Latis

Thanks Bina,

I went to Chatuchak and an old lady there said she will have her scouts look for Pygmy Goats / West African Dwarf Goats / Nigerian Dwarf Goats and they will cost 8,000 baht each. I said I was after three and foolishly gave her a "refundable" 8,000 baht deposit. I have to wait around two weeks for her scouts to locate the goats. I just hope I don't see a headline in the newspaper "Goats stolen from zoo". I still have faith that I'll get three goats or get my refund.

Thanks for your advice. I am indeed after Nigerian Dwarf Goats. It's a challenge tracking them down in Thailand. I am after three as pets, not a commercial project and willing to pay a good price.

I am planning to start a small worm farm to compost waste on my very small farm in Ubon. Anyone know where I can buy worm eggs to get started?

I am keen to start a worm farm to decompose waste. Anyone can give me advice?

Oops, sorry guys posted my electrician inquiry in wrong topic.

I am not a farmer but have 24 rai of land in Ubon and keep 30 geese, 50 turkeys, 20 ducks, 30 guinea fowl, 17 peacocks and 1 black swan. I hire a family to look after the land. I would be keen to join a farmers gathering. I'll be driving to Ubon from Bangkok on Saturday 17 September and would be keen to drop in for a couple of hours. Happy to contribute to the event. I am a professional corporate event organizer and think this is a great idea to arrange a farmers gathering.

Can anyone recommend a really good Electrician in Isaan who can wire a house to UK/Australian standards? I have bought UK electrical sockets that have earth rather than the Thai two pins. Now I need to find an expat electrician to wire a new build 4 room house. Thanks for any recommendations on who can do a proper job. I have had disasters in the past with electricians in Thailand.

I have a small farm in Ubon and currently have geese, ducks, guinea fowl and peacocks. I am keen to keep Indian Runner Ducks. Have not seen any at the various agricultural fairs or Chatuchak. Does anyone know if there are Indian Runner Ducks in Thailand? Indian Runners have a unique stance of standing up, which makes them look more like geese than ducks.

Hi Craig,

I checked with the Ministry of Agriculture in Bangkok and they said there are no Pygmy Goats in Thailand. Quite strange considering I saw them two years ago at the Kasetsart Agricultural Fair here in Bangkok. I just wish I had waited to get the owners contact details back then. I'll see if the Thai agricultural mags have any ads. There are plenty of regular size milk and meat goats but no one seems to know about Pygmy Goats. Perhaps I should consider officially importing them.

Does anyone know where I can buy three Pygmy Goats in Thailand? I have a small farm at Sirindhorn, Ubon. I saw some Pygmy Goats at Kasetsart Agricultural Fair in Bangkok a couple of years back but did not see the owner.

Pygmy Goats: Females, called does, weigh 23 to 34 kg (51 to 75 lb) and males, called bucks, weigh 27 to 39 kg (60 to 86 lb). Wither height ranges from 16 to 23 in (41 to 58 cm).

I am about to renew 1km of fence around my very small farm and plan to Eucalyptus. The farm is at Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon. I have been seasoning the posts for 18 months and from November, when the rains have stopped, I will be soaking 800 posts in used car oil. Each post will get 3 hours submerged in a vat of car oil. The base of the posts that go in the ground will be placed in plastic bags, as an additional barrier for the posts and soil. My understanding is that Eucalyptus grows much faster in Thailand than in New Zealand or Australia, hence the wood is weaker. I put four untreated 6" Eucalyptus posts in the ground and after six months, the 6" had rotted/been eaten away to 3 inches. Treating the wood fence posts is the only way to go.

Does anyone know of any agricultural fairs on for the rest of 2011? I missed Kasetsart Fair at the beginning of the year. Wondering if any shows planned for end of August through to December 2011? Thanks.

As a newbie to this site, that's a great suggestion. I'll checkout the farming section. Cheers!

I live and work in Bangkok and have a rural retreat at Baan Kham Khom Village, waterfront at Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon. I adore this place as it is 100% Authentic Rural Thailand. Does anyone have 10 Reasons to visit Ubon? Hey, I know the jokers will come up with many reasons why not to. I hope there are some others who live in or visit Ubon and would like to share their Top 10 reasons why others should visit this province.

I have a very small farm (27 rai) at Sirindhorn in Ubon. I planted the seed/nut from three advocados and two of them are still doing fine. One mysteriously dies after 5 years. The two remaining trees have not borne fruit yet. My udnerstanding was that you get stronger trees if grown from seed/nut rather than grafting.

This is a photo of part of my farm. The duo of avacado trees are too far in the distance to see.

I chose to buy land in Isaan as opposed to elsewhere, not because of a Thai wife or dodgy deal but from a desire to have a rural retreat by a large natural water resource. After opening a map of Thailand and being discouraged from buying in the South, I was recommended by many colleagues to explore Sirindhorn Dam. After a few scouting weekends, I bought a piece of waterfront land (4 rai), which is so-so. A few months later I then bought my prized 27 rai waterfront smallholding. Lastly I purchased 30 rai also facing the reservoir. No shopping malls, international restaurants, internet cafes, fast food chains, traffic congestion, noise and pollution. Authentic rural Thailand. Hey, I live and work in a city and enjoy escaping when I can to the Thai countryside I now call home - Sirindhorn in Ubon.

Hey, doesn't Ubon get a look in? A one flight from BKK to UBP airport. A one hour drive and you are at Sirindhorn Dam. Waterfront bliss, peace and quiet...apart from Songkran. I'm a farang living and working in Bangkok and bought land at Sirindhorn Dam seven years ago, not through a Thai wife but through the desire to have a rural escape that is by a water resource.

Here are some photo from Issan - my very small farm at Baan Kham Khom Village at Sirindhorn Dam in Ubonratchathani. I have called the abode "Latis" after the Goddess of Water and Beer.

You all certainly gave me a laugh. I suppose it does sound like an odd request. I own a farm at Sirindhorn Dam in Ubon. Having 27 rai of land is gre4at until you have to renew the fence. I bought 900 wood posts - Eucalyptus- and have seasoned them outside for the past 18 months. After the rains stop in November and the wood has dried out, I plan to renew the fence. However, treating the wood with a wood preserver, TOA, will require approx. 130,000 Baht worth of exterior wood preservative. I then came up with the idea of soaking the logs in used car oil. A search on the web and an American did the same and his posts are lasting a lifetime. Just don't strike a match!  So, to save 100,000 Baht, I am looking to buy 800 litres of used car oil and each fence post will be soaked for 30 minutes. Hey presto! a cheap way to preserve wood fence posts. I have since contacted a car service centre and they have quoted 2,700 Baht per drum 200 litres. I am now scouting for 4 or 5 used oil drums (200l) to deliver to the car service centre. The guys at service shop said it will take a month to collect that amount of used oil.

I visited the Kasetsart Agricultural Fair in Bangkok in 2009 and saw two Pigmy Goats. I did not have time to locate the owner. Does anyone know where I can buy Pigmy Goats from in Thailand? I have a small farm (24 rai) in Ubon. I have quite a lot of poultry but reckon goats will also help with regenerating the quality of the soil with their manure. Pigmy Goats the size of a god would be ideal. Better than water buffalo

Where can I buy 800 litres of used car oil in Bangkok or in Ubon? A standard steel oil drum holds 200 litres, so I need 4 drums of used car oil. I approached a company in Pattaya but they are only interested in selling one million litres. A little bit more than I need. Thanks for any guidance.