Currently, the fresh corn processing season is in full swing. Walking into the production workshop of Yongtian Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd. in Tuquan County, Hinggan League, the fresh fragrance of corn greets you. Corn cobs flow orderly along the conveyor belt, undergoing automatic root removal, high-pressure washing, air-drying and water control, sterile bagging, and high-temperature sterilization, one process after another. After vacuum high-temperature sterilization, fresh corn can have a shelf life of up to one year. Boxes of corn come off the production line and are immediately shipped to supermarkets in Beijing, Shanghai, and other places. This year, the company's output value is expected to reach 16 million yuan.

Workers are doing initial selection and sorting of freshly harvested fresh corn with husks. Workers are feeding and cutting fresh corn. The corn is still the same corn, but once the processing method changes, its value becomes different. "In the past, corn processing relied entirely on manual labor. Peeling was time-consuming and labor-intensive, not only inefficient, but also left many corn silks and incomplete cleaning. The product appearance was uneven and often criticized by customers," admitted Wang Jinyou, the company's production manager. To make up for this shortcoming, the company comprehensively upgraded its processing system: after mechanical peeling, the corn is cleaned with double-layer high-pressure water guns, then sterilized at 120 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes, cooled and air-dried before being stored, using unified standards to control the quality of every ear of corn. Strict procedures have given the corn produced from the black soil of the ridge a "passport" to enter supermarkets in first-tier cities. "Whether in Beijing or Shanghai, the corn consumers buy must have exactly the same taste and quality," Wang Jinyou said.

Workers push corn into the high-temperature sterilization process. As quality improved, market opportunities also broadened. Facing the pressure of low-price competition, the company did not follow the trend of price wars. Instead, it built the distinctive agricultural product brand "Mutian Wawa," strictly controlled production capacity, polished its craftsmanship, and focused its efforts on the quality threshold. Yellow corn is sweet, soft, and glutinous, while black corn is rich in anthocyanins and naturally colors the cooking water after boiling, becoming a "quality mark" of original ecology and no additives. Relying on excellent quality, the products have secured a foothold in the high-end market, retained a large number of repeat customers, and supermarket orders continue to increase. With coordinated online and offline efforts and access to cold chain logistics and e-commerce, during peak sales seasons the goods are often sold out before even entering the warehouse. Workers in the workshop cleaning black glutinous fresh corn after high-temperature sterilization. The value of corn is not limited to the cob itself. After the fresh corn harvest is completed, the stalks are processed into silage feed and packaged for sale to local farmers, adding more than 300,000 yuan in new revenue for the company each year. From corn cobs to stalks, everything is put to use, achieving multiple returns from one mu of land and fully releasing the value of land resources.

Vacuum-packed fresh corn products are neatly stacked in the workshop warehouse. The longer the industrial chain, the more employment opportunities there are at people's doorsteps. The company's annual labor expenditure is 3 million yuan. During peak production periods, it employs more than 60 local farming households. Positions are paid by the day, with basic positions guaranteeing at least 180 yuan per day, and technical positions reaching up to 300 yuan. "Working at my doorstep, I can earn 200 yuan a day, much more than just farming, and I can also take care of the elderly and children without delaying farm work at home," said Bai Hailong, a hired farmer. From mid-July to early October is the peak production season, and during slack periods some staff are retained to handle warehousing and orders, so villagers can earn money and take care of their families at the same time.

"Mutian Wawa" brand products created by Tuquan County Yongtian Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. Relying on a 4,000-mu standardized planting base and modern processing assembly lines, the fresh corn industry in Tuquan County has opened up a closed loop from field to market. The harvest from the black soil is turning into stable income in the pockets of surrounding residents.