NOVPUB
Chapter 741: 731
"And about this month’s egg revenue, the breeding department can now collect about 1,600 eggs daily. Apart from what sister-in-law has instructed, and setting some aside for Y City and the Capital, the rest of the eggs are sold as free-range eggs, and the market response this month has been quite good. Several business owners have already contacted our farm privately, but our current egg production still can’t meet the demand. We’ll have to wait until after next spring to expand our distribution throughout Z Province," Zhang Chunwang thought of the several breeding greenhouses that were now in operation, raising chickens, quails, and pigs according to market demands.
"Right, keep a close eye on the feed storage, make sure it’s properly stored. If it gets moldy or rats get to it, we’ll suffer a big loss." The sweet potatoes and corn planted this year weren’t sold. Apart from distributing some among the employees for their consumption, the rest were stored in the warehouse, reserved as feed for the livestock in the breeding department.
Now that the breeding department had developed, the subsequent feed consumption would definitely be substantial, and this needed to be anticipated. Otherwise, it would be easy to sell the corn and sweet potatoes, but difficult to buy them back when they inevitably ran out.
"By the way, how much soya bean cake is left over from oil extraction?" Shen Yunfang suddenly remembered this.
After harvesting the soybeans in August, seeds were set aside, and 80% of the remainder went into oil production, with the soya bean cake kept for pig feed.
Zhang Chunwang really didn’t know the exact amount; he didn’t have the time to check the inventory in the warehouse every day.
"There should still be about 10,000 jin left. Why, do you need some, sister-in-law?" Zhang Chunwang asked.
"Yes, let the breeding department set aside a few hundred jin for me for when we plant watermelons next year." Shen Yunfang had heard that watermelons fertilized with soya bean cake were especially fine and sweet, and she wanted to give it a try.
"Alright, I’ll make note of it," Zhang Chunwang recorded it in his notebook. "For Y City and the Capital, we’ve sent our eggs over, and they’ve returned the payment with the delivery vehicles," he brought the conversation back to business.
Y City was the hometown of Shen Yunfang and her husband, and Wang Dashuan had opened a small shop there, specializing in selling local specialties collected from the countryside, with poultry eggs being the main attraction, of course.
Since small hens at Shen Yunfang’s farm began laying eggs, she had ordered for this to be arranged. Now, in November, they had duck eggs and goose eggs as well, and Zhang Chunwang had sent a truckload of various eggs to Y City.
Meanwhile, during a phone call with Ma Liguo, Shen Yunfang had mentioned the eggs, and he insisted on having a truck sent to him as well. Otherwise, he threatened to withhold the winter’s supply of seafood from her.
Shen Yunfang had no choice but to ask Zhang Chunwang to arrange a shipment for the Capital just like for Y City.
"Alright, we’ll see how their sales go. Once they’ve sold most of their stock, you can send them more," she said. Her own family’s goods were a must-supply for Dashuan and Liguo if they wanted them. Besides, the payment they offered was not meager.
Zhang Chunwang made a note in his notebook.
"I’ve already contacted Manager Zhou, and the deal is set. Once it gets cold in December, he will start shipping goods to us," Zhang Chunwang reported another item.
Manager Zhou was in charge of a fishing farm that provided seafood. After Ma Liguo learned that they too had eggs, he finally gave Shen Yunfang the direct contact number, which made it more convenient for her to arrange things.
"Did you finalize the quantity and types?" Shen Yunfang asked.
"All set. We’ve asked for a large amount, and at most, he could only manage to supply us with twelve carloads of goods. Any more than that, and there wouldn’t be any left."
Shen Yunfang tapped her fingers on the tea table, "Hmm, the amount is okay, but just oral agreement is not secure enough. Take a look at drafting a contract, have our people make a trip, and sign the supply contract with Manager Zhou."
Shen Yunfang doesn’t distrust others, but in business, she still feels that written words on paper are the only surefire guarantee.
Zhang Chunwang nodded to show he understood.
"After the contract is signed, have the sales department start hustling. Units we worked with last year must be visited, and this year’s supply is three times that of last year’s. We may not be able to handle all of it in Z City, so they should develop the surrounding counties and cities. I will also contact the military region to see if they are interested. Once the goods arrive, we can prioritize our regular customers," Shen Yunfang was not worried about selling off the surplus as long as the approach was right. No matter how much stock there was, it could always be sold, and at a good price too.
"See if there are any clever staff members currently. I reckon the sales department will be busy before the New Year, so transfer a few people over there to help out with the running around."
"Alright, I’ll arrange that," Zhang Chunwang said.
In fact, several employees had told him that they wanted to move to the sales department. He didn’t know who let the word out, but it was common knowledge around the farm that the sales department’s commission was substantial. For not much work, they took home far more money than the regular employees each year, which tempted some of them.
Zhang Chunwang didn’t really mind. As long as you had the ability and could earn that much money, he had no objections to anyone wanting to try. However, since the sales department had managed before with just three people and his sister-in-law had not issued any orders, he had dismissed those people. Now that work was picking up and his sister-in-law had spoken, it was a good opportunity for him to temper some people’s arrogance. They shouldn’t get too proud just for standing their ground at the farm; there was still a lot to learn.
"How is the construction of the processing factory coming along?" This was the farm’s biggest project before the year’s end, and Shen Yunfang was very concerned about its progress.
"I check on it daily, and it’s basically completed. In about ten to fifteen days, everything should be wrapped up," reported Zhang Chunwang, who had agreed with Zhang Bin that the factory must be completed before the onset of the freezing temperatures.
"Mm, good, keep an eye on this for me. Although we’re on a tight schedule, we can’t compromise on quality. Also, keep up with the follow-up tasks. The machinery should arrive around the beginning of January, and we should try to get the processing factory up and running before the New Year." The New Year was the peak sales season, and if the processing factory could start regular production of goods before then, Feiyang’s revenue would make a significant leap this year.
"Understood," Zhang Chunwang nodded, "But how shall we handle recruitment?"
Since they were to open a food processing plant, despite having assembly line machinery, a substantial number of workers were still needed. He needed his sister-in-law to clarify this recruitment strategy.
Shen Yunfang frowned as she thought.
"We’ll need to recruit about fifty people for the processing plant," which was a comprehensive facility involving frying, sautéing, and other cooking processes, requiring a fair number of workers. "Our existing dormitory buildings won’t suffice to house them all, so I think it’s better to find workers nearby. This way, they won’t need accommodation. We can just give them a commuting allowance each month."
Zhang Chunwang nodded, thinking the plan was feasible.
"The closest is the military compound; shall we recruit the military spouses there?"
"What do you think?" Shen Yunfang asked him in return.
