IsaanAussie

Well Shaggy, you have seen my place recently so there is nothing much from my side that you will miss out on. What gets revealed from the group gathered remains to be seen. I am hoping to get a few good ideas to improve what I'm doing. Hopefully for the group we will all learn something.

FEF, me ol' Mexican Banana, great, the 44th of the 4th sounds like sometime in April. But despite downsizing the tractor, that still leaves room for one or two more in between. I seem to remember AA1's concept was for every 3 months, so who is going to volunteer for one before Christmas? This could be tricky for rice farmers with OS holiday plans so if I can suggest around the second week of December?

Now, Sept is Sisaket, April is Buriram, how about Surin or Ubon for December? Now I would never put pressure on AA1 or JC so I am completely open to other suggestions.

Now if you are tempted but unsure, then I might suggest this. The format is open, the objective is to show everyone what you are doing and open the floor to discussion. I dont see anything hard in that. Is it a competition? Hell no, I live under a verandah, the only thing approaching a palace around here is occupied by my pigs. Shaggy reported that someone else told him "I wouldn't mind having his pig sty, its the F'king Ritz". Well the truth is it is far from finished. So other than a few novel integration ideas I really don't have a lot to offer but a lot to learn.

Always room for improvement. Never enough friends.

Isaan Aussie

Bring your Workpermits with You..

There is one of us that doesnt "advise" our wives every day. Did you know that Thailand's BOI promotes foreign investment in farming, especially in management skills. What we do is fun, and the advise usually needs some practical training which gives us a bit of exercise. No I doubt we will need anything like that on the day.

Listen here Jack of the impossible Rippers, Jack of the nitrogen fixing green manure Beanstalks, dont be so quick to dismiss good ideas. Anyone with a tractor would be more than ready to vote those in. Even Jack of the Box scraper would get my vote.

But they have got to be seen first, so are you volunteering to host a field day? You should, plenty to learn from your finger prints in the dyke walls.

Edit: Maybe a good date would be the 66th of the 10th?

Ok I have an idea for a single award. I suggest the Moo Bin Dai award. Or the Pigs can fly award.

To be awarded only when someone demonstrates something improbable, fascinating, or incredibly funny. Something that could only happen after pigs learn to fly. From a beating all odds story to FEF going to sleep in my compost bin.

Challenged by FEF to live up to the challenge of offering an amusing story again I thought I would wait until something amusing happened. Well I didn't have to wait long.

The Players

Moon - My wife

Nick - Drunken useless no-conscience BIL. Civility and Forum rules limit any further description of this piece of Big Faced seeking <deleted>.

Skinny - Moons mother

Tonight we had a visit from our PooYai, for once nothing to do with us. A couple of days ago Moon apparently asked Nick to go and find a Papaya from the villagers and gave him 20 baht to pay for it. Nick goes to an old guy, Khun Hello's house and asks for a papaya. The old guy asks why he wants it and Nick tells him it is for Moon. Oh, she doesn’t have to pay she can have all the small fruit of that tree in the front that she wants, points to a tree and rides off on his bike. But the BIG beautiful ones out the back are the ones that Nick wants and takes one. The twenty baht ends up in the bottom of a whiskey bottle somewhere and Nick proudly comes home a hero with a beautiful fruit. Yesterday the old guy comes to see Moon and tells her that he is not angry with her but Nick stole one of the two papaya that his wife was growing for seeds out the back. Moon says she didn’t know anything about that and apologies thinking that he had been paid so things weren't too bad. She also apologised for the tongue lashing that his wife must have given him, he nodded slowly, shrugged and wandered off. Tonight the Poo Yai turns up and drags the family over to Khun Hellos house. The old guy is furious, his wife is ballistic and Nick is in the firing line. Seems that Nick, drunk as usual, had met one of his freeloading mates who had seen the prize papaya Nick had before and offered a drink or two in exchange for one just like it. Nick was more than happy to go fetch the last of the prized seed papayas. Pretty easy pickings actually since no-one was home to accidently bump into and no need to attempt to talk in his drunken state. At the square off session, again the old guy apologises to Moon and to her Mum and says that he is not angry at them, they are people with good hearts. But the wife has eyes for only one person, Nick. Those eyes glow red when she turns to Nick and says, "You will pay me 1,000 baht for my papaya you stole. If you don’t pay the Poo Yai will take me to the police and you will go to the jail!" Silence. Now comes the fireworks, Skinny grabs half a tree and starts beating Nick to the ground. At 24 kilograms, even her rage can't hold this limb up for more than a few swings, so she drops and starts in with the boots. Well actually bare feet, bare boney feet. Everybody else dives for cover, everybody meaning half the sticky nose village that has turned up to trunk in. At a safe distant they all just stand and watch Nick now covered in shame and a healthy amount of mud and buffalo crap get what has long been overdue. Like all naughty children he gets his ear grabbed, twisted almost off and dragged by the lug home. Me, I just sat on a chair and watched it all happen. Even the reenactments that all the village kids performed once the stage was cleared.

In the words of Billy Connelly, "You'll get yours Jimmy"!

Firstly, to Tingtong. Since I joined this forum I have enjoyed the valuable advice of many members who shared their experiences and knowledge. To me that is the whole point of this forum. So you my friend are more than welcome in my book. Hopefully we all will learn something on each of these occasions.

And to GB, me ol' atomic bomby mate, thanks for the logo. It gives me an idea for the day to add a bit of interest. How about we come up with two prizes that can be awarded each field day, perhaps by survey afterwards. Obviously best idea or gimmic for the day, which in keeping with the prohibitive nature of the farming profession here in Thailand, maybe "Farming Advisor of the event". At the other end of the scale, oh, this one is harder. It needs to be humorous but not insulting, hmm???? Any ideas? Open question to all, coming or not.

See the idea is both awards need to be worth winning. If it is fun then it may help this event continue past the first or second occasion, The problem is there are a few champions out there that are just funny guys who would do anything on the spur of the moment and would win a novelty award every time. I have heard that one of our members deliberately drove his tractor through a wasps nest collecting more stings than would kill a buffalo and then nose dived the tractor into a klong. Then self medicated while in hospital with the full range of the hospitals dispensary at his disposal. Well if that is true, how would anyone beat that? If it was a beer drinking competition, well we would all be on "rubber legs" trying to keep up with one member I can think of.

I suppose what I am heading towards is whatever is the venue or the topics discussed, we should have some feedback to the forum at large so everyone can participate. Who knows, maybe we will end up with regional groupings trying to outdo each other. After all most of us will travel just so far for a beer and a chat, it is the forum itself that attracts me and it would be great if we can hinge off that.

If you read this Bina, I would be interested in your thoughts.

Isaan Aussie

So at this stage who thinks they can make it? No pressure final numbers on the day I suppose.

(You are excused with a great reason Kwonitoy, Good luck I hope everything goes well).

OK lets settle on the weekend of the 17th and 18th of September. Start off early afternoon of the 17th and bop till we drop. Anyone who wants to cover something in detail let me know. Sunday can be mop up day. Everyone welcome to join in as they can, early or late.

Are we getting closer?

Isaan Aussie

Date range 16 to 21 September then. OK all?

Morning start set late say 10am for breakfast. Vote now!

Suits me to get the pigs seen to first. And a pile of banana culms at my place everyone welcome.

Thats me after a long day, shower and sleep.

Feedback guys!

Isaan Aussie

PS. FEF I've here long enough to challenge Dylan. Do unto others before they do unto you, just gagging

OK JC I just checked too but cant think that far ahead. I believe it would be an advantage to have FEF here but he is currently OS. Thats why I suggest Oct in the first place. So if you are out there "O fruitless banana" in the ether, are you coming? When suits you? I seem to open the doors of the display fridge every day so it makes no difference to me.

One more suggestion. Since some people may have to travel a way, why don't we do it over two half days. Start afternoon day 1, party that night and find somewhere to sleep, continue talking in the morning, lunch at our place then off home in the afternoon. Just a thought.

Right it seems we are up and running. So first things first, I have a double door display fridge and Leo is 50 baht a bottle. Not the only option but definitely the closest, so that takes care of JC and me. For those who figure sleep is important, there are a few resorts within 10mins and one with a great restaurant about 15mins away. Around 3 to 400 for unit with AC.

There is a plot of rubber and cassava just behind the pig sty to look at, show you how to make biochar and using the compost tea brewer. Compost systems, worms and pigs, should be a litter to two of piglets arriving about then to play with.

Grab a bag or two or compost, a few kg of worm castings or even a pig or two. I can have fresh bacon available if anyone wants it. If anyone wants to start a worm farm just to get rid of the table scraps, do it on the day. Grab youself a reasonably solid plastic chest or draws from Macro and I'll supply the start up package. Compost Teabags and kits even a brewer. What else? Well, whatever, if you have something in particular in mind just drop me a message.

For anyone handy with hydraulics your welcome to have a go at fixing my tractor or at least helping find the fault. I have a five disc plough which is a little bit heavy for my 28HP Iseki if anyone wants to take it off my hands as I really dont have much use for it.

Keep the ideas flowing guys.

Isaan Aussie.

OK, there is interest, shake the tree, rock the Ford interest. Darn it drive the tractor over edge interest. Get bitten by wasps, do it all in a day OK here we go stuff.

So we have a date parameter, in a couple of months.

OK 24 farmers, date set for October, OK? Got time? Got a question or an answer?

IA

Ok I have taken the bait, the idea, whatever, from the Route 24 Rubber farmers thread.

I will volunteer to host the first Isaan farmers field day, anyone who has the time and inclination to take a look at my operation. Post here or send me a PM with what you would like to see, learn or talk about, anyone with suggestions is always welcome at my place. I will put it all together and post as an idea starter, hopefully a list of interests will emerge and this will move forward. There are a number of members out there that run operations well worth taking a look at, hopefully others will step up to volunteer to host a field day themselves.

If not then this forum is always here for us so I dont see anyone has anytime to lose but a bit of drive time. We could even have a swap meet each time. It only takes a seed to grow a plant afterall and as the Thais say "Up to you!"

I always complain that apathy rules the world, lets see!

Isaan Aussie.

Lets try that again...

I have been asked several times recently how the septic system for my pigs works. So I have attached a rough schematic to this post. Sorry no labels but I might add some later if anyone cant work it out. There are six tanks interconnected.

septic tank schematic.pdf

Hopefully you can see this one

I have been asked several times recently how the septic system for my pigs works. So I have attached a rough schematic to this post. Sorry no labels but I might add some later if anyone cant work it out. There are six tanks interconnected.

Perhaps the problem with the bananas is getting the right sort of fertilisation, organic oddity or perhaps one of our members have a secret?

Didnt know whether to put this under bananas, strawberries or something related to pigs.

Apologies to RBH

IA

No white rabbits around here I am afraid. I am about 40 kms south of Sisaket Muang, off the 220.

If 2 is company then 3 or 4 is a crowd already. AA1 you have a core group already well done.

The thing that appeals to me is the opportunity to get first hand information on things that I would like to try or had not thought of, that are complimentary to what I'm doing already. For those TV farmers that have small land holdings it is extremely difficult to make a profit from any one thing. At large scale this should be easier to do, but IMHO for the small guys the most important thing is to cut external expenditure by integrating the farm as much as possible. So any new idea or improvement tip I can get is always welcome. Equally anyone interested in visiting me is more than welcome to any information I have. I am at such a small scale there is no fear of competition and really only a novel way of doing things, nothing ground breaking. Often it is the small tips that make a difference.

One more suggestion is perhaps the topic should be renamed to something a little more obvious?

Isaan Aussie

Consider being "flexible" enough to include the Route 24 pig farmers? Why not just all farmers?

I for one would welcome to opportunity to meet my farming cohorts more often. On site visits at each property would be a great benefit to everyone IMHO. Of course nothing wrong with a BBQ either.

Isaan Aussie

Hi guys,

Heres a few photos sent by a friend of an aquaponics system in India.

Looks pretty doable here.

Isaan Aussie

Recently we had a visit from a group from Bangkok including the owners of BoLan Restaurant. Some of your may have seen Khun Bo on Thai TV on PBS. As part of the weekend organised by Raitong Organics (Bryan and Tui) the visitors and Bo TV crew visited our pigs and worms. A short section of the resulting program which aired recently can be found at.

http://www.thaipbs.or.th/clip/index.asp?content_id=308158&content_category_id=1062

So if you want to get a look at my operation but cant read Thai, then look for the image included and click

IA

This topic seems to have gained a life of its own today. I would like to add this from a very personal perspective:

RBH and I go back a long way. His judgement and business model is among the best I have seen and if I ever have the time to have a drink with him it would be my honour and my shout. I have made many errors here assuming that all I have been told would be realised only to be disappointed, RBH seems to not to have made such a fundamental mistake. A solid business mind. Listen all for your own benefit.

Scully and I have spent many hours on the phone and it is me that should have listened harder. If I had followed my own retrospective advice then I would have been better off. Good luck Scully, not that you need it. By the way, if you are threathened by hungry pigs at feeding time remember this, the pigs point of balance is just behind the front shoulder, stick your knee in there and they will just move in the direction you want 300 Kg Boar or not. What does that dog guy on tele say, oh yeh, be the pack leader!

FEF, what can I say to a kindred spirit and a great friend. I have enjoyed this mans friendship and support, I have cried with him at the funeral of a friend and discovered many things that tie us together in our backgrounds. Nothing will stop this man, this is the most dynamic and motivated individual I have ever met. FEF you continue to inspire me come wasp sting or tractor crash.

So to serious pig farmers and to those whose fingers do the walking, from me, have a pleasant evening. To my TV friends thank you, sleep well.

Isaan Aussie

Agreed, large agribusiness is setting, or at least greatly influencing prices on commodities like feed and pork. But the return to the farmer remains about the same proportionally as it has for years. In round numbers live pigs are sold at about 50% of the price of pork per kilogram, but that doesnt mean a 100% return in the wholesale to retail supply chain. The carcass yield is only 75 to 80% and much of the beast is sold under the live price rate.

The issue to me is the sustainability of these high market prices in the pig industry. Firstly if the consumer will continue to purchase the same amount of meat and secondly production increases producing a glut on the market. Here in Thailand it seems to occur on every "next good thing" that emerges. Pig farming is cash intensive and having a stable market is necessary.

Late last year and earlier this year, you made a profit of around 500baht for a piglet and hardly more for a 100kg pig. The smart place to be was is breeding pigs. Now the margin has widened and the profitability of finishing pigs is more in line with the extra time and cost. Lets hope that the price relativity remains stable, consumption doesnt go to far down and the increase in production is not too dramatic too drive prices down too far.

IA

Glad to see the elephant is bouncing high Scully. Looks like he might have a bigger smile than before?

Agree with Scully 100%. It is hard work and currently rewarding if the numbers are right. Do the maths on cash flow, pig feed is not cheap and the pigs are 5 to 6 months old when sold so the OP would be advised to tally it all up before committing to purchasing the piglets. Aint got the dough, dont have a go!

Isaan Aussie

I for one am pleased to see this announcement. It appears that finally market prices may be able to be set naturally. What do you know, Organic pork at last...

Thailand: DIT stops announcing recommended pork prices

28-Jul-2011 (today) 27 July 2011. Thainews

thainews.prd.go.th

The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) under the Ministry of Commerce has stopped announcing recommended pork prices after finding price fluctuations are volatile and supplies are still in shortage.

DIT Director-General Vatchari Vimooktayon elaborated that the DIT so far has been asking for cooperation from entrepreneurs to pin pork prices while enforcing bans on exports and transfers of pigs to neighbouring countries where pork is more expensive than in Thailand. The director-general admitted that the measures still cannot increase pork supplies; therefore, the DIT will postpone announcing recommended pork prices indefinitely, but she assured that the DIT is still monitoring pork prices closely.

Ms Vatchari reported that at present live pigs are priced at 78-79 baht a kilogram while pork prices are at 140-150 baht a kilogram. She indicated that the prices are really reflecting the true operating costs although they are expensive.

The director-general announced that the DIT hence will speedily launch measures to assist people while the Blue Flag project will continue to sell cheap pork at the average price of 120 baht a kilogram for people. The DIT is still scheduled to hold about 300 more Blue Flag fairs across the country.

Bella, bella, bella. Ringa dat Bella