On September 21, at the open-air vegetable planting base in Datang Village, Shilong Town, Xiangzhou County, workers were busy transplanting sweet corn seedlings, with tasks including lifting seedlings, moving them, planting them, and covering them with soil—creating a bustling scene of autumn farming across the fields.

Manager Meng, the planting director of the Datang Village open-air vegetable base, explained that this season's crop is the Jintai Sweet No. 10 super-sweet corn variety, known for its high sugar content, excellent appearance, and strong market demand. The growing cycle from planting to harvest takes about 75 days, and with proper water and fertilizer management, fresh ear yield can reach 3,000 jin per mu.

The base has planned a sweet corn planting area of approximately 220 mu. Unlike traditional direct-seeding methods, the base adopts a two-step approach of first raising seedlings and then transplanting them. By centrally cultivating robust seedlings, it effectively avoids problems such as missing plants, broken rows, and uneven seedling growth. Meanwhile, staggered scheduling of farming operations improves land replanting efficiency.

Additionally, the base is equipped with integrated drip irrigation facilities that combine water and fertilizer application, implementing standardized field management. This approach supports stable and high corn yields, further enhancing the output value of agricultural products and boosting overall agricultural production levels.

Leveraging the advantages of large-scale planting, the base provides nearby residents with flexible employment opportunities during key farming phases such as transplanting and field management, allowing villagers to earn additional income during their spare time. In 2025, the base has cumulatively driven employment for nearly 1,000 local residents, with farmers seeing annual income increases of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan, effectively promoting agricultural efficiency and raising incomes.

"My home is nearby, and all my relatives and friends come here to work together. We work well as a team, which makes us more efficient. I can earn 130 yuan a day without having to travel far, and it's convenient for taking care of my family," said Wei Xiumei, a villager from Jietian Village.

In recent years, Shilong Town has leveraged its cultivated land resources in the dry-to-wet farmland conversion area, actively exploring a "rice plus vegetables (corn)" rotation planting model. It has developed the Datang Village base into a modern agricultural planting hub that integrates cultivation, demonstration, and promotion. On the basis of stabilizing grain production, the town develops specialty cash crops adapted to local conditions. Through water-dry rotation, it improves soil structure, solves the challenges of continuous cropping, and continually raises land utilization rates.

By focusing on both grain security and income growth, Shilong Town continues to optimize its agricultural industrial structure, drive sustained income increases for farmers, and steadily advance rural industrial development.