Because Fox didn't have a suitable place to live for the time being, Neil and Claire, along with the people they had brought with them, temporarily lived in the makeshift apartments in the Ozette Bank building.

Link arrives in Neil's room, where he discovers that Claire is there.

Neil closed the door and said, "You're coming, I know what you probably want to talk about." I called Claire too, and one more person would have more things to think of. ”

Link sat down on the couch and said, "Looks like you all already know." ”

Claire poured him a glass of whiskey and said, "At least, now we know that their previous suspicion of the amaranth virus is for today's episode." ”

Link took the glass and took a sip, letting the strong liquor run down his throat. He frowned slightly at the pungency in his throat and said, "Yes." I just thought they wanted to influence the farmers. I didn't expect them to just want to build momentum. ”

The previous skepticism of those experts did indeed express concern among some members of the public about the Amaranth virus. However, Link also debated with the other party in many ways, and put forward a lot of evidence, so although there are many people who question it, more people are just skeptical. The reaction of society was not violent. According to that trend, the sales of Amaranth virus should not be too bad. So he didn't take those doubts very seriously.

But now it seems that the skepticism is only trying to prove the public's "concern about agricultural virus products". So that organic certification bodies can ban the use of Miscanth virus on organic farms.

The announcement by Meng Sandu and Bayer that they will launch a product that can solve the super weed this year has made the vast majority of farms feel that they can wait, instead of using the high-cost but single-effect Amaranth virus. This makes it possible to choose the Miscanthus virus only on organic farms, and now the Association of Organic Certification Organizations has issued such a statement, which can completely cut off the survival of the Amaranth virus.

I have to say that he thought too simply.

Neil came over and sat down on the couch and said, "I think you'd like to find a solution to this problem!" he said, picking up his glass, leaning back on the couch and taking a sip. "It's hard, but it's possible. ”

Link nodded and said, "I also think it's a no-brainer, but I can still break a way." It's just that I don't know if it's feasible. ”

Claire asked, "What do you think of?"

"I just thought of a stupid idea. It is in the form of a guarantee to ensure that the farmer will not suffer losses due to the use of Amaranth virus. For example, after using the Amaranth virus, if the plant has a reduced yield or other losses due to the virus, I will be responsible for compensating according to the production value of previous years and recovering all costs. In addition, if the virus causes damage to the farm environment, I will also compensate for the damage. ”

He smiled wryly and said, "Maybe then, someone will be willing to use it." ”

After he finished speaking, neither Neil nor Claire spoke. There was silence for a moment before Neil said, "Are you worried that those who have already signed a contract will break it?"

"Although there is a contract termination clause in the contract, the organic certification organization has not determined that the Amaranth virus cannot be used in organic food, and the conditions will not be activated. So I think there may be people who break the contract, but there shouldn't be too many. It's just that the rest of the organic farms that were originally planned to be used will not be considered until the situation is clear. ”

"That's a big problem indeed," Claire said. ”

The biggest problem with the amaranth virus now is that there is no market that can be quickly rolled out, and the sales model set by Link and his team has also limited the sales of this product.

Of course, even if it is not such a sales model, the amaranth virus will not be able to occupy too much of a market in a short period of time. Because its production capacity is too low.

Neil took a sip of his wine and suddenly said, "I know a farmer friend. His farm mainly grows cotton. I asked him, and maybe he would consider using it. ”

Although it was only a farm, Neil wanted to help, and he didn't refuse: "Okay, if he wants, I can provide a guarantee." ”

Neil smiled and said, "He's not short of money either. And his farm area is relatively large. Listen to him, there are 60,000 acres of cotton fields alone. ”

Link was taken aback and said, "That's a big area?"

"His farm has more than twenty play acres. In Texas. Mainly cattle breeding and cotton cultivation. It is said that the overrun of amaranth there is quite severe. ”

Link nodded and said, "Amaranth is found from the southwestern United States to Canada, and it grows mainly in semi-arid areas. It's normal for Amaranth to appear on farms in Texas. ”

"The main thing is that his cotton field is planted with Mengsandu's resistant Roundup cotton, and the amaranth in the field cannot be killed with herbicides, which is obviously a super weed. He said he increased the amount of herbicide to kill cotton, but the weeds were still alive and well. Especially his pasture can not be with herbicides. ”

Of course, herbicides cannot be used in the pasture, and if they do, they can only be replanted.

But Neil's words also provide a message: "You mean that all 200,000 acres of his farm need to be covered with Amaranth virus?"

"I've just heard him say that if the super weed continues to grow like crazy, he'll have to plan to sell the farm. Because there are more and more amaranth grows in the pasture, if the pasture is not fertilized, the pasture grass will not have enough fertility at all, but fertilization will make the amaranth grow faster. ”

Link thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Maybe they didn't pay attention to cleaning up the weeds in the first place. Amaranth is also found at Hanova Farm, but cowboys there often patrol the pastures and remove them if they find them. Now, although it does occasionally appear, it has no effect. ”

Amaranth is a weed that produces tens of thousands of seeds every year, and as long as they are removed before they bear fruit, they can be removed over time.

"You know there's a hurricane every year in Texas. Some weed seeds may only fly a hundred miles away. ”

"That's really possible, because the weeds on Habano Farm are also blown by the wind. He paused. "Well, in the area where your friend's farm is located, the threat of amaranth is already quite serious. ”

"I'm not sure, I'll have a phone call with him later. Neil said. "Link, though. If you just do what you just thought, I'm afraid it won't work. Maybe the Amaranth virus is good, but between cost and effect, many people may prioritize cost. ”

Neil continued: "The use of Amaranth virus, in particular, is not comparable to herbicides. If the herbicide is effective, it will bring great convenience to the farmer. You know, on a farm, a guy has to deal with hundreds of acres of land. They always want to reduce their workload. Amaranth virus obviously can't do this. On top of that, the Amaranth virus can only cope with one weed. ”

Link had to agree with him. No matter how good the Amaranth virus is, Benehans is only a new company in the industry after all, and it does not have a high reputation in the hearts of farmers. And the cost of Amaranth virus is indeed relatively high. The price tag of $800 per acre is prohibitive for many people.

Other competitors claim to launch new products in a short period of time. If the product works well enough, the cost may be half or even only a third of the cost of using the herbicide. And the Amaranth virus, although it is said to be paid in six years, the price of $800 per acre has exceeded the price of the products launched by those competitors.

As for whether new superweeds will appear with new antibiotics, that is not a question for them to consider. As for the Miscanthus virus, it can be used for Amaranth once and for all, but it is only for one type of weed. And those herbicides are obviously more convenient. As long as it is used, all weeds will die.

If those companies' products are really useful for superweeds, American farmers can go back to the lazy farming of the past without plowing the land. So, perhaps most farmers are more interested in herbicides.

"So, my main goal right now is to keep an eye on those organic farms. Link agrees, and he's changed his goals before that. "Other farms, unless the total cost of using herbicides is higher, or there are major problems, will not choose Amaranth virus. ”

Claire then said, "You can mix viruses from multiple super weeds and target multiple super weeds at once. That might be more competitive. He paused and added. "I think Benehans can study the Amaranth virus, and the viruses of other weeds should also be able to be studied. ”

"There are already two viruses being experimented with, one is ragweed and the other is false sorghum. Those are all super weeds that have a relatively large impact on farmland. Maybe in another month you can apply for a sales permit. ”

But Link didn't come to Neil to discuss the issue, saying, "I can't think of a better way right now. I hope the viral sales go well, do you have any good suggestions?"

Claire thought for a moment and said, "Link, if other companies encounter a similar situation, they will use their lobby group. Lobbying neutrals to turn into their supporters. Or even turn opponents into supporters. ”

"You're saying let me lobby the people of organic certification organizations?"

Claire smiled and didn't answer directly, but said, "Obviously, the rules of this world are like that. ”

Neil said, "This method may not be very effective for you to use. ”

"That's right, the lobby is not just a few random people, but some relatively well-known people. Some politicians, scientists, or some of the more famous people. They are more likely to meet people who want to lobby, and they are more likely to persuade targets. Claire said with a frown. "You're moving too fast, and you didn't pay attention to it before. If you want to use this method now, the cost will be higher, but the effect may not be very good. ”