Lin Yilong worked as a farmer for 16 years without medicine, fat and economy.

Lin Yilong's home is located on the hillside of Luye Gaotai, the years pacing between the coastal mountains and the central mountains, looking at the dense mountains of Peinan Creek Valley in the morning, watching the moonlight at night, and letting the stars coax to sleep. Dulan Mountain and Luye Creek are the music of the "four Seasons" that you can't get tired of hearing.

Like the long and narrow terrain of Fuying Huadong Longitudinal Valley, Lin Yilong's 7-point farmland is also narrow, 220 meters long and 30 meters wide. Two rows of trees native to Taiwan are planted at the entrance of the farmland. Du Ying, maple incense and beech trees have grown from thumb diameter and knee height to the present boulevard, witnessing Lin Yilong's 16 years of farming.

"carambola and pineapple are the two pillars of my economy, while other minor crops and sporadic crops help me spread the season and risk. "before patrolling the farmland, Lin Yilong first explained that he used pragmatic practical strategies to build a romantic pastoral dream. He numbered the farmland and had a historical texture of the land. Which year's abundance made him too tired to straighten up, and which year's poor harvest taught him to cry without tears. He has a history book in his head, which records the blood and sweat of the middle-aged uncle and the joy of farming.

Farmer Lin Yilong uses a down-to-earth strategy to build a romantic pastoral dream. (photography / Yang Yuyun)

Originally, the bamboo engineer left because of lack of oxygen in his soul.

Under the premise of "having no ambition from an early age and following the trend," Lin Yilong was quite successful in the first half of his life. Career-oriented training at Mingzhi Institute of Technology and National Taiwan University of Science and Technology allowed him to enter the Institute of Optoelectronics of the Industrial Research Institute after graduation, and then worked in the Hsinchu Science Park. During his 15-year career in bamboo, his salary jumped to a higher level every time he changed his job, from a rookie director to a senior associate. The goal at that time was to maximize the use of time and make more money.

Lin Yilong says that his bamboo routine is "nine to nine in the morning," but when he is busiest, he once lived a life of "nine in the morning and two in the morning" for two months in a row. He entered the company at nine in the morning and didn't go home until two in the morning, relying on adrenaline to burn the engine of life. Although he is rich and honorable, with ten people and nine admirers, "I can't tell why I feel that this kind of work lacks a little vitality." coupled with the fact that the work pressure is too high, it has already affected family life, resulting in a sudden ── between parents and children. The soul is seriously deprived of oxygen, which makes Lin Yilong decide to leave.

A simple journey became fascinated by farming.

Lin Yilong has no idea about the future when he leaves his job with an annual salary of one million. This is incredible for an engineer who pays attention to planning and goals, but it may reflect his eagerness to leave and the long-buried romance in his character.

Although he had no plans for the future, fate led Lin Yilong to the land step by step. The first step was a 20-day trip to Huadong. Because he had been drinking natural vinegar from the Dulan Bowl Flower Farm for many years, he took the liberty of visiting with his family. Unexpectedly, Xu Lanxiang not only chatted with them all day, but also kept them for a wild vegetable meal, and even invited them to pull up radishes every other day.

After harvesting 20 or 30 sacks of radish, they sat on the hillside drinking hot tea and blowing the sea breeze. It was a clear day, and the Green Island swayed into a boat on the sea. Simple and comfortable, Lin Yi Longton gave birth to the feeling of "no more husband." Radish has the aroma of soil and real weight, and the luxurious clothes and delicacies he used to be busy day and night don't seem to be as comfortable as the breeze and hot tea in his hand. At that time, he thought, "farming seems to be a good choice for the rest of my life." "

A few months after that trip, Lin Yilong and his family moved south and have been farming for 16 years.

Lin Yilong and his son cut off the big branches of carambola together. (photo courtesy of / Lin Yilong)

When I first tried to cry, I encountered a sales crisis.

Lin Yilong has a total of 1.55 hectares of farmland, with different harvests in different seasons, as well as processed products such as enzymes and fruit vinegar for sale. Of course, these achievements were not immediate. When Lin Yilong entered the market outside the agricultural gate in the early Han Dynasty, he felt at a loss as to where to start. Fortunately, the farmer who sold the land gave him 240 10-year-old crystal carambola trees, telling him that he could harvest tens of thousands of jin a year to the Housewives' Union and Liren. Knowing that he had an income of at least 480000 yuan a year, "my heart is more calm."

The next year, Lin Yilong harvested 8,000 jin of carambola, which is not far away from tens of thousands of jin. Unexpectedly, that year was a moistening year, and the Spring Festival was in mid-February, which coincided with the harvest of carambola. The Housewives' Union and Liren did not receive the goods during the holiday, but the carambola did not have a holiday, hanging on the tree and ripening day after day.

In an era when there was no Facebook marketing, the anxious Lin Yilong first wrote email to friends and relatives to ask for sale, and also sold it on his own blog. Miraculously, no matter how much he collected later, he was able to sell it smoothly. As a result, he has accumulated a lot of customer information. "he feels as if he doesn't have a problem selling by himself without relying on the channel. He also believes that facing consumers directly, he has a better chance to tell everyone about his insistence on "no pesticides and no chemical fertilizers."

Lin Yilong harvested 8,000 jin of carambola in his first year of farming. (photo courtesy of / Lin Yilong)

Crystal carambola is famous for being a farmer and a part-time editor sells itself.

Lin Yilong's carambola is very famous. Everyone who has eaten it says that carambola is completely different. He boasts a little shyly: "it's really delicious." "it's just that after the appearance of this delicious carambola, the output was immediately reduced by 90% the next year, with a harvest of only 880 jin. This is not the worst time, one year carambola harvest only 300 jin, pineapple output can not bear to see.

After eating a little old capital, borrowing some working capital, and taking a few science lessons, Lin Yilong gradually learned, "it's not my ability to grow well, it's all nature's decision!" "in good times, you can pay off loans and build more houses. In bad times, you can also make a living by throwing coins all over the place. The key point is to be worthy of yourself. Whether it is carambola, pineapple or later enzyme processed products, he sells them by himself. He is the public relations, accountant, general affairs and editor of the farm, as well as a farmer who goes to the fields every day.

Set up a customer list to take care of regular customers while "raising" new customers.

Lin Yilong generously shares his sales skills. "small farmers just have to write articles, take pictures, and win traffic for what they do." Because of his diligent writing, blog readers are not only his main source of visitors, the article also attracted the attention of Aquarius Publishing House, inviting him to publish the book "planting 200% Happiness." many readers came along the line to support his crops and expand his customer base.

Second, from a heart-to-heart standpoint, Lin Yilong found that the simpler the transaction, the better. Don't let customers fill out a bunch of forms every time. "like me, some customers just have to tell me 'business as usual', which is very straightforward. "

If you want to make it convenient for your guests, you have to manage them yourself. Lin Yilong has a list of more than 2,000 people. He will adjust regularly, move forward the most frequent customers, and send messages to connect them as soon as there are crops for sale, so as to build their brand loyalty. In addition, because old customers will be lost every year, he will also give priority to a certain number of new customers to buy products and "raise" them.

Lin Yilong shares his farming methods with his book "planting 200% Happiness". (photography / Yang Yuyun)

I'll tell you the three secrets of no medicine, no fat, but no economic worries.

It's just that most people have the impression that farmers are suffering, so why is Lin Yilong financially secure? Compared with the conventional agricultural method, his agricultural output is indeed on the low side, but because the unit price is higher, he can strike a balance. "putting his products in a high-end position in the market division" is Lin Yilong's first secret.

Second, the inferior products he harvested are easier to be processed than conventional agricultural laws, and the income of the secondary industry is also the mainstay of his economy. Finally, because of direct sales, 40% of the profit does not have to be taken away by the channel, which is tantamount to an increase in revenue.

Processing and manufacturing is not only a secondary industry in agriculture, but also an important income of Lin Yilong after farming. (photography / Yang Yuyun)

The benefits of taking agricultural notes are easier than computer registration and traceability.

From the first day of farming, Lin Yilong took agricultural notes every day, a habit he developed when he worked in the science and technology industry. About eight years ago, he computerized all records to facilitate traceability and comparison, including the purchase and maintenance of agricultural machinery, the purchase and consumption of seedlings and materials, crop harvest weight and the number of bottles of processed products, customer data and shipping records, as well as his own working hours. "for example, I recorded the time of weeding in area D this morning. The total man-hour of weeding in this area this season is 21.9 hours. "

Lin Yilong observes that most farmers keep records, only on the daily calendar or on the blackboard, but those methods are not easy to manage retroactively. "the practical computer records only take 15 minutes a day," which takes a lot of time and benefits. For example, he tries a new mulberry pruning method every year, and then compares the harvests over the years to know whether his experiment is successful or not. For example, if you find an increase in production at the same time this year, you should quickly increase the promotion on Facebook and respond as soon as possible.

As for the record of working hours, it is even more closely related to cost. "you have to know how many man-hours it takes before you can set a reasonable price." Lin Yilong says that most farmers only earn their own jobs, but why can't agriculture make a profit?. How do you retire when you only earn a salary? Therefore, we must earn and save at ordinary times. Lin Yilong also frankly shares his financial situation. At present, the couple earn about 70,000 yuan a month, because they spend less in the countryside, and their children have grown up, and their days are actually more financially freer than many office workers. Coupled with savings in their accounts, a price for their own farmland, as well as seniority pension and agricultural insurance, their retirement life does not seem to be a problem.

Lin Yilong spends 15 minutes a day registering farm details to help him better manage his fields. (photography / Yang Yuyun)

Farming depends on the movement and retreat, and there is no way to go back.

Lin Yilong believes that the sense of achievement in farming is very direct, and he is greatly encouraged by the feedback from the guests. Farming is also very free. now that he works an average of more than five hours a day, he finally has time to take into account his diverse interests: watching movies, walking, and getting close to nature; farm life allows him to meet many different people, and the experiences of these friends enrich his horizons. "the most important thing is that farming makes my wife very happy, which is what she wants to do most in her life. "

So, does he support other people to farm?

"I will ask him why he wants to farm. What kind of crops do you want to grow? How much income do you want? Do you know how much area you need to grow to achieve that kind of income? Lin Yilong said sincerely that all this must be thought out clearly.

But as soon as the words changed, he also admitted, "but if you think all this through, you probably won't be able to farm." He said that farming actually depended on motivation, because the movement at that time forced himself to retreat, so that he could "make his life go in the direction he wanted."