US-style farm set to put down deep roots near Beijing

A landmark demonstration farm modeled faithfully on a Midwestern farmstead situated in the US state of Iowa, is set to start construction in September near Beijing with the aim of helping advance the technology of modern mechanized agriculture in China.

The farm - called the Sino-US Friendship Model Farm - will cost an estimated $1 billion and will cover 3,300 acres (1,336 hectares) outside the town of Hushiha in northern Hebei province, according to a senior official.

The town in Luanping county, which is administered by the city of Chengde, is about 150 kilometers to the northeast of Beijing. A section of China's Great Wall, Jinshanling, passes through it.