Currently only 5 people have signed up for the origin trip of the Taichung Smiling Dawn Organic Farmers' Market.
At the Guanyin River Farm, located in the Shuangqi tribe of Heping District, Taichung, Taiwan, China, lives Brother Lai Bing-huang. Brother Lai's fields sit on steep hillside plots (part of the route even requires a rope). Although the certified organic area is about 0.5 hectares, the actual cultivated area is far lower than that figure because the land is on a hillside. The current crops are mainly cabbage, kohlrabi and makino bamboo shoots. Brother Lai's persimmons on the mountain have been growing for 15 years, with no fertilizer and no girdling (girdling is done mainly to inhibit plant growth so that water does not move too quickly; if it moves too quickly, the persimmons become overripe and easily fall from the tree). Brother Lai insists on growing his fruit trees in a more natural way, so he chooses not to girdle.
During the conversation, Brother Lai was casually asked why he wanted to set up a stall at the market. Brother Lai said that his farm's vegetables and fruit now sell for less than 10,000 yuan a month, and he knows the volume from his farm cannot be sold to channels like Taichung's Yumaowu or organic stores. Only after a friend introduced him did he approach the Dawn Market, which led to this trip to the place of origin.
At Gaomei Organic Farm, near Gaomei Wetland, "Squad Leader" Tang Quan-cheng is a retired colonel. Because of his love for organic farming and the land, after retirement he took courses with the Taiwan Organic Food and Farming Recreation Education Promotion Association and agricultural courses at various improvement stations, and stepped into the organic world. He often does things that do not make economic sense, so everyone is invited to come to Squad Leader Tang's farm and question him closely.
| Time | Place | Content |
| 7:30~8:00 | Meet and register at Dawn Market, No. 503, Sec. 2, Liming Rd., Nantun District, Taichung City | |
| 8:00~9:00 | Drive from Taichung to the farm | |
| 9:00~10:40 | Gaomei Organic Farm | Farm tour |
| 10:40~11:20 | Drive | |
| 11:30~13:00 | Lunch at Yusufang | Friendly-ingredient restaurant |
| 13:00~14:10 | Drive | |
| 14:30~16:30 | Guanyin River Organic Farm | Farm tour, pick makino bamboo |
| 16:30~17:30 | Return to No. 503, Sec. 2, Liming Rd., Taichung City |
A. Time: 2015.4.18 (Sat) 8:00, tour bus departs
B. Meeting place: No. 503, Sec. 2, Liming Rd., Nantun District, Taichung City
C. Farms visited: Gaomei Organic Farm, Guanyin River Organic Farm
D. Fee: $900 per person (for tour bus, lunch and insurance)
E. Places: 20 people, until full.
H. How to register
1. Leave a message on the Taichung Smileing Dawn Organic Farmers Market FACEBOOK (leave your name, date of birth, ID number and mobile phone)
2. Send a text message to 0953-517-888 (leave your name, date of birth, ID number and mobile phone)
3. Contact directly: Xu Yi-hao 0953-517-888