IsaanAussie

Thanks Rice,

I got some price from Pacific Seeds a few months ago. Now they are giving away a shirt? Well thats it must rush in and buy a bag.

FEF bought some corn seed from them, but it didnt grow. In fact it never got out of the bags, travelled backwards and forwards around Thailand on a bus for a while and is now sitting on the window ledge of a condo admiring the ocean view.

See why you two have so many posts just talking to each other. Point out again for everyone I am setting up an AP system as a hobby for a bit of fun. grow some veg for me and the kids a few fish for the wife. This is not my living and I dont want it to be I am a poultry farmer. I hate fresh water fish id sooner eat dog shit . Sorry eating muddy fish is not on my menu. I might not bother with the fish just chuck some chicken shit in the water..!!!!

Andy,

Man after my own heart. I have never been a keen fish eater but i draw the line at those that glow in the dark. Think about using worm castings as the nutrient supply. Since you want to experiment, I'll play ball and supply the castings to start you off if you like.

Just to even things up ,the wifes dad killed a mongoose today I wanted to post a photo but it was eaten by the time i got back .I am sad to say they did not save me any. So had to settle for two pork chops, in apple and brandy new potatoes carrots peas and onion gravy. Things you miss out on when you work an extra hour.

You poor deprived bugger.

OK, so FEF is back and its only a matter to time before he publishes another Down on the Farm Epic, so I thought it was time to issue the challenge to him this time and get in first. I wrote a message to a friend today which was amusing so I thought I would rewrite it t todays story. Actually true, it did happen ...

Room for a Laugh.pdf

Hope you enjoy it.

Isaan Aussie

Clears up one thing. Thats why the Darwin Awards originated in Australia! Sure see some rocket scientists at work at home. Maybe the average Thai farmer aint so dumb after all? Well at least compared to us.

Good for you Oz or should I say Frankdom,Crash and burn so what, you had a go and when it took a bit more you put it in. My kinda guy!

Ah yes ,"farang plans",the old timers on this forum may remember them well.

The bloke who was going to buy up all the rice direct from the growers ,store it and resell when the price went up.

Same with Cassava.

Or the plethora of intensive fish farmers.

Maybe a thread called "Where are they now" would be interesting.

Come on my ol' Tassie Devil mate,

What happened to "Have a go ya mug!" or in the case of aquaponics "Jumping in at the deep end"

Start ups are never easy and often fail. Not just here but everywhere. No excuses for poor planning, management or judgement, but sympathy for circumstances changing beyond your control. In the case of farming, well what could go wrong, will at some point, making it all the harder. But I agree it would be a valuable tool for those of us who get close to the wire to understand the why things went wrong for others. I doubt the failures will make the time to tell us, so my bet is lack of understanding the market or lack of personal commitment.

Ozz and the other old timers, I'll bet you all have been there on the edge once or twice, either lacking funds or desire to continue. But you kept on going, battled through, Aussie style. I know you and many others try to help newbies by offering advise. More fool them if it isnt heeded.

Remember the Irishmen who bought a truck to go upcountry and buy watermelons? They loaded up at a few baht each and returned to the big smoke where after more effort than they had thought it would be, sold the melons for a few baht each. After much deep discussion and thought, they decided they would improve their lot by buying a bigger truck. Recipe for success?

Isaan Aussie

Soidog,Nothing innocent deserves to die, man or beast. I suppose the issue is can you train a snake or wild cat to stay away from a recently discovered source of an easy meal. I think not. But wanten killing is not the answer either. You make a good point on the awakening to reality of too many people over-using the earths limited resources. You are smarter man than me if you have the answer. I am a "baby boomer" and was taught the values of the fifties and sixties as a child. I hope I have continued to learn rather than be trapped in the values of those times. I try to live more responsibly than I did before but as much out necessity as out of conscience. We all can and should do more without doubt.Hold your values close, you are on the right track.Isaan Aussie

I never cut corners it does not pay but if something is good its good might be worth buying this one as a back up to your good pump.

@ 1200 baht why not buy 2 and keep a spare. That is what I will do. When I asked them if this pump would run 24 x 7 x 365 days they no problems. They didn't try to get me to buy something dearer. Bob

...selling the Tilapia in large quantites. All I can say at the moment is that we have a plan.

I'm feeling pretty good this morning and read this topic after having spent yesterday afternoon with my expensive pump running while I limed my pond. The above quote reminds me of a show I used to like a lot, Black Adder, Baldrick used to say, "I have a cunning plan." I can see so many parallels to life here in Thailand in that show. Thanks for the smile Bob.

Back ups and spares? Here in Thailand? Here in Isaan, the land of the midnight shopper? I had a brand new ordinary water pump as a spare some time ago. I wasnt "using it" so someone else "borrowed it" to drain out water as they sunk a well by hand. Obviously there was no need to ask first, I didnt "need it". When they had finished they did as I had asked and "put it back". Eventually I did have a need for it and went and got it out to find it seized up solid. Who had used it for the wrong thing and hadnt even bothered to wash it out? Who knows, one of Thailands mysteries? I'm not crazy Bob, me keep spares?

Just taking the number ones guys.

This is the most active topic for ages. Rightly so, as snakes negatively motivate me as much as sharks. I suppose our individual attitudes have a lot to do with where we all grew up and the attitudes of people around us as well as the population density and danger level on the snakes. I think it was Winston Churchill who said something about a pacifist being a person who fed the crocodiles in the hope he would be the last one they ate. My Grandfather who was an animal farmer always said, "Only good snake is a dead one!" He was also the same guy that took my dog to the farm to train for me when I was about nine years old. Weeks later on a visit to the farm, when asked about progress, he casually says, "Not worth his tucker, shot him."

So I have a question primarily for other Aussies as I have never heard of it happening anywhere else. Who has seen a snake killed, beheaded and gutted by being cracked like a whip? Snakes in the sheep yards in NSW were a problem and were dispatched by the stockmen while walking through the flocks. Grab the snake by the tail, swing it high in the air and KERRR..RACK, just like a bull whip, head and entrails are gone, Hang the body over the fence. I often thought it would be hard luck for anyone way over where the mouth open startled snake head descended. Fancy getting bitten in the neck by a hundred mile an hour taipan head? No thanks.

Here big snakes dont stand a chance if they are spotted. Sliced up and in the pot in minutes. Protein is valued highly, and even Thais surely must get sick of eating rice sometimes? Strange old world isn't it! Takes all types.

For anyone who read my postings about mummified pigs a few months ago, some good news. The sow first affected has just delivered 10 live piglets. Yippee...

Actually it was 11. I'm getting old, day before yesterday when the litter was arriving I kept count as I was doing the chores of the day. I thought the tally was eight and went back to find seven, no sign of number eight. Anyway, on we go and the last three arrive, everything is cleaned up and the day goes on. Yesterday morning my helper comes in early with a huge smile, telling me I was wrong there are 11. Got me beat, but happy.

very helpfull like I said this will be a hobby thing for me to learn. I will go with your pump it sounds like a winner. Thanks to all I can not wait to get started. I will post the photos as we go

This is a link to the pump they quoted @ 1200 baht Bob

http://www.jrpumps.i...asp?Type=iw250n

Has anyone used this pump? I'm looking to get one myself and this is about the size I want, but I've not had good experience with cheap pumps.

Really good question Smithson. I have an Italian three inch sewerage pump which cost about 7,000 baht, and "knock wood" has performed well for over a year. I would like know if cheaper pumps are a viable option as I will need another one.

One thing I decided on was to limit the power consumption as electricity supply in our area can be variable. My pump is 750W and delivers 450 litres a minute.

For anyone who read my postings about mummified pigs a few months ago, some good news. The sow first affected has just delivered 10 live piglets. Yippee...

I'm no snake expert but I've seen snakes that looked very much like the ones in the snake charmers baskets in our area and in the back of snake oil salesmens pickup trucks here in the village, all at the size Andy suggested. I am also no hero so I just let the locals know one is about and they take care of it. They are very real folks.As for their part in nature, I agree and take care when I am in their neck of the woods. However, they are not encouraged to come near the pig sty and dealt with if they do. New born piglets would be a tasty meal for snakes at that size and I have no intention of putting them on the menu. Snakes of any size and type are dealt with the same way near the sty, zero tolerance. I have lost a sow to a scorpion bite but not yet to a snake.

Hey guys, a couple of questions out of interest. What about cleaning the accumulated solids out? And Bob, you stated a water change of 9C.M/hr, or 9000 litres. Thats 150 litres a minimum, how do you slow it down so it doesnt wash your grow bed away?

Isaan Aussie.

Is the farm certified organic?

A fascinating clash of ideals? Natural or organically certified.... Nature is exactly that, organic certification comes with compromises and a cost. I'm not being clever but it seems to me that if man hadn't stuck his finger in the pie maybe there wouldnt be a need to get certified at all.

Hi pigsters,

When things are good here everyone rushes in to find that the normal three year cycles change things for the worse. I am no prophet of doom but it pays to gaze into the crystal ball every now and then.

I am planning to restock my breeding herd and pull my production back to a 4x4 batch as I have talked about before. I thought some of you may be interested in the impact on the cash flow of potential decreases in pig prices and increases in feed bills would have on my operation.

Remember that a batch system is different to a continous flow of raising pigs. With a batch system you are selling pigs every month not at 4 to 6 month intervals. Therefore I would suggest that this be treated as a minimum impact drop in terms of cash flow.

The period shown in the graph is 18 months and the price of piglets and pigs in baht per kilo is shown in the legend. The feed bill numbers are derived by add 20 baht per bag of feed every 6 months. That rate of increase is slightly higher than I have had before but my gut says it will be increasing.

Cash Impact of Pig and Feed Prices.pdf

The impact on cash balance is (115,000) feed and (340,00) piglets and pigs. The result is a 53% drop in net profit.

Isaan Aussie.

What is the charge per person ??

Check the website, the prices are there.

To the OP all the best I hope your course is a success. Not strictly my cup of tea but definitely a practical life style here in LOS.

Andy,

I wrote a bit about water lettuce earlier this year. I grew a pond full and feed some to my pigs for lunch. They eat any given amount. As Ozzy said it is prolific stuff and choked out everything else. No problem for the catfish, and definitely great to clean the water up. To get rid of it, dump some snails into the water and leave them to it. Then I used a couple of bottles of snail killer that didnt harm the fish. So with the rain I am now back at the start with a pond full of emerald green, turbid water about to throw in another bag full of plants. Going to try some duckweed as well this time I think.

I broke the roots off the larger plants before feeding the pigs. It is a great way to fill the breeding pigs up after feding them to diet and has the bonus of the extra protein.

Water lettuce dries to a small fraction of its weight wet, and wet it decomposes in the compost very quickly. Heaps and trace elements as well.

Agreed Andy, whatever we can do to feed organic materials to the pigs is a plus in my book and adds to the bottom line.

IA

Welcome to the forum. I cant help you with CM, but every farmer around here has at least 1 barrel like that for spraying crops. They are sold by all types of hardware suppliers, recycling companies and even some feed stores that sell pumps and hoses. Take a drive around the town or ask anyone who has one. Should not be hard to find. I make aerated compost tea brewers out of them.

Isaan Aussie

Further to the live prices heres my current feed cost per fattened pig. If you compare the price increases you may notice a larger jump. Hopefully not to much. If you want to look more closely, I believe 80% of corn is local and all soy meal is imported, so look look commodities for corn and international for soy.

Feed costs per pig sept 2011.pdf

As far as return on pigs goes, now is the time. Locally piglets are 2,200 baht. Feed cost of 3,400 baht, therefore COP 5,600. Currently 8,000 to 8,300 for the finished pig so a profit of 2,400 baht. Now thats better than the 500 baht people were getting 12 months ago. Lets hope it lasts a bit longer.

IA

Oh yeah, that depends if you can get piglets of course. In Buri Ram I know an agent who cant get feed. Tells me that while the fire is hot, there are an increasing number of irons being poked into it.

Yeah RBH, it is interesting. It seems that China is standing apart from the pig world as an exception. I read an article yesterday on the web written by an American industry guy and he claims that there is a global shift towards a common price base. Makes sense when you consider the shift to large scale farms everywhere, even China. What it means is the prices will stay more stable.

Here given the 30% production shortfall this year here and growing export potential, we may well see the price drop back slightly but I think it will remain pretty constant until the feed prices come up to narrow the current gap.

Attached is a graphic picture of the last two and a half years and a linear trendline which I extended out over ten months. It seems to indicate that the current 80 baht range may come back to 75 by mid 2012. Of course if the government steps in then who knows? I dont think they will do much as the producers association here is getting very noisy.

I would be interested in the views of others.

Isaan Aussie

China: pig prices impact the world economy

26-Sep-2011 ASAHI

http://www.asahi.com

Of the 1 billion pigs being raised in the world, about half are in China, where pork consumption is increasing as the Chinese economy develops. As a result, pork prices are rising, a trend that is impacting the world economy.

To ease the public's dissatisfaction with the price increase, which could lead to rioting, the Chinese government is increasing pork production. However, the move is causing a growth in demand for pig feed and raising feed prices in international markets.

Following the rise in living standards in China, the number of people who prefer eating meat is growing. However production is not keeping up with the increasing demand. As a result, the price of one pig has increased from 600 yuan (7,280 yen, or $94) to 2,100 yuan.

Corn feed prices have tripled since 2007. The starting wage for migrant workers from Sichuan province and other parts of China has doubled to 2,200 yuan.

In China, pork production has increased more than 10 percent in the past five years to 52.5 million tons. By comparison, poultry production is about a quarter of that amount and beef about one-eighth.

The consumer price index (CPI) in China in July rose 6.5 percent from the same month last year. The growth rate is the largest since June 2008. Of the 6.5 percent, 1.5 percent was attributed to pork, whose prices rose nearly 60 percent year-on-year.

In July, the government announced that it would earmark 2.5 billion yuan for expansion of pig farms and breed improvement. It also plans to release stockpiled frozen pork and import some products from the United States.

By inviting participation from foreign companies, the government is also trying to improve distribution systems and expand pig farms to raise production efficiency. However, those measures are not expected to bring immediate relief. Small-scale pig farm operators, which account for most of the pig farm operators in the country, are withdrawing from the business one after another due to the increase in production costs.

In China, pork prices have been in a three-year cycle, but there is a growing sign that such a cycle will not reoccur. The rise in prices of feeds and fuels is increasingly linked to overseas market moves. In addition, personnel costs are rising. As a result, there is a growing possibility that pork prices will not decline as much as expected.

The pork production increase is also raising world grain prices. In China, corn imports that are used for pig feed increased sharply from 50,000 tons in 2008 to 1.57 million tons in 2010.

In the Chicago market, the futures prices of corn per 25 kilograms rose sharply from less than $4 in the first half of 2010 to about $8 in June, marking the highest price ever.

The volume of China's corn imports is not large compared to the country's domestic production of 177 million tons.

Meanwhile, anticipating that pork consumption in China will increase further, companies in Japan, including Marubeni, Singapore and other countries are investing in pig farming-related businesses in China.

Good for you AA1, count me in.

As a suggestion, make better provision for Thai companions and wives. We made an assumption that as my wife eats farang food so would others, even just for a change. Some didnt and we owe an apology to those ladies, sorry girls!

IA

PS. Do you mean the motel besides the PTT service station on 24, a few kms toward Ubon? It has good western style rooms does a modest breakfast and was around 600 baht from memory. I have stayed there several times. Wife and I will have a room please.

So what brings a banana bender to grow rubber here?