In the height of summer, waves of young rice ripple across the fields as farmers were busy with farm works on the ridges of Shuangquan New Village in Kaiyun Town, Hengshan County. On June 18th, Liu Xinjie, head of the Jifeng Agricultural Machinery Cooperative, crouched before a seedling nursery, inspecting germinating seeds. His sun-darkened face smudged with soil, his eyes shone with clarity—this thousand-mu (≈67 hectares) farmland, revitalized by his own hands, was about to welcome a new planting season. "Agriculture demands perfection. Every step, from seed soaking to harvest, must be meticulously managed," the 26-year-old said with a smile, his words brimming with familiarity and passion for the land.

So far Liu has won numerous accolades: "Hunan Province’s First Youth Pioneer in Rural Revitalization," "Hengyang’s Advanced Large-Scale Grain Grower," "Model Worker of Hunan Province," and a deputy to the 14th Hunan Provincial People’s Congress. Yet few know this "grain cultivation expert" is not formally trained in agriculture. His journey began five years ago with a bold decision to return home and start a business.

In 2019, after years working away, Liu returned to his hometown with one asset: a plant protection drone. After training and obtaining his pilot’s license, he began offering crop-spraying services to fellow villagers. "The drone covers 300–400 mu a day—ten times faster than manual labor. It earns me over a thousand yuan daily," he explained. The efficiency of mechanization opened his eyes to new possibilities in farming.

Seeing abandoned land in the village, Liu envisioned growing grain himself. "A young man becoming a farmer? You might never find a wife!" His mother’s worry echoed the skepticism of many villagers. Undeterred, Liu pushed ahead. In 2020, he rallied several willing farmers to form a cooperative, investing over 800,000 yuan in advanced machinery and leasing more than 800 mu of paddy fields.

Transitioning from "machinery novice" to "grain expert" demanded relentless effort: Liu learned seedling techniques from veteran farmers, attended planting workshops across the region, and meticulously noted disaster prevention methods in notebooks—then tested them repeatedly in the fields. Today, his cooperative manages over a thousand mu of farmland. With 6 million yuan worth of machinery covering the entire process—plowing, planting, managing, harvesting, and drying—mechanization has steadily increased yields, transforming once-barren land into "granaries."

"Earning money alone isn’t so important; lifting others up is what really matters," Liu often says. During peak seasons, his cooperative employs over 50 workers, reserving 30 positions for formerly impoverished households. Tan Chunxiu, in her sixties, has worked there for four years. Calculating her income, she beams: "130 yuan a day plus meals! Working 11 months a year, I save over 30,000 yuan!" Beyond job creation, Liu compiles his technical knowledge into practical "local methods," by teaching villagers hands-on skills like seed selection and pest control. Many farmers have abandoned outdated practices under his guidance, boosting yields by nearly 20%.

From drone operator to large-scale grain grower, from "outsider" to "tech guru," Liu has proven in just five years that "the countryside isn’t a fallback—it’s a stage for innovation." Now, this 26-year-old "new-generation farmer" dreams of more young people returning to the fields with ideas and energy. "The land never betrays those who tend it with devotion," he declares. "Rural revitalization awaits young protagonists."