With inconvenient traffic and brunt of typhoon, it is difficult to cultivate rice in Dacheng Township. Although it is in the same coastal region as Lukang Township and Wanggong Village of Fangyuan Township, Dacheng Township is little known. In fact, Dacheng Township is located at the south of Wanggong Village, and is the north shore of the mouth of Jhuoshuei River, where the south shore is Mailiao Township of Yunlin County, and the two townships are connected by the Xibin Bridge.
Dacheng Township is located at a place with inconvenient traffic and brunt of typhoon, the northeast monsoon is very strong during autumn and winter. Therefore, only the first phase of spring ploughing is suitable for growing rice, and the second and third phase mostly grow peanuts, sweet potatoes and other dry crops. During the Japanese Occupation Period and early postwar period, the locals grew wheat and green soy bean. In recent years, the prices of wheat and soybean continue to increase after natural disasters, the food industry of Taiwan that relies on imported wheat has to suffer the price fluctuation. Moreover, the U.S. and many European countries are promoting genetically modified wheat and soybeans, which may have adverse impact on human health. Therefore, farmers in Dacheng Township decided to look up the past records on wheat planting, and apply the past experience of growing green soy bean to plant non-genetically modified soybean, in order find a niche in the organic agricultural market.
The northeast monsoon is advantageous to wheat planting
Dacheng Township uses Shengengbao Canal and Jhuoshuei River to irrigate farmland. Jhuoshuei River brings in very thick mud that is rich in organic matters and very fertile. The mud is the best gift from the nature for farmers, and the “secret weapon” of Jhuoshuei River rice, Taiwan’s best quality rice. The mud is also the best organic fertilizer for growing drought-tolerant wheat.
With the strong northeast monsoon, fall and winter are not a right time for growing rice; however, it is the best time for growing wheat since wheat can endure wind. Additionally, the strong wind is the most natural “pest control” that stops pests from attaching wheat plants. Yi-chia Tsai said that the budworm is the only pest that can survive the strong wind, but excessive irrigation can kill budworm. Thus, no chemical pesticide or fertilizer is needed when growing wheat in Dacheng, making Dacheng wheat completely organic.
The planting of variety of crops allows the earth to rest
The variety of local crops is also advantageous to growing wheat. About 30 kinds of crops are grown in this land throughout the year, mostly rice, peanut, cabbage, melon and fruits. As wheat cannot be grown on the same farm every year, otherwise it will be detrimental to the soil fertility, for the gap year, farmers can plant non-GM soybean, buckwheat, peanut, cabbage melon and fruits, which allows the earth to rest and farmers to sustain their income.
The crop rotation of peanut and wheat has an advantage that when harvesting peanuts, in order to avoid hurting the peanuts, the farmers dig deep into the soil. The soil is thus softened, which is conducive to the growth of wheat.
Splendid wheat fields
The wheat seeds are sowed in the second phase from the rice harvest, known as the White Dew (about mid-October) to the Winter Solstice. Then it is ripe around the Lantern Festival of the next year. The golden farms appear to be splendid. Especially at twilight time, the wheat are setting under a golden sky, which is a breath-taking scene. In remote rural areas, where no buildings are at the sight, the golden wheat fields are more spectacular!
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