2011 Rice Harvest Begins

[IsaanAussie]

Today the first DC60 turned up in our village and cut several rai of early rice. The first of the year here. I am told it sold for about 13 baht. Amazing what a little sunshine will do.

[oldestswinger]

IA: Mechanised harvesting is clearly taking over from traditional hand harvesting. What was also very noticeable this year in my area, is how few farmers were transplanting their rice. Most of them were only broadcasting it.

[WormFarmer]

IA: Mechanised harvesting is clearly taking over from traditional hand harvesting. What was also very noticeable this year in my area, is how few farmers were transplanting their rice. Most of them were only broadcasting it.

Our rice is nearly ready for harvest too. We shall hand cut because, according to She Who Must Be Obeyed, that way we can leave it to dry on the ground, then thresh it and bag the rice dry. That way we can store it until the price goes up a bit and for our own use throughout the year. If it is cut using a mechanical harvester it is bagged wet and either has to be sold to the mill immediately at whatever low price they are offering, which they further lower by knocking off 10% for water content or the bags have to be emptied and the rice spread out somewhere where there is sufficient space to dry, sometimes the local temple grounds.

We also replanted our rice to get a better crop. Needless to say we use no chemicals on the rice and we have been ploughing-in wormcast on our paddy fields for four years now, consequently our crop is significantly better than surrounding fields (better to eat too without chemicals). We also spray with worm tea to discourage pests and improve growth.

[Amsterdam]

Interesting how much worm cast do you plough-in per rai?

IA: Mechanised harvesting is clearly taking over from traditional hand harvesting. What was also very noticeable this year in my area, is how few farmers were transplanting their rice. Most of them were only broadcasting it.

Our rice is nearly ready for harvest too. We shall hand cut because, according to She Who Must Be Obeyed, that way we can leave it to dry on the ground, then thresh it and bag the rice dry. That way we can store it until the price goes up a bit and for our own use throughout the year. If it is cut using a mechanical harvester it is bagged wet and either has to be sold to the mill immediately at whatever low price they are offering, which they further lower by knocking off 10% for water content or the bags have to be emptied and the rice spread out somewhere where there is sufficient space to dry, sometimes the local temple grounds.

We also replanted our rice to get a better crop. Needless to say we use no chemicals on the rice and we have been ploughing-in wormcast on our paddy fields for four years now, consequently our crop is significantly better than surrounding fields (better to eat too without chemicals). We also spray with worm tea to discourage pests and improve growth.

[WormFarmer]

Interesting how much worm cast do you plough-in per rai?

Basically whatever we have spare. Since wormcast in any amount can do no harm we don't measure it, just empty our storage bins of everything we think is too old to sell and dump on the paddy fields. At a guess I would say that over four years we have put at least 60 tons on 11 rai. Because our worms don't stop eating, even though our sales of wormcast are down, we are constantly dumping old wormcast on the paddy fields, our garden and a small organic veggie farm we have to make room in the storage bins for fresh wormcast.

[andycrosby]

We will also hand cut, for that same reason. Well when I say we I ment to say our family will hand cut. Ill be somewhere else for a few days while they do it. Also this is the first year the old man has talked about doing two crops we have 27 rai in rice and all is doing very well.

[RedBullHorn]

I'm doing nothing, lease out to the UIL and get half the paddies, ... No Urea too, just year round sluice from my catfishes ponds.

[pnustedt]

We have also started harvesting "early rice" in Sisaket Province. However, contrary to our initial suspicion, that we would be swamped by harvesters from regions inundated by floods, it appears that the harvesters from the areas that normally service our area will not be able to get here.

The result is that the people who normally control such activities (the nai maht) is getting to the squeaky a>se time. I have seen such people offering my wife considerable "advancements" to secure harvest slots. This at a time when harvested rice prices have reached record highs.

[THAIPHUKET]

We have also started harvesting "early rice" in Sisaket Province. However, contrary to our initial suspicion, that we would be swamped by harvesters from regions inundated by floods, it appears that the harvesters from the areas that normally service our area will not be able to get here.

The result is that the people who normally control such activities (the nai maht) is getting to the squeaky a>se time. I have seen such people offering my wife considerable "advancements" to secure harvest slots. This at a time when harvested rice prices have reached record highs.

Would be nice if you can help me out. My wife got 50 rai and I got no idea about the business and she has no idea what is going on "in the market" - Isan that is.

E.g.nai maht is a code word I don't understand.

I don't want to hijack this thread, may be we can pm or any links that will help to get a feel how all of this really works, price setting, foot traps, etc.

[RedBullHorn]

In the north they are called " lai nah" the front man/foreman/scout/business development agent...they are the one who establish and initiate contact with paddy lands owners and to negotiate combine harvesting price per rai.

[Amsterdam]

Just heard from the wife that we got 16bt a kilo for wet rice in the Buriram area.Interesting to hear what other people will get.

:jap:

Amsterdam

Edited November 2, 2011 by Amsterdam

[THAIPHUKET]

Wife got the same, area 50km North of Buriram, pls don't ask for spelling of this cluster of huts

PS now I would really like to know how this price comes about. Who sets it. Is it fixed or subjectto what??Is it area wide, in this case Buriram plus??

In other words, who ever gives this price can be trusted to make a fair deal? Sounds too easy, or?

Edited November 2, 2011 by THAIPHUKET

[RedBullHorn]

Chiang Rai - 17+/kg combine harvest.

[janverbeem]

Didn't the government set a fixed minimum price which is a lot higher than 17 Baht?

[cardholder]

Just heard from the wife that we got 16bt a kilo for wet rice in the Buriram area.Interesting to hear what other people will get.

:jap:

Amsterdam

Advertising 15 Baht at the mill on the Phanom Rung road.

[slapout]

my understanding is the fragrant rice price is 25 baht and common/sticky is 15. Something about registering to get these prices was mentioned. Maybe someone with more info could throw their 2 baht in.

[THAIPHUKET]

THAT's exactly what I mean = how does the chain operate on every single step? Who fixes what? What part are negotiable, subject to skimming?

Ultimately= How to make sure to get a fair price. E.g. if the critical mass of rice justifies the transportation cost, could it make sense trucking to where ever it fetches a better price? Where is the breakeven for putting up a barn, drying the rice and selling DRY? A combine harvester makes economic sense for a minimum of x rai?

Edited November 3, 2011 by THAIPHUKET

[slapout]

My observations: price at mills will be as per government quote.

Dockage for moisture content often nets the seller/farmer less by several baht/kilo

machine cut grain seems to have higher moisture than than hand cut due to the grain left to dry prior to thrashing by hand.

The mill/government price is for husked dry rice, thus the net weight of rice to sell is reduced via milling/excess moisture.

There are several chances for someone to short change a farmer who is not on top of what is going on from cutting, thrashing, transport mill moisture check, and loss of husk/cracked grain weight.

[IsaanAussie]

Slapout,

Well summarised, that is where a lot of money is made. People here are only concerned with getting a handful of cash, the maths is irrelevant. What you dont understand avoid at all costs to save embarrassment..

Now on the other hand things they can see will be agrued about. Yesterday there were two DC60's working the rice here in our village. There were the usual arguments about positions in the queue, which meant a late start for both the machines. But being true Thais, those that may have jumped the queue a bit because they yelled loudest, had not lost any volume when it came to blaming the machine operators for half the rice being still green after it was cut. Imagine the cheek? Why did he cut it when it wasn't ready yet? But it was dark already, how could he see the colour? Why doesnt he have brighter lights on the harvester? No, definitely the machine operators fault.....

Gotta love this people, faultless to a tee...

[Pond Life]

Could some of you rice growers tell me what yields you are getting this year.

I'd particularly like to know what the organic farmers are getting.

We will start cutting Tue, weather permitting.

We grow SRI style with cow shit & ducks.

[THAIPHUKET]

Family reports=

The first GorKor15 ( that what I understood) rice was accepted at 16b.

Now Jasmine wet rice was bought for 13b only?? Argument= many sellers.

Is that standard? Location, village, something like Phayakaphumpisai

(my poor excuse= living in Chiang Mai)

Will try to figure the yield out later, when all has been cut.

[THAIPHUKET]

13b is a bit off from the 20b mentioned in political statements.

OK it's wet rice, but if the difference between wet and dry is 7 b a new barn would very quickly pay for itself.

How is the scheme supposed to work? Who takes a cut, fixed or negotiated?

One poster stated the average yield/rai is 1.2 t/p.a . For how many harvests?

We got only 0.3 t/rai on the first cut in our Isaan village.

Regional differences?

[tingtong]

our yield is similar to above poster, about 300kg/rai....on 7 rai....though 2 rai was quite weed infested.

it was simple broadcasted. rain fed rice.

i hope we can improve a bit on this yield, was yr #1 only for us

[AA1]

THAIPHUKET & tingtong,

We have just had our rice threshed here in Surin province and similar to you we were just under 0.3t/rai, slightly worse than last year. The only thing I can put it down to was the fact that we were in England until early June and then thanks to the variable weather, never right when we wanted to plant etc. we ended up with plants which didn't fatten as much as we would have liked.

I suppose we shouldn't grumble when we look at pictures of the ricefields in the Central strip BUT they do at least get more than one crop of rice a year, lucky devils we don't!!!!!!

[slapout]

13b is a bit off from the 20b mentioned in political statements.

OK it's wet rice, but if the difference between wet and dry is 7 b a new barn would very quickly pay for itself.

How is the scheme supposed to work? Who takes a cut, fixed or negotiated?

One poster stated the average yield/rai is 1.2 t/p.a . For how many harvests?

We got only 0.3 t/rai on the first cut in our Isaan village.

Regional differences?

We use to work on moisture dock-age being 2% of price for each point of moisture over the standard.( example... 16 standard, moisture content 18% equal 4% dock in price)I think they use 16% for rice. It should be posted or at least public knowledge and the fee applied to excess moisture should be posted.

Then you have to throw in milling weight lost, this I have noticed can vary drastically, depending on machinery used, set up of same, and the operator.

[THAIPHUKET]

We use to work on moisture dock-age being 2% of price for each point of moisture over the standard.( example... 16 standard, moisture content 18% equal 4% dock in price)I think they use 16% for rice. It should be posted or at least public knowledge and the fee applied to excess moisture should be posted.

Then you have to throw in milling weight lost, this I have noticed can vary drastically, depending on machinery used, set up of same, and the operator.

Your key words moisture dock-age caused some research and yielded interesting observations, based on a 2010 !!!! Research Project: DEVELOPMENT OF SHRINK CHART FOR ACCURATE RICE QUALITY ASSESSMENT by US Dep of Agriculture

The moisture of rice at receiving is typically higher than safe storage moisture. After drying, part of moisture will be removed and will result in reduced rice weight. To calculate the final rice weight, a shrink chart is normally used at grain dryers. The shrink charts are developed based on moisture removal, dockage and invisible loss. The weight loss caused by moisture change can be calculated accurately. However, the dockage and invisible loss are typically determined by individual grain receivers. There is no universal shrink chart in use in California. The dockage and invisible loss are normally assumed at 2% and 1.5 to 3.5 percent, respectively. The numbers were established long time ago. At the present, harvester and handling equipment are much improved and the dockage and invisible loss may be significantly lower. It is forecasted that the total rice production will be 46.7 million cwt for 2009. Even one percent error in the shrink chart can have significant economic consequence for growers.

If that is the situation in California today, the economic consequences of moisture variables should be much greater in Thailand.

SLAPOUT Also says

There are several chances for someone to short change a farmer who is not on top of what is going on from cutting, thrashing, transport mill moisture check, and loss of husk/cracked grain weight.

Unquote

Not unexpected. See attachment on Factors affecting Rice Milling Quality

What can one do to get a more or less fair price without causing face-loss making trouble?

Rice Quality.pdf

RICE MILLING.pdf

[THAIPHUKET]

I didn't want to distract from OP's wish to share info about harvest results, so please post them.

At same time I'm trying to get a better handle how to increase the actual cash yield. To what extend such knowledge is actually applicable, may require hard convincing work.

[ozzydom]

our yield is similar to above poster, about 300kg/rai....on 7 rai....though 2 rai was quite weed infested.

it was simple broadcasted. rain fed rice.

i hope we can improve a bit on this yield, was yr #1 only for us

Googled this article

YIELD ABOVE WORLD'S LEVEL

Vietnam's rice yield has reached 5.3 tonnes per hectare per crop, well above the world average of 4.2 tonne, and its rice exports of around 6 million tonnes a year account for a fifth of the world's total trade in the grain.

300kg per rai is slightly less than 2 tonne/hectare or half the world average yield.

To improve yields ,soil condition and preparation is paramount,

Year after year I see surrounding paddies harvested then left to dry and compact until the next rainy season is imminent ,when they burn any remaining stubble ,wait until the soil is wet enough to work,put the discs over it and plant within days using seed held back from the last harvest .IMO a sure recipe for low yields.

Things have undoubtably changed in the fifty years since my Ag College days but I feel sure the fundamentals are still relevant.

For one crop areas ,this would be my method......

As soon as practical after harvest,deep plough the stubble in using mouldboard plough as opposed to discs,leave the paddy fallow until about February, then run the discs over it.

Take soil samples , about 4 per rai and have them analysed at the Govt Lab.

Adjust soil by addition of fertilizers as shown to be required by the analysis, disc again ensuring paddy is really level.

Disc again and you are ready for the final workup and planting when rains arrive.

Adjust your bung wall water overflow to only allow 2 inch coverage of paddy.

An alternative ,if you have any water available is to plant a cover crop of Nitrogen fixing plants ,beans ,alfalfa etc and plough them in when they get to pod stage.

The last year I grew rice was on paddies that were badly weed infested and had not been used for several years.

We used roundup on the 4 rai and burnt off as soon as it was dry to destroy as much seed as possible ,we then followed the procedure as I laid out above.

We planted Jasmine Certified seed (hand plant seedlings)and hand weeded the growing plants twice during the growing season.

We harvested just on 1000 kg per rai.

By the way ,our soil analysis showed a slight Potassium deficiency which ,from memory required about 20kg K per rai.

We received 10k per tonne for our crop and that was the reason I converted to fish farming.

[THAIPHUKET]

As Ozzydom so nicely points out, Thai crop yield is 50% of world yield. From that 50% of gross revenue another 1.5 billion THB are swallowed by corruption, see The Nation http://goo.gl/ycvSW

minus all the other small inefficiencies. Any chance for the Thai farmer ever to catch up?? Not much.

(May be corruption/inefficiencies not much different in other countries, still they have a 1oo% and more, like Vietnam, lead in gross revenue.)

However, having pointed out this, I am here because I like to be here and I am not a paddy farmer.

Still, it ought to be possible to instigate small improvements.

.

[tingtong]

agree with all, the yield is not too good.

thus for a smaller field in this dry season we will also experiment with hand planting. will see how it compare to the wet season.

i expect it wont be rapid change, more bit by bit, but i have time.