Blueberries Cheer On Baseball Dreams: CPBL Gives Back Train Advances to Taitung, Promoting Soil Conservation Education and Local Flavors Together

The Taichung Branch of the Council of Agriculture's Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation Agency has once again joined hands with the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), using baseball to connect rural industries, soil and water conservation, and children's baseball dreams! The 'CPBL Gives Back Train' advanced to Taitung Baseball Village on August 18, where TSG Hawks coach Deng Shiyang and player Huang Jiexi engaged with local little league players. In addition to donating baseball gear and equipment, they brought the 'Domestic Blueberry Major League (MLB)' onto the field, encouraging children: 'Eat MLB when you're young, play in MLB when you grow up!'

In recent years, the Taichung Branch has actively supported the development of Taiwan's domestic blueberry industry, uniting young farmers to form the 'Domestic Blueberry Major League (Major League Blueberry, MLB)'. This initiative enhances brand recognition for local blueberries while integrating soil and water conservation concepts from the cultivation stage. For this event, blueberry pot and bag cultivation methods were introduced into soil conservation education, helping young players understand how agricultural production and land conservation can coexist. Unlike large-scale land clearing, pot and bag cultivation reduce land disturbance, allowing children to learn about water and soil resource conservation through a single blueberry plant and recognize that sustainable agriculture and environmental protection are part of everyday life.

The event also featured local blueberry specialty products such as 'Blueberry Yogurt Drink' and 'Blueberry Puffed Coix', inviting Coach Deng Shiyang, player Huang Jiexi, and young ballplayers to taste them together. Extending from the familiar sport of baseball to food-and-farm education, participants learned about domestically grown Taiwanese blueberries cultivated by young farmers and their diverse processed applications. Zhang Zhaohong, Section Chief of the Taichung Branch, stated, 'Just like baseball players who grow from little league with long-term foundational training and accumulation, agriculture is the same. We hope that through the creative connection of 'MLB meeting MLB,' children will get to know Major League Blueberry today and one day have the chance to challenge Major League Baseball.'

This outreach effort received enthusiastic support from young domestic blueberry farmers, with 14 young farmers—including those from Miaoli County Sustainable Berry Production Cooperative and Humi Blueberry Farm—voluntarily donating NT$30,000 to support the CPBL Gives Back Train's journey to Taitung. Chen Rongjun, Branch Director of the Taichung Branch, said, 'The development of Taiwan's domestic blueberry industry isn't just about growing good products; we aim to unite young farmers to give back to society, creating more connections between rural特色产业, public welfare, sports, and the next generation. We hope the Domestic Blueberry Major League becomes a collective force cheering for Taiwan's young baseball talents.'

The Taichung Branch emphasized that the Domestic Blueberry Major League continues to integrate young farmer empowerment, eco-friendly production, product development, and market promotion. By joining the CPBL Gives Back Train to Taitung, they hope to leverage professional baseball's influence to root soil conservation, support for domestic agricultural products, and social contribution values in younger generations. They will continue cross-domain collaborations, accompanying more children as they bravely grow from Taiwan's 'MLB,' nourished by the land and their baseball dreams, advancing toward the world's major league stage.