon Ji-ri did not find it awkward to speak Korean.

“This is a gift.”

Dried persimmons were what she requested. I prepared a present for you in case this happens.

It was honey and sesame oil.

“Mom, prepare all these things!”

Talking flowers bloomed over dinner. Baek Min-seok and I told stories of living and working in Hadong.

Her mother was particularly interested in Korean stories. She said she had never been to Korea.

He vowed to go to Korea every time, but complained that he was not hit by work.

Dried persimmon is the food that Jeon-ri’s mother found.

I have memories of my deceased father making dried persimmons.

I don’t know much about Korea, but my father’s taste of dried persimmons was unforgettable.

Although Jeon Hae-ri found dried persimmons through various routes, it is said that her mother always had a sad expression on her face.

It’s not like the taste my father used to make.

It was the story of Jeon-ri who inquired about the dried persimmons of farmers in Jirisan.

The food that filled the table was also cleaned up.

I changed the topic.

I was curious about Plant Factory and Jeollyi.

“What does a plant factory do?”

“The plant factory creates an environment where crops can be continuously produced.”

“If it is persistent, how much do you mean?”

“All year round, regardless of the environment.”

“You mean you can grow crops all year round? Is that possible?”

Baek Min-seok opened his eyes and asked.

“Yes, it is possible. If it creates an ideal environment for crops to grow.”

“What conditions?”

“Crops need light, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and nutrients to grow. Giving the crops that kind of environment allows for sustainable production.”

“How do you create such an environment? I can’t even imagine.”

Baek Min-seok asked with curious eyes.

While she hesitated for a moment, I hit the player first.

“I heard that Plant Factory creates an optimal environment with hydroponics technology.”

“That’s right, it’s the core competency of our company. Do you know about hydroponics, Kim Deok-myung?”

Hae-ri asked, making eye contact with me. Unlike when I explained to Baek Min-seok, his eyes were shining.

“I know a little bit. The fact that research has been conducted in earnest is that it started with NASA’s Destiny Module.”

“You know, not a little. The Destiny Module is not the beginning of hydroponics, but it is a full-fledged model of hydroponics.”

Baek Min-seok made an expression that he did not understand at all.

Hae-ri looked at Baek Min-seok’s expression and smiled.

“Can you tell Minseok about the principle of hydroponics?”

“Yes, I am curious about the principle.”

“First, I will give you a quiz to understand the principle of hydroponics. Do you need soil to grow crops? Or do we need both soil and water?”

“You need both, don’t you?”

“Have you ever grown potted plants at home, Minseok?”

“sure.”

“Have plants ever died? It’s not a disease, it’s an unknown cause.”

“Yes, unfortunately. I have a lot of that experience.”

Baek Min-seok said as if confessing.

“Why do you think he died?”

Baek Min-seok thought for a moment.

“Is it because of the water? Did you water them too well?”

“Yeah, most of the plants die from too much watering. They suffocated from the water.”

“Are you choking?”

“Plants breathe through root hairs. There are gaps between the grains of soil. It usually holds only a little water, so it’s filled with humid air. But if there’s too much water, you can’t breathe.”

If the roots are completely exposed to the air, they will breathe better. However, the humidity is too low and the roots can dry out.

“The water is clogging the pores. So isn’t it soil or water?”

Hae-ri laughed softly at that.

“The soil serves to support the crops. It just means that when you grow crops in soil, you need to understand the properties of the soil and crops. Hydroponics does not use soil. We use water to grow crops.”

“If you grow crops in water, won’t you suffocate? It’s like watering a flowerpot.”

“Oxygen is supplied by an air pump. Think of an aquarium. Oxygen is supplied by air bubbles. An environment where fish can live is enough for crops to survive.”

Jee-ri put the vitamin foam in a glass cup filled with water.

Bubbles rose from the water.

“It’s not just water. The nutrients needed by the crops are added to the water and supplied.”

“Are you mixing fertilizer with water?”

“It is not the organic fertilizer we know. Organic fertilizers applied to the soil do not allow the crops to absorb nutrients right away.”

“You mean you can’t absorb the nutrients in your fertilizer?”

“Plants have no digestive system. It has to be broken down by other living things. Microorganisms break down fertilizers. When these decomposed minerals dissolve in water, the plant can take in the nutrients.”

“You mean the ionic state.”

Baek Min-seok said as if he understood now.

Hae-ri replied with a smile.

“It absorbs ionic nitrogen and iron as nutrients.”

“Then I would use ionized nutrients for hydroponics.”

“That is the essence of hydroponics. It provides ionic nutrients directly to the plants.”

“If you grow a crop like that, will it grow faster?”

“Yeah, it might make the crops grow faster.”

It was as she said.

It was possible to grow plants without soil.

This is the theory that underlies the future of agriculture.

It was an agricultural technology that was rapidly spreading in developed countries such as the United States and Europe.

It was also urgently introduced in Korea.

Jirisan farmers hoped to be at the forefront of future agriculture.

“It really creates the perfect environment for plants to grow.”

Baek Min-seok said, blinking his eyes. He also seemed to be interested in hydroponics and future agriculture.

“I had no idea that the two of you would be so interested in hydroponics. I hope you can look forward to the fair tomorrow as well.”

“What do you mean?”

I raised my ears and asked.

“There is a hydroponics system made by our company. It is an instrument that can be grown hydroponically at home. There will also be an event to make equipment with the people who attended the fair. I also give a lucky ticket to the person who made the best of it.”

“A lucky ticket?”

“This is a ticket to see the real hydroponics system. Unlike household appliances presented at fairs, they are mass-produced items. Development is not finished yet, so we can’t show it at this fair, but if you have a lucky ticket, you can see it.”

“I wonder what it will look like.”

I met Baek Min-seok’s eyes.

He was also very curious.

what happened at the fair

Returned to the hotel late at night.

The time at Hae-ri’s house was extended. It was because Baek Min-seok showed interest in hydroponics and future agriculture.

“Would you like a beer?”

Baek Min-seok suggested a beer. It had been a long time since the two of them had a drink together.

We took a seat in the hotel sky lounge. The night view through the window was beautiful.

“It’s pretty even at night.”

Baek Min-seok said as he took a sip of his beer. He looked at the night view and spoke to me.

“You seem to know about hydroponics.”

I nodded my head lightly.

“What would have happened if we had grown crops with hydroponics from the start?”

Baek Min-seok looked at me and asked.

I have also thought about cutting-edge agriculture such as hydroponics.

It was something I was worried about after returning. However, they could not afford to start cutting-edge farming methods.

It was something that could not be done hastily. This is because not only farming, but also things with the word cutting-edge require more capital than expected.

From dried persimmons to beekeeping and ranches, I started with possible farming.

“If we started with hydroponics, we would still be doing research and development. I wouldn’t even be able to farm. The plant factory’s hydroponics system did not come out easily.”

“Well, it takes time.”

“We need capital. Robot milking machines on the ranch are over a billion units.”

“Come to think of it, the farmers in Jirisan also had state-of-the-art machines.”

Baek Min-seok said with a cheerful face.

It was the first high-tech machine introduced by Jirisan farmers.

I wanted to run a ranch and explore the possibilities of cutting-edge machines.

The robotic milking machine delivered more than expected results. The cows produced milk without stress. The work was reduced and the quality of dairy products improved.

Income also increased accordingly.

“I hope that the hydroponics, Jirisan farmers will also try once.”

“Isn’t it weird when you say something like that?”

“What is strange?”

“You used to work quietly.”

Baek Min-seok was the original member of the Jirisan farmers and was the creator of the shopping mall.

He was the type to always work stably. I wasn’t the type to take on a challenge.

I wondered why he was interested in hydroponics.

“Remember when I did computer training with the villagers?”

While I was at Jijangsa, he did computer training in the village. Thanks to that, I was able to easily join forces with people.

“Of course I remember.”

“I used to think like that. I wonder what the town will be like when all these people die. I had a feeling that the town might be empty in an instant.”

It was the first time I had such a conversation with him.

I listened.

“I remembered what you said at that time. He said that he would make the countryside overflow with young people. This is the first time I’ve said this, but I was a little skeptical. The family of farmers in Jirisan could increase, but I thought there would be a certain limit.”

“By the way, have you changed your mind now?”

“I thought there was a possibility. There are, of course, prerequisites.”

“What conditions?”

“To create a system that can produce crops all year round. I even had a feeling that if that was possible, something big might change.”

“It goes beyond the limits of agriculture.”

“You’re right. It’s about going beyond limits. If you can grow crops all year round, I think your profits will be higher. Where there is money, people gather.”

He seemed to know what kind of heart he was bringing up the story.

I was proud to have a friend named Baek Min-seok.

“I think the same as you. To be honest, Hyunsik made me more interested.”

“Are you talking about disposing of all of Hyunsik’s dried persimmons?”

“Yeah, it never left my mind. I felt that there had to be a way to overcome such a natural disaster.”

“It is true that agriculture has developed a lot, but it is not yet free from the influence of the environment.”

“If we do hydroponics, it will be different.”

“I felt the same way. I think it is quite possible.”

“As you know, it was unthinkable at first. I think it’s possible enough for now. Thanks to the hard work of the Jirisan farmers.”

“I’m curious.”

Baek Min-seok said as he drank the remaining beer.

“What do you want to know?”

“The hydroponics facility built by the Plant Factory.”

“Remember the lucky ticket?”

Baek Min-seok nodded.

It was the lucky ticket that Hae-ri said. An event held by Plant Factory at the fair.

The event winner will be given a ticket to see the commercial hydroponics facility.

I wanted to see the facility with Baek Min-seok.

* * *

The California Agricultural Fair was held in Tulare, California.

About 1,600 companies from 67 countries participate in the fair every year. More than 100,000 visitors came to the fair.

This year in 2008, we also became visitors and walked around the fairgrounds.

There were many places to see and experience the latest agricultural machinery such as tractors and combines. They were machines suitable for the environment of growing crops on a huge scale.

It was a condition that the United States could not move to high-tech agriculture right away.

For cereals, soil cultivation was the mainstay.

In contrast, cutting-edge machinery stood out in the dairy exhibition hall.

“It’s like a robotic milking machine on our ranch.”

Baek Min-seok said while looking at the robot milking machine. As he said, it was a machine used in our ranch.