Professor Guo Tiancai of Henan Agricultural University has been named a 2025 Person of the Year for Agriculture, Rural Areas and Farmers, an honor announced at an annual awards event hosted by the China Agriculture Film and Television Center under the guidance of China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
With the latest recognition, Guo has become the first and only agricultural scientist in China to receive the award twice since the program was launched in 2005. He previously received the title in 2012.
A wheat cultivation expert and adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs’ expert panel on wheat production, Guo is widely known among farmers as "Guo Xiaomai" or "Professor Wheat" a nickname that reflects decades of trust built through his close work with growers.
Now 72, Guo has spent more than half a century dedicated to wheat research and production. He has long advocated an approach that combines improved seed varieties with effective cultivation practices, emphasizing that higher yields depend not only on better genetics, but also on sound field management that can translate scientific potential into real harvests.
During Henan's winter wheat growing season, which lasts more than 230 days, Guo spends much of his time in the field — either at university experiment plots or on farmers' land. Carrying a spade to inspect soil moisture and root systems, and a tape measure to track plant height, he is known for responding quickly to challenges such as shifting weather patterns, drought stress, and pest or disease outbreaks.
Beyond maintaining stable production, Guo has also worked to improve the quality, sustainability and efficiency of wheat cultivation in China. Since the 1980s, he and his team have pursued long-term research aimed at steadily increasing wheat yields across Henan, one of the country's most important grain-producing provinces.
Their work has contributed to a dramatic rise in local wheat productivity. Average wheat yield in Henan has increased from 42.5 kilograms per mu in 1949 to more than 440 kilograms per mu today, while total output has exceeded 37.5 billion kilograms.
Despite his age and many honors, Guo remains active in the fields and focused on the broader national goal of food security. His continued dedication has made him a widely respected figure in Chinese agricultural science and a symbol of long-term commitment to safeguarding grain production.
