Saturday and Sunday, 12–13 October, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Entry is free for village residents; other visitors pay NT$100. Please park in the field by the main gate, not on the narrow lane.
The farm shop sells vegetables picked that morning, as well as bread and honey. Cash only.
Dogs must stay on a lead at all times, as the cattle are easily frightened.
Dear Ms. Rowe,
Thank you for offering to send students to help with our apple harvest next month.
We can take up to twelve people on any weekday between 5 and 16 November. Work starts at eight and finishes at three, and lunch is served in the barn. Volunteers should bring boots and a warm coat; we supply gloves and baskets.
One thing I must mention: the ladders are heavy, so students under sixteen may only pick from the lower branches.
Could you confirm the number of students and the dates by 25 October? After that we will have to hire extra workers instead.
Best wishes,
Daniel Hsu
For thirty years the young people of Ho-ping left for the cities, and the fields slowly turned to grass. Recently something has changed.
A small number of people in their thirties have come back, but they do not farm the way their grandparents did. They grow fewer kinds of crops and sell them directly to restaurants, which pay far more than a wholesale market. Several of them share one expensive machine instead of each buying one.
Those who have returned admit that the work is hard and the first two years brought almost no income. Still, the village school, which was due to close, now has enough children to stay open for another decade.
Figures from the district agriculture office, 2024 and 2025.
| Village | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Ho-ping | 420 | 510 |
| Nan-tou | 760 | 690 |
| Shui-li | 310 | 355 |
| Da-an | 580 | 580 |
Nan-tou lost part of its crop to a typhoon in August 2025. All four villages used less fertilizer than in 2023.