Xuchang, Henan: Powering scientific farming to multiply returns

State-grid technicians Guan Dewei and Zhou Lei from the Heshangqiao supply station inspected drying equipment and eliminated hidden electrical hazards at the Changge Minsheng Planting Cooperative in Xinzhangying village, Heshangqiao town, Xuchang, Henan province on Sept 27, ensuring uninterrupted power for the coming autumn-grain drying season.

"Harvest is around the corner and it's been rainy. I was just about to check the machines. Your door-to-door service is a lifesaver," said Han Gentian, the cooperative's director.

The cooperative groups 312 smallholders and controls 20,000 mu (1,333 hectares) of elite seed-breeding land, 3,000 mu of green minor-grain and maize plots, and a greenhouse cluster that turns out 500 metric tons of green vegetables a year.

"Since 2016, I have rotated more than 20 varieties of wheat, maize and soybean, averaging over 1,200 jin (600 kilograms) per mu. The grain is sold as far as Anhui and Jiangsu," Han explained. "Originally I relied on 30–50 meters deep wells, but the water was easily polluted, which reduced quality." He decided to switch to 80-meter-deep wells — cleaner and more productive — but the high-powered pumps required a far stronger electricity supply.

Guan reported the problem upward. Aligning with the "high-standard farmland" initiative, Xuchang Power Supply Company built or upgraded 1.3 kilometers of 10 kV line and installed three distribution transformers for the cooperative.

In 2021, Han leased 5,000 mu for fully intelligent production — seedling rearing, irrigation, spraying, drying and storage. Matching the cooperative's load growth, the utility added 14 more transformers (2,500 kVA total) and 4.16 km of 10 kV overhead line.

With reliable power in place, Han sank 20 new wells and erected an R&D center and processing plant. Crop diversity and quality jumped; top-yield plots now reach 680 kg per mu.

During a routine visit in January 2024, Guan learned that Han planned two cold stores for vegetables and seed, plus new dryers, 800 meters from the nearest transformer. "If we run a temporary line, the voltage collapses; the compressor trips and the stores are dead in the water," Han warned.

Guan filed an urgent request. After an on-site survey, the project was fast-tracked under the rural-electrification program. In October, a crew worked five straight days to set a 400 kVA transformer dedicated to the cold stores.

As smart agriculture advanced, the cooperative rolled out integrated water-fertilizer systems, soil-moisture sensors and automatic monitoring, all demanding higher supply reliability. Xuchang Power assigned an account manager who patrols pumping and greenhouse circuits, keeps a ledger of client equipment and advises on safe, efficient power use.

During the prolonged heat and drought of July to August in 2025, moisture alarms sounded repeatedly. On Aug 19, a center-pivot rig refused to start. Han called Guan. Within minutes, Guan and his colleague Chen Xiaopei were on site. A heat-aged cable had shorted to ground and the contactor contacts were burned. The pair re-terminated and insulated the cable, replaced the contactor, and had the rig irrigating again within two hours.

Robust electricity has underpinned the cooperative's expansion. In 2024 it purchased 18 million jin of premium wheat seed and 10 million jin of maize and soybean seeds, established a "Science Courtyard" with Henan Agricultural University, and created 400 local jobs raising per-capita income by 3,000 yuan ($420.56).