Bayan Corn

Bayan Corn

Bayan Corn is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Bayan County is situated in the Northeastern Black Soil region of Asia, one of the world’s three major black soil zones, and has a subtropical monsoon climate, which is highly conducive to corn growth. It benefits from outstanding advantages in climate, soil, and sunlight. The black soil in Bayan County contains a balanced ratio of elements essential for corn growth, with moderate natural rainfall, fostering the formation of Bayan Corn’s distinctive quality.

　　External sensory characteristics: The corn kernels are relatively large, plump, yellow in color, free from off-colors, and have a flat-round to oval shape with a diameter of 5–12 mm. The surface is smooth.

　　Internal quality indicators: “Bayan Corn” has a fat content of over 3.5%, a starch content of over 69%, and a total amino acid content of more than 10%, including over 2% glutamic acid. It is non-GMO. Rich in various vitamins needed by the human body, it also contains abundant beneficial trace elements such as iodine, selenium, iron, calcium, and zinc. Each 100 grams contains more than 8 mg of calcium and over 1.5 mg of zinc. In tests for pesticide residues under the pollution-free agricultural product standards, four items were not detected, indicating that Bayan County’s corn is safe.

　　Geographical scope

　　Production area: The specific geographical location designated for the geographical indication agricultural product of Bayan Corn covers an area of 3,135.2 square kilometers within Bayan County, established as the production and protection zone for this product. Arable land totaling 226,700 hectares within the county is designated as the production area for the Bayan Corn geographical indication product. In 2007, the sown area was 100,000 hectares.

　　Location: Bayan County is situated in the central-southern part of Heilongjiang Province, on the northern bank of the middle reaches of the Songnen Plain and the Songhua River. Its precise coordinates are between 126°45′53″ to 127°42′16″ east longitude and 45°54′28″ to 46°40′18″ north latitude. To the south, it faces Bin County across the river; to the west, it borders Hulan via the Piao River; to the north, it neighbors Suihua and Qing’an across the Ni River; and to the east, it adjoins Mulan via the Huangni River and Luotuolazi Mountain. The county stretches 85 km from north to south and 72.4 km from east to west, with a perimeter of 338 km. The county seat is 98 km from Harbin.

　　Production address: The county comprises 18 townships. The protected geographical indication area for Bayan Corn spans all 18 administrative townships within Bayan County: Bayan Town, Songhua River Township, Fujiang Township, Bayan Port Town, Xiji Town, Fengle Township, Xinglong Town, Hongguang Township, Wanfa Town, Dexiang Township, Tianzeng Town, Shanhou Township, Heishan Town, Longquan Town, Huashan Township, Longmiao Town, Waxing Town, and Zhendong Township. This includes 10 small towns (two of which are officially designated), 116 villages (three of which are autonomous villages for ethnic minorities), 1,351 natural hamlets, 4 state-owned forest farms, 2 state-owned seed farms, and 1 state-owned livestock farm.

　　Natural ecological environment and historical-cultural factors

　　(1) Soil and topography: There are nine types of soil, 19 subtypes, and 32 soil groups. The nine main soil types are dark brown soil, albic soil, black soil, meadow soil, flood soil, swamp soil, peat soil, paddy soil, and sandy soil. The county covers a total area of 3,135.2 square kilometers, with a total land area of 313,300 hectares, including 226,700 hectares of arable land. Among the arable land, high-fertility soils such as black soil, chernozem, and meadow soil account for over 90%. The humus layer reaches a depth of 20–70 cm, with soil organic matter content at 3.72%, nitrogen at 0.168%, phosphorus at 0.99%, potassium at 1.80%, and a pH value of 6.7, indicating a neutral level. The terrain is higher in the east and lower in the west, flatter in the south and more hilly in the north, with hills prevalent in the central area. Sloped farmland accounts for 62% of the arable land. The geography is wedge-shaped, with the highest elevation at 564.3 meters and the lowest at 110 meters.

　　(2) Hydrology: Bayan County has 14 major rivers, with a total river length of 475.7 km. The county’s underground water storage capacity is 6.5 billion cubic meters, with an average annual groundwater supply of 397 million cubic meters and an allowable extraction volume of 222.4 million cubic meters. The total water resources in the county amount to 573 million cubic meters, with a per capita water volume of 869 cubic meters and 212 cubic meters per mu. This includes details on water systems, water sources, water quality, and influencing factors.

　　(3) Climate: Bayan County is located at mid-to-high latitudes and has a mid-temperate continental monsoon climate. Summers are dominated by southeast winds, bringing humidity and abundant rainfall, while winters are characterized by northwest winds, resulting in dry and severe cold. The annual average temperature is 3.1°C, with a recorded maximum of 37.9°C and a minimum of -42.5°C. The annual accumulated temperature above 10°C is 2,658.4°C, with an average annual precipitation of 582.2 mm and average annual sunshine of 2,669.4 hours. From May to September, the crop growing season receives 1,252 hours of sunshine, accounting for 46.9% of the annual total. The average first frost date is September 21, and the average frost-free period is 131 days. The annual freezing period lasts about 145 days. This includes special climatic factors such as monsoons, temperature, humidity, sunlight, and precipitation.

　　(4) Historical and cultural factors: The history of human habitation in Bayan County. As early as 211 BC during the Qin Dynasty, this area was part of the Suibai region, inhabited by a minority group formed from the fusion of the Sui and Bai peoples in the northeast. They primarily engaged in fishing, hunting, and some agriculture.

　　Before the establishment of Bayan County, the area was densely forested, rich in water and grass, and boasted fertile soil — a virgin land awaiting cultivation. Due to the Qing Dynasty’s policy of sealing off the northeast as its “dragon rising” territory (prohibiting reclamation), only a few Bannermen engaged in farming and scattered Han people opened up land for cultivation, fished with nets, and lived a rural life of rising with the sun and returning at dusk. In 1859, during the ninth year of the Xianfeng Emperor’s reign in the Qing Dynasty, the northeast was opened up, and land was made available for cultivation. Subsequently, a large number of Han migrants flowed into the region.

　　As the population grew, in the first year of the Tongzhi Emperor’s reign (1862), the Heling Office was established east of Heling City to administer areas including Bayan Susu, managing tax collection, criminal justice, and interactions between Bannermen and civilians. In the 30th year of the Guangxu Emperor’s reign (1904),

　　the Heling Office was split into two locations — one in Heling and the other upgraded to the Heling Prefecture (moved to Heling City), with the original Heling Office renamed Bayan Zhou. In the second year of the Republic of China (1913), Bayan Zhou was renamed Bayan County.

　　The history of Bayan Corn. Bayan County has a long history of agricultural production. According to the “Bayan Soil Chronicles,” “Bayan Susu, during the Zhou and Qin periods, was inhabited by the Sushen people, later by the Fuyu and Wuji, and during the Liao and Jin dynasties by the Jurchen tribes. The plowshare unearthed in Shaoling River proves that agriculture was already practiced during the Jin Dynasty. After the Qing Dynasty lifted its ban, with the influx of migrants, the sown area gradually increased. In the 11th year of the Xianfeng Emperor’s reign (1861), large-scale land reclamation took place in Bayan Susu.” According to the “Bayan Chronicles,” the main crops in Bayan included soybeans, millet, wheat, sorghum, corn, and barley.

　　Corn cultivation and soybean production in Bayan County have a long history, are widely distributed, and have consistently ranked among the top in the province in terms of planting area, yield, and commercial volume.

　　Human-driven factors: Bayan County has its own flagship variety — a high-yield, high-starch, high-nutrition strain developed by crossing the local Niwei Yellow with high-yield varieties. Bayan is a base for non-GMO corn and green food corn raw materials, with 500,000 mu (250,000 tons) certified as green food corn production bases. Bayan County is also a national pollution-free corn base, with 640,000 mu (320,000 tons) certified as pollution-free corn.

　　Unique cultural heritage: Bayan County is a national demonstration county for corn production, demonstrating 200,000 mu annually. In March 1983, with approval from the State Council, Bayan County was designated by both the state and Heilongjiang Province as a commodity grain base county.

　　Bayan Corn has a profound cultural foundation and strong innovation in variety quality. In the early years after the lifting of the Qing Dynasty ban, the main varieties were Niwei Yellow and Huobao Rice, later developing into flagship strains such as Bayan Dan No. 1–7. Corn became a major crop in Bayan County and a primary source of agricultural income.

　　Production technical requirements

　　(1) Origin selection and special provisions: Bayan Corn is produced in Bayan County because the area lies in the Northeastern Black Soil region of Asia, one of the world’s three major black soil zones, and enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate, making it highly suitable for corn growth. It benefits from outstanding advantages in climate, soil, and sunlight. The black soil in Bayan County contains a balanced proportion of elements essential for corn growth, with moderate natural rainfall, fostering the formation of Bayan Corn’s unique quality.

　　(2) Variety selection and specific requirements: Bayan Corn mainly consists of high-starch specialty varieties, with the Bayan County flagship Ba Dan series as the primary choice, maintaining its superior quality through standardized production.

　　(3) Production process management, including special regulations on agricultural inputs: Bayan Corn producers follow corn production technical operation procedures, strictly regulating the quality of pesticides and fertilizers used in production. The use of toxic or harmful inputs and materials is prohibited to ensure the safety of corn production. Quality inspections are conducted regularly, and the use of agricultural inputs by farmers is standardized. In line with pollution-free soybean production and the development of the national one-million-mu green food base, our county has institutionalized regulations on the environment of agricultural production bases, input usage, market access, quality and technology services, and more. Bayan Corn quality standards have been established and are strictly enforced.

　　(3) Production process management, including special regulations on the use of agricultural inputs: Bayan corn producers follow technical operation procedures for corn production, strictly regulate the quality of pesticides and fertilizers used in production, prohibit the use of toxic or harmful inputs and materials, and ensure the safety of corn production. At the same time, we conduct timely quality inspections during production and standardize the use of agricultural inputs by farmers. In conjunction with the production of pollution-free soybeans and the construction of the national one-million-mu green food base, our county has institutionalized the regulation of various aspects of agricultural production bases across the county, including environmental management, input usage, market access, and quality and technology services. Bayan corn quality standards have been established and are strictly enforced.

　　Producers adhere to the technical operation procedures for corn production, strictly regulate the quality of pesticides and fertilizers used in production, eliminate the use of toxic and harmful inputs and substances, and ensure the safety of corn production. At the same time, we conduct timely quality inspections during production and standardize the use of agricultural inputs by farmers. In line with the production of pollution-free soybeans and the construction of the national million-mu green food base, our county has institutionalized the regulation of all aspects related to agricultural production bases across the county, including the environment, input usage, market access, and quality technology services. We have established and strictly implement the Bayan Corn Quality Standards.

　　(4) Regulations on product harvesting, slaughtering, fishing, and post-production processing: Bayan corn is harvested separately by variety and stored, processed, and sold by variety. Sales of corn are registered and subject to traceability.

　　(5) Production record requirements: During the production of Bayan corn, the use of inputs is recorded and managed. Farmers are assigned unified codes, and the corn they sell is traced by quality according to these codes. Processing enterprises implement a registration-based management system, storing and processing the corn according to farmer codes.

　　Typical quality characteristics of the product and product quality and safety regulations

　　(1) External sensory characteristics: The corn kernels are relatively large, plump, yellow in color, without mixed colors, flat-round in shape, with an elliptical diameter of 5–12 mm, and have a smooth surface.

　　(2) Internal quality indicators: "Bayan Corn" has a fat content of over 3.5%, a starch content of over 69%, and a total amino acid content of more than 10%, among which glutamic acid content is greater than 2%. It is non-GMO corn. It is rich in various vitamins needed by the human body, as well as beneficial trace elements such as iodine, selenium, iron, calcium, and zinc, with more than 8 mg of calcium and more than 1.5 mg of zinc per 100 grams. In tests for pesticide residues in pollution-free agricultural products, four items were not detected in Bayan corn, indicating that the corn from Bayan County is safe.

　　(3) Safety requirements: Bayan corn is produced under pollution-free standards, and undergoes pollution-free and green food certification. The Bayan County Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Association has established quality standards for corn that are higher than the national green food standards, and these are strictly enforced.

　　Packaging, labeling, and related regulations

　　Bayan corn is packaged in plastic bags of 1 kg, 2 kg, 5 kg, 20 kg, and 90 kg. It is stored by grade and variety separately and transported using dedicated tools. The packaging is marked with the geographical indication for agricultural products "Bayan Corn" and includes an anti-counterfeiting label.