IsaanAussie

Sounds good mate.

You mentioned Worm Farmer has a website. Are you able to post it .

Thanks

WF's website is listed in his profile. It is www.pennworms.com

IA

Hi Farmers,

I have been experimenting with composting the manure from my pigs over the last few weeks and the results are very promising. The local villagers are already lining up to buy finished compost for next chilli season. Basically, chopped straw used as bedding then used to dry muck out the pens and straight into the compost bin. So now I have the compost sorted out all I need is some real top soil. I believe Charles Darwin stated you can't have topsoil if you dont have worms. Well I'm about to start conditioning the soil with the help of some compost worms, hopefully what few earthworms are around my area will get to hear of it and come join in.

Yesterday I took a trip to Roi Et to meet "Wormfarmer" and buy a couple of kilos of compost worms to start things off. I'm Australian and have for years been a Dynamic Lifter fan. These worm castings are as good as I've seen and I will grow a few test beds expecting results every bit as good as using good 'ol DL. I am hoping that I can use partially consumed compost in combination with the castings.

I was really impressed by Wormfarmers operation. Some time ago I like many TV members, was a bit discouraged by all the chat about a few scammers in the field but after seeing WF's operation my faith is restored. I have no hestitation in recommending it or its products to the membership. This is a serious, professional operation. Anyone who is interested in small to large quantities of wormcast or worms should go and take a look. WF has a web site and will EMS the products.

On the way home last night my "country girl" wife summed this stuff up when she said that this "pooee" would be good for people who like to grow things but don't like to play with "Kee Moo". Being an impatient bugger at times I also bought a 25 Kg sack of castings to use around the house to get a few "inedible" but pretty things growing for a change.

I also want to try using the worms themselves as a protein source for the pigs. As you may have noticed, this step to my "integrated farm" really has me excited.

Isaanaussie

OOTAI,

You summed up what I meant when you said

"In reality I decided to post these quotes because I sometimes get sick of people here saying to others "don't do it". If someone wants to "live the dream" I reckon we should encourage it. Anyway I am now starting to think I have been infected by the urge to just write down my gripes on here."

I completely agree and thought you would attract an attack by the nay-sayers. I thought you were fishing for such comments, that simple.

Isaanaussie

do not understand why some people,post things like this ,they do not no my circumstances,i have been honest 100 %,in trying to learn something,very sorry that i can not be at the farm full time,as i have things to tie up here( sell my house ,etc.) and try to give my kids a half decent education,so to you know it alls who just like to take the p--s out of people..good luck in your sad life,

If you misread my intent than you have my apologies. I have no issue with those whose lives include more than just farming in Thailand. Good luck to you and your kids.

My issue is with people who seem to have nothing to do but criticise others. For me constructive critisim is always welcome, I'm always willing to learn. I will in future attempt to be more explicit in my comments. Thanks.

Isaanaussie

OOTAI,

Didn't know you were into fishing. A true fisher of men. I wait with "baited" breath.

IA

Coxy,

Sorry I just cannot leave this sort of thing alone.

To the armchair farmers out there, have you ever dreamt of an alternate existance, of something outside your predetermined fate at home? If not, why are you here? To actually achieve something just because it was there to be done? Because you had the "minerals" to give it a crack? To shake your own cage, and not the cages the rest of us used to live in, but have discarded?

We live in a world with the almost limitless resources of the internet at our fingertips and a wealth of knowledge of people like the "Farang Farmers" on TV who attempt to help anyone realise what they, themselves are chasing, meaning, purpose, satisfaction. Experienced in what, living? The man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything! Its only money....

To the nay-sayers, you have a choice, either reach for the remote or for the stars. In Thailand we have all heard the closing remark, "Up to You".

What was it Marvin the robot from Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy said, "Here I am with a brain the size of a planet, and what do they get me to do? Park Cars!"

Isaanaussie

Please comment all,

I was looking at a website on flail shredders, attached is a brochure showing the type of unit.

flail shredder.pdf

I have a rotary tiller or hoe and was wondering if I could use blades such as pictured to turn the rotary to a shredder. I want to chop straw with it.

What do you think?

I've also been playing with the idea for a shredder/mulcher.

I want to put it on a 3 point hitch on a 26 hp Kubota.

I was thinking I could make one from a disc brake assembly from a Front wheel drive car.

Bolt or weld 3" planer blades to the disc face.

PTO connected to the driveshaft.

But I think it would need a gearbox as the tractor puts out a max of 1000 rpm at the PTO.

Any thoughts ?

PondLife,

Mine is a 28 Hp Iseki with a 540 PTO. I would be trying to keep the engine revs down to conserve fuel. There are a number of Chinese suppliers who manufacture 3 pt hitch shredder/mulchers. The smaller units are for 25-30Hp tractors. A typical unit shown here:

http://www.farmry.com/china/wood-chipper-shredder-3-point-hitch-series.html

Slapout,

2 or 3 times a year? Now I am really jealous. 3 times a day with the pigs is closer.

But the head is used from the pig, in fact they are going for between 400 and 500 baht a piece. Used in spirit house ceremonies here. The yield in Western countries is about 75% of live weight for a pig, It is much higher here in a country where in season bugs, trees and flowers are staple foods not hard to see why. If it doesn't kill you it must (be edible and) make you stronger

I agree with the scales issue. My brother in Australia built all his own cattle crushes etc.. I am building all my own stuff for the new sty, trusses, gates, hinges, partitions even the feeders. Not hard at all. Just a lot of it to do. Materials are cheap and I have nothing but time on my hands.

I saw an advertisement for a company in BKK that markets complete scales as well as load cells and read outs. I tried to contact them a month or so back but didn't get a response. My intention is to build (or buy) a thin platform that be sat in an aisleway so the pigs basically just have to walk across it. Digital readout, hand recording.

Isaanaussie.

OD and SO,

That is some really good advice for those into cattle. It would be interesting to compare more detail between cattle and pigs, if that is possible. I know I yielded a loss, no actually, an abject failure with the Thai native cows we had. They were cared for by family members who I suspect faired a little bit however.

For the pigs, I am expecting (yet to be realised so grain of salt to be taken please) a profit of 27% including all overheads and ROI over 10 years. If I get close I will be happy. But I had no idea the cattle would have such good yeilds. That makes your market advice really worth following up for those in the business.

So Roni, I retract my advice and apologise for the negative vib. It appears you are on a good thing.

Isaanaussie

I think he got it spot on. It is not because I am a farang that I have a few arguements. They are exactly the same with each other. One week X is not talking to Y the next week they are fine but are not talking to Z because they are jealous of something Z has got which he is not sharing with them.

It's how village life is and we can't change it.

So true ! My family comes from a village with only 800 people. Life is exactly like that. Most people blame Thailand because they can't fit in, but the truth is they just don't understand village life. In Europe too, a lot of people want to move to the country side but soon go back to the city because they can't adapt to life in the village.

The population in me village is less than half yours JG, but the situation is exactly the same. We occasionally get a farang visitor who falls in love with the lifestyle and walks around being smiled at planning his future. Take a look in the mirror my friend I say to them, I'd hate to see you get your designer clothes all dirty while you are "fitting in."

Though we might restart the issue of organic foods. I was impressed by many of the pros and cons. I think Gary A's wife is right.

Oh, yeah, almost forgot:

What's worse than finding a worm in your apple?

Why, finding half a worm in your apple, of course.

Isaanaussie

Personally I would forgo the hammer mill for anything even remotely damp. Bloody things clog up so easily, even with the large holes. I'd just go with a heavy duty chipper run off a tractor. Maybe even double blades if it's custom. Make sure the blades are better than the mild steel <deleted> some people use.

TT,

Got my interest, any ideas of where to look and budget? Limited to 28HP tractor.

Isaanaussie

Roni,

Welcome to the world of farming. I would like to back up Teletiger's comment about cattle. Too slow, no return. I was offered three beautiful beasts by a friend last year. He had paid out big time for the bull and cow which he was attempting to sell, with the resultant calf, for under the price paid for his "Prize" bull.

Try pigs, 64 baht per Kg, 100 Kgs plus at 6 months, ten to a litter and over 2 litters per year. Now compare that to the performance from cattle.

Still each to his own and I'm sure there are other reasons for your choice, good luck. If you want to join us in the "bush", then the Nike principle applies, "Just Do It"

Isaanaussie

Kanomk2,

This is something I am in the market for myself. I have priced a suitable sized hammer mill in Buri Ram for 23,000 baht (including 3HP Japanese electric motor), so at a guess probably around 17,000 for the unit. It is the only machine I have seen here where the screens can be changed relatively easy. I need to have large holes for chopped wet straw amongst other gooey stuff. I also have a net to deal with the normal prunings and garden wastes using a small screen size. I have an old plan for using a rotary mower blade as the cutter, not going to cut it for me, but if you are interested see attached

MulchMaker.pdf

I have seen small machines here and even owned one back in Australia. Wouldnt touch one again.

I have given thought to building a unit as the mechanics are quite simple and the material passage is largely gravity at work. A couple of plumber blocks and a shaft, drill some large holes in the steel strip to make the blades and cut some spacers then bolt it all into a steel box. The screens would be the hardest part.

Another rainy day project in a land where there just never seem to be enough rainy days!

If you find anything else please let me know. Equally I can put you in touch with the store that had the mill. In Buri Ram.

Some time back there was a guy need Pak Chong that made forage harvesters and the like, a few TV members swore by them. If you get his details he may make one for you as it is a simpler principle.

Good luck with the swap, quite a big move. Pity you didn't buy up some land in that area 10 years ago. It was so cheap then, as the financial crash was biting hard on the holiday areas and owners desperate for cash.

Perhaps look for your magic man at the Bangkok Hilton?

Former Novice Monk Sentenced to 112 Years in Jail for Fraud

BANGKOK: -- A former Buddhist novice monk, who was famous for his bizarre black magic, has been sentenced to a total of 112 years in prison for fraud.

The Appeals Court convicted one-time Buddhist novice monk, Harn Raksachit, better known as Nane Air, for fraud after he placed advertisements claiming he had magical powers that would cure serious diseases.

Harn asked his female clients to undress during the ritual and persuade them to have sex with him, claiming this would make the magic more potent.

He was handed a 112-year jail term but it was reduced to 84 years as the court deemed that his testimonies had facilitated the trial. However, the court finally sentenced Harn to 20 years in prison as it is the maximum penalty for the case.

OOTAI,

A bit to do with layout. The dry sows are positioned next to the boars and are coming back into season within 3 to 7 days. Second ace up the sleeve is having a group of gilts ready to go to cover the bets. Sell any that are pregnant and not needed.

Redbullhorn,

Wow, what a setup, love the natural ventilation.

We have had 65 baht recently here. I sold a couple of 2 year old non-performing females last week at 58 baht, needed to cut the losses. Still at 275 Kg the return wasn't too bad. No time to slaughter them at the moment as I am as busy as a one armed paper hanger.

Isaanaussie

:clap2: .......

btw....thanks for the "string-a-pig" weighing system.

My pleasure, glad you find it useful. Errors seem to be worst at both ends of the scale but for a quick check it sure beats dragging in the scales and transport box!

I will be producing between 35 and 40 piglets a month, of which I will sell all but 10 gilts. Wish you were a bit closer then maybe we could cut a deal.

Isaanaussie

OOTAI,

A bit to do with layout. The dry sows are positioned next to the boars and are coming back into season within 3 to 7 days. Second ace up the sleeve is having a group of gilts ready to go to cover the bets. Sell any that are pregnant and not needed.

Redbullhorn,

Wow, what a setup, love the natural ventilation.

We have had 65 baht recently here. I sold a couple of 2 year old non-performing females last week at 58 baht, needed to cut the losses. Still at 275 Kg the return wasn't too bad. No time to slaughter them at the moment as I am as busy as a one armed paper hanger.

Isaanaussie

Somo,

Yeap, village life sure is a minefield. But life is a do it to yourself commodity, we have no-one to blame but ourselves. Equally the man who never makes a mistake, never does anything. We all live and learn.

I have been using one guy in the village Khun Mot lately to do all the spraying and organise ploughing etc... He is as honest as the day is long. It all started some month ago, he wanted to get a pond dug and needed access to his land for the excavator and dump trucks to cart the dirt away. He asked me if that was OK, and I said sure if he would make sure any damage was fixed afterwards. The family went crazy, "Why didn't you charge him to cross "our" land?"

Go figure. They wanted a quick earn, I wanted to establish an ally. This guy is always the first to be seen going off to do something every day, a real "doer". Seems my bet has paid off. Now the family are dirty on Mot because he tells me how much I "need" for seed and the like, instead of following the family's how much "they want." The leftover sales seem to be diminishing. Funny old world.

IA

Soidog,

All I can offer is my jinglish translation "Yar Koom"

Isaanaussie

Thanks for your well meaning response.

Enclosed is some good reading in return.

For reference "Yar Koom" is the generic "early application herbicide" term in Thai.

Is does not mean any brand or chemical name.

According to what is available here, "oxadiazon" is the chemical to use.

Best

THANKS FOR THE BED TIME READING

OOTAI,

WOW, What a list of questions... Remember that I am only just getting my operation started, the majority of my pigs are still in another sty on holiday.

...how do you classify the stages - Weaner, Grow1, Grow2, Finish1 and Finish2 is it by weight or age or is it that on average it doesn't matter as pigs of a certain age are (or should be) a certain weight.

What do you expect in terms of litters per year from your sows?

I'm using a batch system of 4 x 4 sows. The batch cycles are 35, 35, 35, and 42 days. So each batch of 4 sows enter the farrowing area each 147 days. I try to keep the growing pigs in line with the sows more than by either weight or age to maintain an all-in-all-out rotation through the pens. So the weaners enter the nursery and stay there for a month, enough time to clean the pen before the next batch enters. From the nursery into Grow1, again AIAO after a month and so on to Finish 2.

I have limited housing for growing pigs so my operation is based of a combination of market opportunities whilst I build up breeding herd size.

Do you wean piglets at 4 weeks?

Yes

Do you clip teeth and tails?

Yes

Do you maintain the pigs in a pen all the time or do you allow some time in a paddock each day?

At the moment in the pens. I have rear gates to allow the pigs out into "play pens" but have not built the fences yet. Currently I use chopped straw as bedding which amuses the pigs and is a handy way to collect the wastes for me. Premix for the compost bins. It also limits the amount of wash water going into the septic system..

Do you vaccinate the young piglets against disease?

Yes, triple "antigen". Three month worming. Currently looking into increasing calcium to gilts with potential.

Do you feed twice a day?

Three times a day for young pigs. The feed is expensive and the pigs are particular about "soured" feed. Older pigs twice a day or ad lib feeding up to about 70 kg. Breeding group, limit feed to gestating sows, maximise feeding to lactating sows.

Do you let recently weaned piglets eat as much as they can?

They dont eat much for the first week or so, I just make sure they have enough so it is eaten and not wasted.

Would you be kind enough to provide the various feeds you use and their cost?

I am using Betagro balance

feed costs chart.pdf

If this is all considered proprietary information I will understand.

Nothing unusual in what I'm doing.

Oh by the way i would like to congratulate you on the posts in "Down on the Farm" they have absolutely captured the way it works. If you can understand that then it can be a lot of fun watching the result dawning on them. The dawning is "maybe farang not so dumb afer all".

Thanks, being a Jai Ron farang is to often my usual label, if you can maintain to keep your cool then you can beat off the crocodiles. As they say in the classics, "Get angry and you loose!" I try.....

Isaanaussie

Apetley,

If you mean a scarifier, a rotary drum "wire brush", then I have seen them here. There was a large garden supplier outside JJ market that had a range of petrol driven mowers and they had a combined unit that was both a scarifier and an edger in one.

There are also a growing number of small sized cultivators around now, maybe your could get a "brush" for one of those.

Isaanaussie

Soidog,

All I can offer is my jinglish translation "Yar Koom"

Isaanaussie

One other unexpected overhead - the other day our prize sow was found dead. The in-laws etc are insistent that it was bitten by a snake. I'm already sick of pork chops, loin, etc!

Condolences on the loss. I lost a 250 kg sow the other day and I know how much it hurts the pocket and the timing. Having to replace the sows routinely is hard enough without incurring an accidental loss. I have recently decided to run a 5th batch of 4 gilts to cover such occurences.

Isaanaussie