"Midwest Canning and the consortium would jointly fund a climate-controlled seed handling facility here. Initial footprint, roughly two acres including processing, cold storage, and lab space. We would provide equipment support and guaranteed handling contracts. The proposed annual technical retainer to your operation is three hundred fifty thousand dollars for five years, plus separately negotiated production and seed-purchase schedules."
Cole stared at him.
Marcus slid the agreement closer.
"The consortium wants you because the material is already here, because you documented it unusually well, and because your field gave them real performance data under disease pressure that no storage vault could provide."
Cole opened the binder.
He read the first page.
Then the second.
Marcus shifted once.
"Our lawyers can walk you through it."
"My lawyer will walk me through it."
"Of course."
Cole kept reading.
He reached a section on intellectual property and stopped.
"This gives the consortium ownership of derivative lines selected during the program."
Marcus nodded cautiously. "That's standard language in the draft."
"Not for anything derived from my unverified field crosses."
"We can discuss carve-outs."
"And the facility doesn't secure the land as collateral."
"That can be structured."
"And nobody gets exclusive control over research results about soil restoration."
Marcus made a note.
"Anything else?"
Cole looked toward the field.
A delivery crew was loading the last heavy harvest of the season. Beyond them, the original unloading pad was now covered in cover crop growth and stacks of clean crates.
"Yes."
Marcus waited.
"Next spring, when the plant clears its seasonal cold-process residual, I get first option on the clean separated tomato pomace."
Marcus blinked.
For the first time since arriving, the executive lost his prepared expression.
"You want more of it."
"If it meets the test spec."
"After the complaints?"
"We'll handle the odor better."
Marcus laughed.
Not a corporate laugh. A real one.
"Mr. Evans, five months ago we were willing to pay to get rid of it."
"Then the price should be easy to negotiate."
Marcus looked across the field again.
"I think I understand why they want you."
Cole closed the binder.