Today was a great day and seen the blue sky , that did not last long as 3 neighbors decided to burn their rice fields. 

Could not even seethe view of the mountains tops. They will never learn ...BURN BURN BURN

 

 

I take it you're not a rice farmer then kevvy?

7 hours ago, NanLaew said:

I take it you're not a rice farmer then kevvy?

No I am not ,I am an investor. If I was rice farmer I would get off my lazy arse and turn the rice back into the ground .It is called cultivation ..

Its cheaper to burn then to to cultivate, until that changes, no way a Thai will pay for a tractor, when they can just light it on fire. 

I've seen them plough rice straw in, sometimes they use it for mulch for a different crop.

What they're burning now just seems to be be rubbish left from the soy bean harvest.

We bought a load for garden mulch, bean straw is very good for this.

 

42 minutes ago, kevvy said:

No I am not ,I am an investor. If I was rice farmer I would get off my lazy arse and turn the rice back into the ground .It is called cultivation ..

You can always buy shares in a face mask producing company... and invest in a few masks for yourself.

 

33 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

Its cheaper to burn then to to cultivate, until that changes, no way a Thai will pay for a tractor, when they can just light it on fire. 

Burning is part of what you guys loosely describe as cultivation.

Matches are a lot cheaper than tractors and diesel. That's the way Thais view it. The cause-effect of burning resulting in smog is lost on them.

It is the unfortunate way of it. For the majority of small plot farmers far cheaper to burn than pay for it to be turned over . Add to the fact that rice straw takes some time on its own to biodegrade. There is a produce from Australia the the farmers there use to spray on recently cut crops and it speeds up the  degradation to a very high degree allowing you to get on with it. but not available here. Here the  turned over rices stalks bind up the cultivators and rotovatetors(sp? spellcheck no help) and  create expenses. Therefore burning of course these are not the only reasons as many will attest to but you can see the small guy is in a very tough spot. With the price we get for our grain every baht outlay greatly effects whats is ultimately left to reseed let alone household expenses. Most small farmers that I know around my village have other jobs or river delta land for market gardening to help subsidize the incredibly poor income for rice farming. The only ones I see making any money at all is the farm supply shops and the rice buyers the little guy has been being screwed since I got here. so do get me wrong I am against the burning as much as any one but for all that I think I do understand it and can relate to it foe what it is  in most part a necessity. but of course there are the totally lazy like any where. And since the burn ban ended as of May 1 hundreds of small fires. So like everyone else I am praying for rain 555  

4 hours ago, kevvy said:

No I am not ,I am an investor. If I was rice farmer I would get off my lazy arse and turn the rice back into the ground .It is called cultivation ..

So kevey its not just a simple thing. And if you had any idea how hard these people work for very little you wouldn't call them lazy which is way past insulting. Have a little care with your one liners ok 

4 hours ago, sceadugenga said:

I've seen them plough rice straw in, sometimes they use it for mulch for a different crop.

What they're burning now just seems to be be rubbish left from the soy bean harvest.

We bought a load for garden mulch, bean straw is very good for this.

 

too bad the government couldn't co invest and make this mulching a viable alternative and too valuable to burn, be a win win for all..

6 hours ago, jimmyyy said:

Its cheaper to burn then to to cultivate, until that changes, no way a Thai will pay for a tractor, when they can just light it on fire. 

Back in the old days the Thai farmers use to mulch other crops or work it into the ground , they did not have tractors .How do I know this ,my wife was a farmer and as were her family and all her neighbors .

I'm inclined to think it's more due to generational and economic changes in the region rather than laziness.

Farm worker wages are higher, if you can get anyone to do it. The faces of people harvesting over my back fence a few weeks back were all middle aged or old, it will be the same when they plant next week... the kids just don't want to do it. When I came here the terrace walls were spaded to perfection before rice planting, now the land owner just hits the weeds with a whipper-snipper, he must be 70 if he's a day, hiring someone to do it properly must cut too deeply into money for overheads.

Small scale farming world wide is becoming less and less profitable, I wouldn't be surprised if it comes to an end around here sooner rather than later.

8 hours ago, NanLaew said:

You can always buy shares in a face mask producing company... and invest in a few masks for yourself.

 

Burning is part of what you guys loosely describe as cultivation.

????

9 hours ago, kevvy said:

No I am not ,I am an investor. If I was rice farmer I would get off my lazy arse and turn the rice back into the ground .It is called cultivation ..

you would pay for the plowing of course especially as the profit from rice growing is so small. My missus has over 200 rai of paddy, she doesn't burn but leaves the stubble left over from the combine harvester until planting time when the land is plowed, costs 50k. She won't be planting anything this year because the projection for rain is so poor.

Cant wait for the rain ( maybe nxt monday)
Sick of my eyes looking like I’m crying all the time !


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I have some respect and understanding for the profit farmers. What really grinds my gears is the people that are burning the sides of the road and the piles of slow smoking leaves in their garden.

 

I'm going to try and have a drink and a friendly talk with my neighbour next week. My kid will be born shortly and I really need it to stop.

 

I got the MIL and one neighbour to stop burning the trash which feels like a big win. Let's hope I can keep it going for my son's sake.

 

 

1 hour ago, elcaro said:

I have some respect and understanding for the profit farmers. What really grinds my gears is the people that are burning the sides of the road and the piles of slow smoking leaves in their garden.

 

I'm going to try and have a drink and a friendly talk with my neighbour next week. My kid will be born shortly and I really need it to stop.

 

I got the MIL and one neighbour to stop burning the trash which feels like a big win. Let's hope I can keep it going for my son's sake.

 

 

With my extremely limited ability with Thai  and no translator (wife) Its not the easiest thing to talk to the neighbours about burning. But two totally  different attitude about burning. On one side will  random and haphazardly burn all  plastic garbage green  leaves etc and all it does is smoke all day or evening long. On the other side of me often burns the same amounts  and same materials but saves it up until the leaves are dry and he has enough to burn a very hot quick fire with minimal smoke. I have volunteered old news papers and cardboard to help the former fire burn hotter but all to no avail and been  told by the later neighbour that that is the way she has always done it so no changing her. Which lot of the time is the problem some are right up on there game an try to mitigate the worst of it as possible and other just don't give a stuff. I find it quite frustrating especially when she forgets to burn on the other side of her house and not under my bedroom windows. But she an old gal so I can and don't let it get to me too much. But given a better way they will and do adapt to a better solution  eventually when It becomes their idea. 555.

2 hours ago, elcaro said:

I have some respect and understanding for the profit farmers .....

I hope your newborn will see it the same as you ...

 

strange, you have some respect for people who to

so much harm to everybody's health ...

 

 

 

I re-learned the hard way today what had been drummed into me since I was a kid, always be prepared for fires when you live in a dry area.

I wont go into details but a pile of bamboo that had been cut last year and stacked near the fence burst into flames with a machine gun like roar, I rushed out only to find the best hose was between the fire and the fence.

It ended well but we could have easily lost several out buildings if the neighbours had not arrived in force.

 

No idea what sparked it, a cigarette over the fence maybe or just a floating ember from the neighbours.

I re-learned the hard way today what had been drummed into me since I was a kid, always be prepared for fires when you live in a dry area.
I wont go into details but a pile of bamboo that had been cut last year and stacked near the fence burst into flames with a machine gun like roar, I rushed out only to find the best hose was between the fire and the fence.
It ended well but we could have easily lost several out buildings if the neighbours had not arrived in force.
 
No idea what sparked it, a cigarette over the fence maybe or just a floating ember from the neighbours.

All it takes is a small shard of glass and some reflection from the sun !
I hope all is well,hopefully rain on monday [emoji106]


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