The Official Maize and Rotational Crops Thread

[farmerjo]

2 hours ago, CLW said:

Let's hope for some rain. Or do you have irrigation?

Hi CLW

I can irrigate,have plenty of water but would rather not incur the expense.

Have had success with dry seeding before and waiting for rain.

I think it helps to make sure the excisting weeds turned over from seeding die off properly and the seed gets an even chance competing other weed seeds on germination without using chemicals.

Being a woody seed you have minimal damage from insects and wildlife.

Will be off the farm for a couple of weeks so wanted to get something in the ground.(would of liked more)

Last year i planted i think a month later and ended up having to get a drone in prior to harvest to desiccate the crop,another added expense.

This year it works out so far -one mowing/slashing,one offset disc then a combination offset disc and seeding pass.

145 baht/rai in diesel so to put that 30 rai in was 4350 baht so besides the chance of losing the seed(which is mine) it rates pretty well on a risk assessment.

 

 

 

 

[kickstart]

8 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Hi CLW

I can irrigate,have plenty of water but would rather not incur the expense.

Have had success with dry seeding before and waiting for rain.

I think it helps to make sure the excisting weeds turned over from seeding die off properly and the seed gets an even chance competing other weed seeds on germination without using chemicals.

Being a woody seed you have minimal damage from insects and wildlife.

Will be off the farm for a couple of weeks so wanted to get something in the ground.(would of liked more)

Last year i planted i think a month later and ended up having to get a drone in prior to harvest to desiccate the crop,another added expense.

This year it works out so far -one mowing/slashing,one offset disc then a combination offset disc and seeding pass.

145 baht/rai in diesel so to put that 30 rai in was 4350 baht so besides the chance of losing the seed(which is mine) it rates pretty well on a risk assessment.

 

 

 

 

You have just answered my question, I was going to ask do you use any seed dressing, seed going in to the land dry ,no problem with ants ect,is Flea Beatle here in Thailand. 

[farmerjo]

Been away a few weeks.

Nice to be back and the stifling heat and smoke haze gone.

Was a little worried not getting a decent rain for 3 weeks after planting some sunn hemp but managed 30mm earlier this week and has germinated ok.

Lots of weeds but should outgrow them in most area's.

 

 

 

[farmerjo]

On 4/30/2023 at 5:50 PM, farmerjo said:

Been away a few weeks.

Nice to be back and the stifling heat and smoke haze gone.

Was a little worried not getting a decent rain for 3 weeks after planting some sunn hemp but managed 30mm earlier this week and has germinated ok.

Lots of weeds but should outgrow them in most area's.

 

 

 

Been a while,away again for 3 and a half weeks and came home to no sunn hemp,all gone.

Time to re fence the place with electric and get a couple of animals.

Cut and carry is working well for the locals.

 

[kickstart]

23 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Been a while,away again for 3 and a half weeks and came home to no sunn hemp,all gone.

Time to re fence the place with electric and get a couple of animals.

Cut and carry is working well for the locals.

 

Glad your back, in time for the Ashes, if you are thinking of getting a few animals now is the time the market is well down should be able to get some fairly cheap, just do not buy any long-eared things they just do not do, do not cut and cart ,use a small paddock grazing system and rotate the animals or a strip grazing system would work. 

I do not know about you, but over the past 3 weeks we have only had 23 mm of rain, now middle of June farmers are still drilling corn, this time last year it was up to my waist, things are well late this year.

Rice farmers are still ploughing they land, waiting for some rain, wife's daughter and son in law have sown they rice in to dry fields now awaiting some rain ,son in law spends his time bird scaring as the birds are feeding on rice seed, soon as it gets wet, they will stop, they do not like mud on they claw's.

Most of our land is down to cassava this year after prices went up to 3 baht/kg plus this year they are a lot about, you can see next year prices will drop, and finding labor to harvest all this cassava will not be easy.

[farmerjo]

On 6/16/2023 at 8:41 PM, kickstart said:

Glad your back, in time for the Ashes, if you are thinking of getting a few animals now is the time the market is well down should be able to get some fairly cheap, just do not buy any long-eared things they just do not do, do not cut and cart ,use a small paddock grazing system and rotate the animals or a strip grazing system would work. 

I do not know about you, but over the past 3 weeks we have only had 23 mm of rain, now middle of June farmers are still drilling corn, this time last year it was up to my waist, things are well late this year.

Rice farmers are still ploughing they land, waiting for some rain, wife's daughter and son in law have sown they rice in to dry fields now awaiting some rain ,son in law spends his time bird scaring as the birds are feeding on rice seed, soon as it gets wet, they will stop, they do not like mud on they claw's.

Most of our land is down to cassava this year after prices went up to 3 baht/kg plus this year they are a lot about, you can see next year prices will drop, and finding labor to harvest all this cassava will not be easy.

Hi KS

Yes a few late nights watching the cricket,should be a good series if the English summer holds.

 

I'm a while away from animals yet,just started ripping down the old fences and working out prices on ringlock,chain link(different styles and heights) and galvanised 2 inch pipe.

I think for memory it's a bit over 3 kilometres.

I know electric would be cheapest way and will probably run a couple of strands but want something robust as well if power goes out and bio security.

I will take a visit to local cow market now i know its new location.

A guy in the village had a goat on his pickup the other day and said he bought it from the market so intrigued to see what's available.

 

We just finished planting the last of the rice yesterday,a bit late but see how it goes.

Decided just to plant Kor Kor 6 as the premium on Jasmine hasn't been great last couple of years with lower yields than KK6.

Cassava is one of the few crops i've never tried,it is fairly popular around here although sugar is still number 1.

 

Today started green manuring in back paddock(with offset disc),normally would just use the slasher but was rotovating the other day and pto shaft came off and it snapped the PTO drive spline on tractor,that's the 3rd time it's happened over the years????.

 

 

 

 

 

[kickstart]

7 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Hi KS

Yes a few late nights watching the cricket,should be a good series if the English summer holds.

 

I'm a while away from animals yet,just started ripping down the old fences and working out prices on ringlock,chain link(different styles and heights) and galvanised 2 inch pipe.

I think for memory it's a bit over 3 kilometres.

I know electric would be cheapest way and will probably run a couple of strands but want something robust as well if power goes out and bio security.

I will take a visit to local cow market now i know its new location.

A guy in the village had a goat on his pickup the other day and said he bought it from the market so intrigued to see what's available.

 

We just finished planting the last of the rice yesterday,a bit late but see how it goes.

Decided just to plant Kor Kor 6 as the premium on Jasmine hasn't been great last couple of years with lower yields than KK6.

Cassava is one of the few crops i've never tried,it is fairly popular around here although sugar is still number 1.

 

Today started green manuring in back paddock(with offset disc),normally would just use the slasher but was rotovating the other day and pto shaft came off and it snapped the PTO drive spline on tractor,that's the 3rd time it's happened over the years????.

 

 

 

 

 

Hi FJ

       Putting up chain like fence will not be cheap a 3km run, try PPfence.com they sell fencing equipment. 

I can see where you are going ,robust and with bio security, the photos are a fence I made it now goes all round our land ,4 rie plus our Nappier grass ,as you can see it is 3 strands ,the middle one is live ,it does work ok ,but only a few months ago we had a 14 month old bull he kept braking out to get to next doors beef cows ,especially if one was on heat, first time in 6 years since it was done

The advantage of it was it was cheap the whole lot only about 15k, some steel being second hand, and a lot from a steel place that sells grade 2 Chines steel, good enough for this job and easy to erect.

Disadvantages a lot of cutting and shutting and drilling and fiddley bits to made for the steel posts, the eye bolt strainers I made could not find any suitable, the insulators I brought over from the UK ........then I found them on Shopee, half the price, wire is just slandered 12 swg wire. PP fence do sell high tensile wire.

I would say you would be better off with 4-5 strands of wire much better security.

Back to the cricket, we might as well give you the earn now, they do not deserve to win, Root playing what.

 

[farmerjo]

18 hours ago, kickstart said:

Hi FJ

       Putting up chain like fence will not be cheap a 3km run, try PPfence.com they sell fencing equipment. 

I can see where you are going ,robust and with bio security, the photos are a fence I made it now goes all round our land ,4 rie plus our Nappier grass ,as you can see it is 3 strands ,the middle one is live ,it does work ok ,but only a few months ago we had a 14 month old bull he kept braking out to get to next doors beef cows ,especially if one was on heat, first time in 6 years since it was done

The advantage of it was it was cheap the whole lot only about 15k, some steel being second hand, and a lot from a steel place that sells grade 2 Chines steel, good enough for this job and easy to erect.

Disadvantages a lot of cutting and shutting and drilling and fiddley bits to made for the steel posts, the eye bolt strainers I made could not find any suitable, the insulators I brought over from the UK ........then I found them on Shopee, half the price, wire is just slandered 12 swg wire. PP fence do sell high tensile wire.

I would say you would be better off with 4-5 strands of wire much better security.

Back to the cricket, we might as well give you the earn now, they do not deserve to win, Root playing what.

 

Hi KS

Thanks for the pictures.

How tall are your posts and how far in ground(cemented?)

And what spacing between posts did you use(5 metres?)

Lastly did you make a spinning jenny to roll out the wire.

[kickstart]

4 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Hi KS

Thanks for the pictures.

How tall are your posts and how far in ground(cemented?)

And what spacing between posts did you use(5 metres?)

Lastly did you make a spinning jenny to roll out the wire.

Hi FJ

       I forgot yesterday, my posts are spaced at 6 meters ,I should have done them at 5 meters, but I thought with the fence being electric I could get away with 6 meters,.

The post are 7 foot long with 3 foot in the ground ,I made a post rammer to knock them in works well ,made from a length  of 4 inch pipe ,with a piece of 1/2 plate welded in the top ,plus the handles ,I have another on I use for bamboo electric fence posts ,lighter a piece of 3 inch pipe, I did most work  during the wet season but one section I had to do just after the dry season ,land was still hard ,that was hard work ,doing it the Thai way dig an 18 inch hole and concrete them in dose not work they soon become lose ,but saying that our black land when that dries  out it crakes ,even at 3 feet deep 1-2 post will still move about ,but the main straining post they are in the ground 3 foot and have not moved at all..............except one set around our pond ,they were put in to build up land ,just no solid bottom they have moved a bit .

I know what you mean by a Spinning Jenny I did not have one, the wire I just carefully rolled out from the coil, once I found the right end. 

[farmerjo]

Been a while.

Hasn't been much to cheer about on the farm lately so decided to take up some short term work overseas to stop throwing good money after bad although the FIL still seems to do a good job of it on the rice.

I have been pumping water on the rice this week as even though getting regular rains just not enough to keep the soil damp.

 

 

[kickstart]

On 8/22/2023 at 12:06 PM, farmerjo said:

Been a while.

Hasn't been much to cheer about on the farm lately so decided to take up some short term work overseas to stop throwing good money after bad although the FIL still seems to do a good job of it on the rice.

I have been pumping water on the rice this week as even though getting regular rains just not enough to keep the soil damp.

 

 

Welcome back, you have not missed a lot especially the rain, this month so we have had 20 mm, with no more immanent the weatherman said it will rain but non so far for us, it seems the North is getting it all.

Maize crops are coming it to flower, no rain no pollen, so a few crops are being cut for cattle feed, a few crops that have had enough rain are being combined yields not so good price is about 7 baht /kg not certain, but moisture will not be that high.

See a lot of drones about spraying for Fall Army Worm, cost now is about 90 baht/rie, about the only thing that has come down in price! 

Some cassava crops have died, mainly the ones that were not irrigated, the ones that where are looking well, a lot about this year price will be down, now it seems harvesting is almost all the year round, use to be a cool season job.  

Not a lot of rain cane is growing, still a way to go, but yields are likely to be down. 

[farmerjo]

Rice harvest is just around the corner.

Some in the village have started hand cutting.

Looks like i might be away when ours is ready and don't think the FIL will wait for me to get back to harvest.

So rather than hire a driver for our harvester i've suggested hiring the other harvester in the village.

Mrs tells me the going rate is 900 baht/rai this season.

Happy to pay that but wondering what other people are expecting to pay in their area.

We are west of Khon Kaen/Chumphae area.

[thoongfoned]

2 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Rice harvest is just around the corner.

Some in the village have started hand cutting.

Looks like i might be away when ours is ready and don't think the FIL will wait for me to get back to harvest.

So rather than hire a driver for our harvester i've suggested hiring the other harvester in the village.

Mrs tells me the going rate is 900 baht/rai this season.

Happy to pay that but wondering what other people are expecting to pay in their area.

We are west of Khon Kaen/Chumphae area.

here people are already busy with the harvest, 700 baht arai so i heard the other wk.a good few harvesters in the village now plus the local government has 1 for rent, i see this yr a lot of people have swiched over to using the harvesters. wife is selling bags at 5baht, village shop price 6 or 7 baht.

[thoongfoned]

21 hours ago, thoongfoned said:

here people are already busy with the harvest, 700 baht arai so i heard the other wk.a good few harvesters in the village now plus the local governMent has 1 for rent, i see this yr a lot of people have swiched over to using the harvesters. wife is selling bags at 5baht, village shop price 6 or 7 baht.

edit. Machine is booked for end wk to cut last of rice,now 800 baht...

[kickstart]

Where I am Lopburi, it is 650 baht/rie, up from 600 baht/rie, not really started in this area ,we  had 80mm of rain last week ,wife's son-in-law said he had a combine booked for last Friday ,but the guy now says 17th of this month ,we have a lot of combines in this area  second hand Jd's and second hand Class ,they do the maize and sunflowers, the tracked combines they do all the crops ,now mainly rice, that could be why our prices are a bit lower than else were.

So, I have been told, son-in- law is getting 11 150/ton at 25% moisture that is for Hom- Marlie down from last year, not certain if they are any government subsidies this year. 

Still harvesting maize and mung bean maize I think is 7 baht/kg, mung beans last week was 23baht/kg, about the same price we got 10 years, the last time we grew them then they were picked by hand, and we got the mobile thrasher in the thrash them out.

For a god few Yeras now, rice has been harvested by combine, like all of our crops seen very few crops of maize harvested by hand, labor being the main problem.

Unless you are our next-door neighbour ,he cuts his rice crop by hand dries it then puts it on a sheet of blue shade cloth and runs over it with the tractor pulls the straw off the shade cloth and bags the rice.

 

[farmerjo]

Rice harvest over for the year.

Contractor ended up charging 750/rai to harvest with his combine

We got 6000 kg's off 17 rai so enough bags kept aside to eat and sold about 4000 kg's to other locals at 10 baht/kilo.

Just waiting on the 1000 baht/rai government contribution to end with a profit.

 

[kickstart]

2 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Rice harvest over for the year.

Contractor ended up charging 750/rai to harvest with his combine

We got 6000 kg's off 17 rai so enough bags kept aside to eat and sold about 4000 kg's to other locals at 10 baht/kilo.

Just waiting on the 1000 baht/rai government contribution to end with a profit.

 

6000kg off 17 Rie, not bad, wife's son in law and daughter got 7000 kg from 24 Rie, half from last year ,they had a big problem with aphids, they sprayed the crop for aphids without a lot of effect.

They are like you with the 1000-baht government subsidy they made a small profit, but they Akilles heel is rent 1200 baht/rie/year, I said time to call it a day, they said now both are over 40 years old what else can they do, they are thinking of growing some veg.is they  a market to sell the stuff?? they have a dozen Buffalo ,not a good market for them at the moment, they will keep plodding along.

[farmerjo]

Happy new year.

Went to town yesterday and passed a few sugar weigh stations.

Going price at the moment 1700 baht + 250 baht.

Another good year for sugar farmers

 

 

[kickstart]

On 1/12/2024 at 9:52 AM, farmerjo said:

Happy new year.

Went to town yesterday and passed a few sugar weigh stations.

Going price at the moment 1700 baht + 250 baht.

Another good year for sugar farmers

 

 

In our area ,Lopburi , cane is sent direct to the mill, price is about 1500 baht/ton ,not certain if they are any add on's, no one has said what the sugar containt is, maybe the returns are not done yet.

Yields are down this year, due to lack of rain last July and August.

Our local mill is predicting about 1.5 million ton being processed this year, last year it was about 2.5 million ton.