On 8/22/2025 at 8:34 PM, kickstart said:

The idea is that Thai farm trailers do not tip, the tractors have no spool vales, that is a hydraulic connection on the tractor that enables the trailer to tip

Which is standard in the US and Europe since when? The 1970s ???

A

12 hours ago, CLW said:

Which is standard in the US and Europe since when? The 1970s ???

A lot of Thai farm tractors are secondhand imports from Japan, a lot like mine, which was built in the 1970's, most of these tractors were used in rice fields with just a rotavator on them, no need for hydraulics.

The other thing is Thai-made Kabuto tractors have no spool vales fitted,they probaly thought Thai farmers do not use implements that use hydraulics, and it would help keep the costs down,only tractors with spool valves are imported Fords and John Deers.

Spool valves have been Standard since the 1960's in the UK and I would say the same for the USA.

On 8/18/2025 at 8:29 PM, kickstart said:

 That looks like Cassava ,let's hope you get a better price than this year, got down to 1.50 baht/kg ,that was because last year it got to 3 baht plus /kg, so this year everyone grew cassava, so the price drops, not so much about this year so it should be a good price.

Putting in drip irrigation now as the rains are coming .............., harvest will be next late spring, let's hope they will be someone to harvest it ,in this area it is mainly the Cambodians that do the job ,as a lot of them have gone home now , good timing as most of the Cassava in our area has been harvested, I would say they will be back ,when all the dust settles

I heard from a contact at SMS that the price of cassava is expected to fall again .... so it will not be a financially sustainable crop if it does.

 

We get a small subsidy to grow using regenerative farming, so we're less exposed to price fluctuations, but most local farmers seem to be suffering financially with mounting debt, especially with both rice and cassava prices falling.

 

The irrigation system is to enable us to control the water supply in any dry periods so we can measure the impact of the intercrop without any impacts from dry spells.  It's also so we can grow an off season rotational crop ..... in theory anyway.

22 hours ago, Kinnock said:

I heard from a contact at SMS that the price of cassava is expected to fall again .... so it will not be a financially sustainable crop if it does.

 

We get a small subsidy to grow using regenerative farming, so we're less exposed to price fluctuations, but most local farmers seem to be suffering financially with mounting debt, especially with both rice and cassava prices falling.

 

The irrigation system is to enable us to control the water supply in any dry periods so we can measure the impact of the intercrop without any impacts from dry spells.  It's also so we can grow an off season rotational crop ..... in theory anyway.

Cassava price is on the rise,a bit up too around 2 baht/Kg, one is the situation with Cambodia,the other is the time of year, Cassava being a root crop you need dry weather for harvest, now the rainy season is here, not a lot of dry land about, unless you are on very light land, that you can get on most of the year.

On 8/27/2025 at 8:48 PM, kickstart said:

Cassava price is on the rise,a bit up too around 2 baht/Kg, one is the situation with Cambodia,the other is the time of year, Cassava being a root crop you need dry weather for harvest, now the rainy season is here, not a lot of dry land about, unless you are on very light land, that you can get on most of the year.

Our cassava will not be due for harvest until the new year, so hopefully dry by then?

Fitting solar powered, cellular CCTV

 

A small machinery dealer had this in his yard what is it? looks too tall for working in fields with well- grown crops, for picking fruit?.

Whoever made it gave it some thought. 

On 9/26/2025 at 8:31 PM, kickstart said:

A small machinery dealer had this in his yard what is it? looks too tall for working in fields with well- grown crops, for picking fruit?.

Whoever made it gave it some thought. 

For sugarcane? 

20 hours ago, CLW said:

For sugarcane? 

It could be for a young crop, the floor looks a bit too low for a well-grown crop.

Now farmers are using these bolt on wheels for working in tall crops.

Or, drones are becoming more popular, and the price per rie is now down too about 80/90 baht/Rie, which is cheaper than using a tractor, and you do not get any crop damage.