The Official Maize and Rotational Crops Thread

[Slugs11]

Hi, looking for some advice.  The corn we have planted for cattle feed seem to be attacked by something. Not sure what it is. Being in an Area where not much corn is grown then people around to not have much experience in what to spray if any to combat this problem. A couple people have suggested using Bacillus thuringiensis however was wondering if anyone with more experience growing maize/corn can offer any advice. It looks like a lava of maybe caterpillar or moth, however not sure.

 

Any advice of what the problem is, how to combat it. If spray, what chemical and how often we should spray it. Appreciate any advice or suggestions.  Thanks 

[kickstart]

Management ,the wife says as you thought, lava of a moth how to get rid of it ask your local shop for Yar-Ka-Non ,insecticide ,do not think it is this fall army worm .

How often  to spray not certain on that one ,any ideas farmerjo?  

[IsaanAussie]

Farm army worm would be my punt. Apparently you have a small window to kill the caterpillars (2nd Instar) with little available to kill the eggs, the pupae or the adults. Attached is an article which has some good tipsFall Army worm control.pdf. 

[CLW]

Hi, looking for some advice.  The corn we have planted for cattle feed seem to be attacked by something. Not sure what it is. Being in an Area where not much corn is grown then people around to not have much experience in what to spray if any to combat this problem. A couple people have suggested using Bacillus thuringiensis however was wondering if anyone with more experience growing maize/corn can offer any advice. It looks like a lava of maybe caterpillar or moth, however not sure.
 
Any advice of what the problem is, how to combat it. If spray, what chemical and how often we should spray it. Appreciate any advice or suggestions.  Thanks 

The plants look severely damaged. Question to experts if they can recover?

Bacillus thuringensis would work for worms but it's not that fast acting.

Emamectin (also know as Avermectin) is usually used to control worms.
It's derived from Fungus and less toxic.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[farmerjo]

Hi Slugs,

I would take a couple of plants to your nearest AG office to make sure.

Otherwise an email with picture to a private mob with agronomy experience like Crop tech Asia or SGS.

What variety of seed did you use?

If your using your rice seeder and it's for cattle feed at say every 2nd row,try putting rice,beans or something in the rows between to take some pressure off.

In general if your not keen on spraying whole fields,just do a border spray,couple of laps around outside and that can help stop pests coming into the field.

As far as what chemical to use,get your plant tested first.

[kickstart]

9 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Hi Slugs,

I would take a couple of plants to your nearest AG office to make sure.

Otherwise an email with picture to a private mob with agronomy experience like Crop tech Asia or SGS.

What variety of seed did you use?

If your using your rice seeder and it's for cattle feed at say every 2nd row,try putting rice,beans or something in the rows between to take some pressure off.

In general if your not keen on spraying whole fields,just do a border spray,couple of laps around outside and that can help stop pests coming into the field.

As far as what chemical to use,get your plant tested first.

Good idar  puting in some other seed ,maize and sun hemp mix works well for cattle feed gives a high protine feed .

 

10 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Hi Slugs,

I would take a couple of plants to your nearest AG office to make sure.

Otherwise an email with picture to a private mob with agronomy experience like Crop tech Asia or SGS.

What variety of seed did you use?

If your using your rice seeder and it's for cattle feed at say every 2nd row,try putting rice,beans or something in the rows between to take some pressure off.

In general if your not keen on spraying whole fields,just do a border spray,couple of laps around outside and that can help stop pests coming into the field.

As far as what chemical to use,get your plant tested first.

Good advice, sowing sun hemp with maize would I think would work, and the resulting crop is a good feed for cattle high in protein. 

[Slugs11]

Thanks to all who have replied and offered advice, really appreciate that.

 

We tried the local ag office, not much help as we are in a area where very little corn is grown. They just know about rice only, about as much use as t-ts on a bull. 

 

Tried a few of the farmer shops, most unable to offer any good advice. Mostly you can try this chemical or can try that one, it seemed like they we’re guessing  to me. Anyway we manage to get lucky on the last one we visited. Apparently CP are trying to attract the rice farmers in this area to grow corn after they have cut there rice. A few of the staff had been to the CP seminar to learn about what corn to plant for animal feed, the problems growing it and with pests etc. One of them seemed very knowledgable and after showing her the pictures of our corn, was able to recommend what chemical to spray. She suggest DuPont Prevathon to control the caterpillar and Kasugamycin for the leaf problem. 

 

Plan to spray late this afternoon.

 

We did use the rice seed drill, missing every other row out to space the rows of corn apart. Liked the idea of using either rice or sun hemp in the other rows. Will try that on the next lot we sow.  Hopefully we can save this crop ????????????

 

 

[CLW]

Thanks to all who have replied and offered advice, really appreciate that.
 
We tried the local ag office, not much help as we are in a area where very little corn is grown. They just know about rice only, about as much use as t-ts on a bull. 
 
Tried a few of the farmer shops, most unable to offer any good advice. Mostly you can try this chemical or can try that one, it seemed like they we’re guessing  to me. Anyway we manage to get lucky on the last one we visited. Apparently CP are trying to attract the rice farmers in this area to grow corn after they have cut there rice. A few of the staff had been to the CP seminar to learn about what corn to plant for animal feed, the problems growing it and with pests etc. One of them seemed very knowledgable and after showing her the pictures of our corn, was able to recommend what chemical to spray. She suggest DuPont Prevathon to control the caterpillar and Kasugamycin for the leaf problem. 
 
Plan to spray late this afternoon.
 
We did use the rice seed drill, missing every other row out to space the rows of corn apart. Liked the idea of using either rice or sun hemp in the other rows. Will try that on the next lot we sow.  Hopefully we can save this crop [emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]
 
 

Prevathon is okay. Don't know the trade name here in Thailand but the active ingredient Chlorantrillipole is quite new and with less environmental impact.

For your leaf disease, did your friend point out a particular pathogen? Otherwise it's like shooting birds with cannons. Besides that, I doubt you can find Kasugamycin in Thailand, at least I've never seen or heard it here.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[drtreelove]

CLW, guess work recommendations on pesticide use is less than responsible in my opinion. 

It only takes a little bit of homework searching to get some better information on what you are suggesting.

 

Emamectin is derived from a bacterium, not a fungus. 

Emamectin benzoate is toxic to birds, mammals, fish and other aquatic organisms

Emamectin benzoate can enter the body either by inhalation of air containing emamectin benzoate, ingestion of contaminated food or water, or by dermal contact with emamectin benzoate. There is little evidence as to the full effects of exposure to emamectin benzoate on human health. However, exposure to emamectin benzoate may cause irritation of the respiratory tract, eyes and skin. Animal studies suggest that exposure to emamectin benzoate may also cause tremors.

 

Slugs 11, presence of leaf damage is not enough information to decide on if treatment is needed or not. Taking damaged leaves to an ag shop or other pesticide experts will lead to advise on pesticide use and not necessarily appropriate treatment or timing.  You must determine the actual pest and the present stage of life cycle and if it is still there and feeding. If not, you will be spraying and contaminating your land for no good reason. Caterpillars, if actually present and feeding, are relatively easy to control with a contact insecticide spray. A pyrethroid, like cypermethrin may be the least expensive. 

 

Leaf damage does not always mean crop damage. Don't overreact and reach for the sprayer when in fact the feeding stage of the pest  may be past by the time you notice the damage.  Learn what pests affect your crop and get to know the life cycles and stage of development for optimal intervention. "It looks like a lava of maybe caterpillar or moth, however not sure." Do you see larvae feeding at this time? (or caterpillars/same thing) (A moth is a adult and does not feed on the plant, it lays eggs that hatch into larvae/caterpillars that feed.) B.t. is excellent for caterpillar control and totally non-toxic, but the timing has to be spot on, during early stages of development. If you are not sure if the pest is present now or not, then B.t. or other pesticide use is not appropriate and may be a waste. 

 

If you are using high NPK chemical fertilizers to push a bumper crop, and not building the soil, then you will most certainly have continual pest problems, . Be ready for that. Monitor daily so that you can intervene at an early stage, before plant damage is extensive. Chemical farming is a vicious cycle of increasing chemical inputs, fertilizers and pesticides. 

[farmerjo]

Having a boring night i read thru the old thread,my diary.

I do wonder what has happened to the participates over the time.

KS (legend) still a strong contributor on the forum.

Wayned,watching NFL?

Slapout

BSj Back in Aus?

Allgeier upfront contributer.

Cobbler?

JB is still around but his sound advice is missed.

Thongthoned precise as ever.

CLW

Pigeon jake

IA is back now.

Seems like there are not many farmers prepared to share their experiences anymore.

 

[thoongfoned]

15 hours ago, farmerjo said:

Having a boring night i read thru the old thread,my diary.

I do wonder what has happened to the participates over the time.

KS (legend) still a strong contributor on the forum.

Wayned,watching NFL?

Slapout

BSj Back in Aus?

Allgeier upfront contributer.

Cobbler?

JB is still around but his sound advice is missed.

Thongthoned precise as ever.

CLW

Pigeon jake

IA is back now.

Seems like there are not many farmers prepared to share their experiences anymore.

 

still doing the pigs, maybe an extra 100 sow after new years, not 100 percent sure at the mo(been thinkin this over for acouple ofyears already..) already got the roof on the extension, just the metal work and extra fans needed..... current production levels are good.

rice is about to be harvested, looks good... (not by us,by the people that rent the land) sugar land looking good, new guy that rents looks to be over the 10 ton a rai, older rent people used to get 3/4 ton on same plot land, looks like he will be increaing the rai by about 20 ish, land already prepped.

wife has been busy selling land this year, (im happy about this 555)got 1 finisher farm built on one plot, another finisher farm just starting to have footings dug, and one of the families are interested in buying more, for 2 more pig farms.(gotta love the pigs) they have got the ok from the local govenment to build just gotta "find" the asking price on the land...

got the builders in, building more out side storage for the house/farm, plan to get the macro in after new year, dig more fish ponds,new  bio gas  pit, raise some land for new access road for lorries to come in for the new feed silo that will be coming in 1,2 or who knows years ahead, will give time for the land to settle anyway.

next year will be trying to do more fish, got a couple of large "pond" already working, dont make loads of money but a little here and there is better than nowt. trying to talk the eldest into building/financing a new sow farm, she can do the work but is more interested in have fun at the mo (oh to be young again...)

 

[IsaanAussie]

I got a few gates and S/steel sow feeders if you are interested. Much as I would love to get my sty happening, getting too old and bruised to do so. 

Very pleased to see your future looks bright though. 

[thoongfoned]

10 minutes ago, IsaanAussie said:

I got a few gates and S/steel sow feeders if you are interested. Much as I would love to get my sty happening, getting too old and bruised to do so.  

Very pleased to see your future looks bright though. 

 i like the pig set up we have here, the business is good and also good for the childrens future, so lucky for the wife to earn bahts.

 just gotta hope the wife will sell more land than she wants to buy, its took many years to even get the wife to think about selling some land, now she seems set on selling a good few plots, sell the other house we have here, pay the one off in my country..... oh such dreams....

 

 

[kickstart]

Not being a damp squid ,how long  do you think the Thai economy will keep going before things go pear shaped ,all this government spending  can not go on for ever ,ask any Thai they will say things are not like they use to be ,is it the right time for some big investment .

On the farming side catfish are doing well guy near me getting 42 baht/kg ,a lot better than 32 baht/kg a year ago ,corn not good ,around here  in Thai ,Tang-Roy baht ,or 15 kg 100 baht not a lot to be made on that , sugar cane a dry year will be low yields  same with cassava ,lot of mung beans being grown this year ,they need less water than corn ,and will put something back in to the soil they are a they are a now a combine crop before they where hand picked ,not certain on the price  but some farmers are happy .

About the best around here are dairy cows they seem to be  paying ,and a lot of  new broiler farms in the area ,must be some money in chickens .

The few rice farms we have ,well I think it is the government subbing them that keeps them going ,wife's son-in -law is one ,he will harvest his rice near the end of the month,by the time he has paid off all his debts plus 1000 baht/rie rent for next years  rent ,on 24 rie they will not be a lot left .

Pigs around here are mainly company farms CPF and Betagro ,one pig farm is owned by a farang who leases it out to Betagro.

Tomorrow is Loa-Klatong ,we will be out some where the Passak Dam on our doorstep is only 40-50% full and it is the end of the rainy season , so we will not be going they, and they will not be a lot of water for irrigating next year.

If things do go pear shaped ,they will be a lot of  farmers knocking on the banks doors  yet again .

.

[farmerjo]

Will be interesting to see around me,lot of sugar.

The farmers can bail and change crops but it will leave a lot of local contractors who have invested heavily in specialized sugar machinery out on a limb.

On a positive it may lower transport fees for other crops with the idle trucks if the owners can afford to hold on to them.

Rice is still pretty stable in the area but i noticed a few growers have given up on their crops due to the late start and lack of money/irrigation to finish them off.

The cassava around looks healthy although not a lot this year.

There's been a couple of guys travelling around trying to drum up farmers to plant cocoa,the glossy brochure looks like it's the real deal,i'm sure if the farmers read what's going on Ghana and places it might not be so grand.

The hanging cucumbers have come and gone,seems to be a few small plots around me of those green pea lookalikes they put in green curry.

A little bit of sweetcorn grown for the local market.

Bannana plantations got ripped out not long after they were put in,that land went back to rice.

In general i hope most ride the storm with sugar and stick with it,the villages around are quite peaceful compared to the wild west 15 years a go. 

My gut feeling is everyone will chase whatever the biggest subsidies are.

[IsaanAussie]

Talk about a Kick Start! WOW

this should be a new pinned topic, Future of Thai Farming! 

 

I need to think about this for a while but this much I know. The village farmers around me are resilient and if push comes to shove they can survive with nothing much more than grows naturally around them. They have done it before. 1997 and the AFC basically stopped the emerging industries in Thailand. Young adults lost factory jobs and went home to the village and their kids. Everyone survived. 

[thoongfoned]

39 minutes ago, kickstart said:

Not being a damp squid ,how long  do you think the Thai economy will keep going before things go pear shaped ,all this government spending  can not go on for ever ,ask any Thai they will say things are not like they use to be ,is it the right time for some big investment .

On the farming side catfish are doing well guy near me getting 42 baht/kg ,a lot better than 32 baht/kg a year ago ,corn not good ,around here  in Thai ,Tang-Roy baht ,or 15 kg 100 baht not a lot to be made on that , sugar cane a dry year will be low yields  same with cassava ,lot of mung beans being grown this year ,they need less water than corn ,and will put something back in to the soil they are a they are a now a combine crop before they where hand picked ,not certain on the price  but some farmers are happy .

About the best around here are dairy cows they seem to be  paying ,and a lot of  new broiler farms in the area ,must be some money in chickens .

The few rice farms we have ,well I think it is the government subbing them that keeps them going ,wife's son-in -law is one ,he will harvest his rice near the end of the month,by the time he has paid off all his debts plus 1000 baht/rie rent for next years  rent ,on 24 rie they will not be a lot left .

Pigs around here are mainly company farms CPF and Betagro ,one pig farm is owned by a farang who leases it out to Betagro.

Tomorrow is Loa-Klatong ,we will be out some where the Passak Dam on our doorstep is only 40-50% full and it is the end of the rainy season , so we will not be going they, and they will not be a lot of water for irrigating next year.

If things do go pear shaped ,they will be a lot of  farmers knocking on the banks doors  yet again .

.

 i agree that the baht/economy are due a kick in the <deleted>, but when? i have been waiting for a "crash" or even a small correction for 4/5 years already...

have been trying to get the wife to sell land that we/or she has had for 10/15 years, sold some rubber land that "we" bought back around 2006 then again more around 2008, both at over 200 percent profit will only "normal" inputs ie vits/land maintance,  that dont include the growth on the exchange rate..ie bought with the pound at 70/60 ish sold back with the pound 50/55 kept most of the money here, re invested in pig start up,  had the same with some pickups that we have had ie bought at 70 baht pound, driven owned for x years sold on at 50/45 baht and nearly broken even if you were to send money back home. (send money back most years) land has gone up loads even since i have been here (around 2003/4 most of the time) wife sold the beginning of the year some rai of land she bought around 1995/6 at 2/3,000 baht a rai, sold 200,000 baht a rai..... gotta love it....

with the pigs as the chickens (contract farming) (i would guess) when you build you will sign a contract (thats what the wife did) that states the selling price/condition of "product". over the past 7/8 years the basic buy price for us has gone up by around 40 percent per piglet.... very happy with the pig business, better than my business back home, even if you include the home rental/appreciatation value...

with the baht so strong and the pound so weak (even at 50/55) it has been good to send "little" bits back home for me, sent most of my money over at 70/60.... 

if things go pear shaped i would think that most banks will stand to loose also, as most people are "ticked" to the max already. around here all the new money is coming in from the "little ghosts in south korea" as with most things its timing and luck....

[thoongfoned]

been selling the fish at 50 baht a kg this years in the village, pla nin, most around or under the kg. rice is 20 bag out of every 100, so 20 percent on the land rental, father in law will have most of this as he has the storage and i dont eat the village rice.. sugar cane is 1000 baht a rai rental per year...

[IsaanAussie]

Take Kickstarts comment on "going pear shaped" a step further. What would happen if George "Seriously" decided to screw the Baht again, or the international system collapsed and the ATM's were "offline". Just like in Greece, a limit of a few hundred dollars per week withdrawal from your account. No international movements. Would you survive?

[thoongfoned]

thinking about it........... the build (basic) cost of our farm 220/240 head sow back in 2011 was around the 3.5 million baht, projected cost now 5 million. wifes friend that has 300 head sow farm down in surin that has 2 buildings ie gestation/lactation with better bigger steel pens was 2.5 million back in 2000....  

[thoongfoned]

3 minutes ago, IsaanAussie said:

Take Kickstarts comment on "going pear shaped" a step further. What would happen if George "Seriously" decided to screw the Baht again, or the international system collapsed and the ATM's were "offline". Just like in Greece, a limit of a few hundred dollars per week withdrawal from your account. No international movements. Would you survive?

you could ask the same if it were to happen back in your home country, look at your or my country and or even china with its cashless payment systems in place,  just turn of the electric/internet for afew days and see what happens....

bugs and frogs start to look good.... not to mention lack of water...

[farmerjo]

48 minutes ago, IsaanAussie said:

Take Kickstarts comment on "going pear shaped" a step further. What would happen if George "Seriously" decided to screw the Baht again, or the international system collapsed and the ATM's were "offline". Just like in Greece, a limit of a few hundred dollars per week withdrawal from your account. No international movements. Would you survive?

I think the majority of the country folk would handle it better than there city counterparts.

Still with movement to mechanisation in farming with the ageing population there are a lot of younger farmers here who would be living on the edge with dept around there eyeballs and a strong baht affecting exports is not helping.The banning of the chemicals is not coming at a good time,either way higher input costs or 50% yield reductions are going to squeeze the moral of the villages.

[kickstart]

20 minutes ago, farmerjo said:

I think the majority of the country folk would handle it better than there city counterparts.

Still with movement to mechanisation in farming with the ageing population there are a lot of younger farmers here who would be living on the edge with dept around there eyeballs and a strong baht affecting exports is not helping.The banning of the chemicals is not coming at a good time,either way higher input costs or 50% yield reductions are going to squeeze the moral of the villages.

You have a point about country folk, but they are a lot of farmers well in debt ,wife knows a cane grower near here ,still owes the bank BAAC one million baht , and has done for a few years now others use they land as collateral to build a new house .

Drive around this area and you will see boards up saying land for sale ,they are all over the place ,some say farmers selling up they will buy 1/2-1 rie ,build a house and use the money to live on ,to you and me taking early retirement ,a lot have had enough of working from dawn to dusk with nothing to show for it .

I read a few years ago it would take 50 years for farmers to pay back all that they owe the banks ,with interest being compounded ,as you said ,a world problem the ageing population, the younger  generation  not interested in agriculture of any sort  will it be big company farms ,200 plus hp tractor and 30 foot cut combines  driving around Issan ,I can not see any average Jo buying land the way it is going up ,just too expensive the big company farms taking out a 10 year lease on farmland .

Will they be any villages all the young  people living in mega city's ,parent at home with a rie or two just about being sustainable ,the rice they grow could well be almost organic ,with even more chemical banns 

[473geo]

34 minutes ago, kickstart said:

You have a point about country folk, but they are a lot of farmers well in debt ,wife knows a cane grower near here ,still owes the bank BAAC one million baht , and has done for a few years now others use they land as collateral to build a new house .

Drive around this area and you will see boards up saying land for sale ,they are all over the place ,some say farmers selling up they will buy 1/2-1 rie ,build a house and use the money to live on ,to you and me taking early retirement ,a lot have had enough of working from dawn to dusk with nothing to show for it .

I read a few years ago it would take 50 years for farmers to pay back all that they owe the banks ,with interest being compounded ,as you said ,a world problem the ageing population, the younger  generation  not interested in agriculture of any sort  will it be big company farms ,200 plus hp tractor and 30 foot cut combines  driving around Issan ,I can not see any average Jo buying land the way it is going up ,just too expensive the big company farms taking out a 10 year lease on farmland .

Will they be any villages all the young  people living in mega city's ,parent at home with a rie or two just about being sustainable ,the rice they grow could well be almost organic ,with even more chemical banns 

I guess those with plenty of land to allow offload of a few rai at the prices of today cannot be blamed for taking full advantage, there are some high prices being floated easily 10x a few years ago

In our immediate family area there are quite a few working away younger generation buying small plots to build a family home, and grow their own produce to an extent. Perhaps taking advantage of availability, also taking a mortgage while employed to be sure they have a family home for their children in the future away from the expensive city.

Problem with the self sufficiency is the breakdown as the unit passes down and is distributed among family members.

Personally I think the village communities will survive for quite some time maybe less farmers and larger farms perhaps. Let us hope the land is passed down not sold, and the The Thai subsistence/family welfare system is in place for many years to come.

 

[IsaanAussie]

10 hours ago, thoongfoned said:

you could ask the same if it were to happen back in your home country, look at your or my country and or even china with its cashless payment systems in place,  just turn of the electric/internet for afew days and see what happens....

bugs and frogs start to look good.... not to mention lack of water...

This is the major difference here to Australia, around me it is still a cash based economy. Looking back at the 1997 asian financial crisis the only way the private banks survived was to hold non-performing loans as assets at full value. There was little point repossessing things or foreclosing on debt as there were no buyers even at vastly devalued asset values. The shortfalls would have broken the banks. They just had to wait it out for years recouping what they could and writing off loans as their profit allowed. Government banks like BAAC shouldered most of the drama. Thaksin introduced the 1 million baht village loan scheme which required ten villagers to guarantee the loan. But to the village it was free money, they won't have to pay back. I can remember the BAAC guys coming here to explain that they had to pay up. Everyone turned up and listened the first time. Nobody showed up for the second meeting.

With household debt here having exploded with more credit available, it will be interesting to see what happens if it melts down again. Most of this consumer debt is carried by the younger adult population working "away". If they lose jobs this time the NPL total will be astronomic. 

Most will just walk away from the problem. As a example, there is a guy in our village that always has a new motorbike, he defaults on the first payment, it is repo-ed, so he goes and get another one. Deposit paid on extended repayments, waits for the hammer to fall and gives the bike back. Same thing happens with tractors, pickups, phones etc... 

Bugs and frogs for sure. Rice is the food staple and over the last few years drought and now disease is taking a toll. Without rice to eat, village life will become very difficult. 

[kickstart]

Harvesting maize field about opposite our house ,I was out they for half an hour talking to the guy who's crop it is ,he rents the field,and a few others ,never saw the combine empty the grain,this was 5.30 pm ,6.00 pm went home.

This morning talking to another  farmer down the road ,I said he  cut his maize crop ,and I said i never saw the combine empty ,he said he  got  7 ton from 30 rie  ,not a paying crop ,it was shot of rain I said to Mrs KS last month it will end up as cattle feed ,with any luck we might get a rie or two for maize silage ,she no he will keep it .......she was right .

That is not, all this is his third crop this year the first crop  had no rain  and it was  ploughed it in ,the second was the same ,the only luck he had was no Fall army worm ,although the did spray all 3 crops .

This is his first year renting the land ,forgot to ask how much he paid for rent ,I would say 1000 baht/rie/year ,also for the past 4 years it has been sugar cane ,he ploughed the land ,and went over with a 7 disc 2-3 times ,the land is like our's black , and holds water .

I would say the sugar cane used  all the goodness out of the land ,the last 2 years of the cane ,did not yield more than 6-7 ton /rie ,this guy  just put on some NPK ,what it needs ,is a green manure,the odds of getting one is very slim  

[farmerjo]

I dusted off the cobwebs of my dc-70g harvester today.

Bought it at the end of 2014 and has only 58 hours on the clock.

Only issue was the tacho not working,kubota coming tomorrow for a look.

Could be the most expensive fuse in history,hopefully not.

Sunn hemp still a week or more away from harvest but getting ready.

 

[farmerjo]

Have been contemplating what to grow on 15 rai this dry season as i left it to rest for a year from rice.

Have corn seed and sunn hemp seed in the shed.

Wandered over to the neighbours sweet corn earlier this arvo and now think sunn hemp will be planted.

His plants are getting hammered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kickstart]

I read your post before looking at the photo ,my first (and last )thought was grow corn and sun hemp together , it makes a high protein and high energy feed ,and at 70 days sell it  to any local cattle farms as silage ,we have farms doing tat around here ,and with the price of corn ,some grows where making more money by chopping the corn for cattle feed  than selling the grain.

Then I looked at the photos............not a good idea ,that look like fall army worm ,that crop looks in trouble, will he plough it in ?

[farmerjo]

18 minutes ago, kickstart said:

I read your post before looking at the photo ,my first (and last )thought was grow corn and sun hemp together , it makes a high protein and high energy feed ,and at 70 days sell it  to any local cattle farms as silage ,we have farms doing tat around here ,and with the price of corn ,some grows where making more money by chopping the corn for cattle feed  than selling the grain.

Then I looked at the photos............not a good idea ,that look like fall army worm ,that crop looks in trouble, will he plough it in ?

Hi KS,

He was still watering it late this afternoon.

After i took the pictures i came home and studied what the problem was.

For me i think it is the normal corn borer worm,could be wrong but the leaf chew pattern in the 1st picture adds up to them.Not that it makes it any better.

I feel for him,his daughter working in Bangkok has landed two kids under 2 on him and his wife(their in late 50's).He splits that field into 4 plots to grow at different times then when mature cooks the corn then rides around to sell it,his livelyhood. 

It has been mono cropped for at least 6 years and has caught up.

I will give him a 20kg sack of sunn hemp to help him put that in the rotation,whether he heeds advice or not up to him as old stock of mine.

If that is organic sweet corn to eat,you can keep it.