A Farming Myth …

[pigeonjake]

my wife and myself put some fruit trees in last year, we went for lambutine,( the red hairy ones,) and mangatine(the brown hard ones),,lol. the reason is that everyone round our way has over the last couple of years put in lamyai, just like the thais do, if they see someone doing well they will copy,

anyway we havnt got many just 2 rai,

im happy with my pigs

jake

[jubby]

We could see a big increase of tamarind (macam) soon. I don't know about all of Thailand but in this area most of the orchards have been taken out and replaced with sugar cane.

Most of our orchards of lamyai have been slowly replaced with Rubber. I'm now seeing a lot of Palm Oil being planted. it must have an impact on other produce in the future. Palm Oil scares me. flying into KL airport you can see nothing but palm, nothing, not another tree or plant species to be seen for miles and miles. Just a Palm Oil dessert.

[David48]

my wife and myself put some fruit trees in last year, we went for lambutine,( the red hairy ones,) and mangatine(the brown hard ones),,lol. the reason is that everyone round our way has over the last couple of years put in lamyai, just like the thais do, if they see someone doing well they will copy,

anyway we havnt got many just 2 rai,

im happy with my pigs

jake

Hi there Jake and welcome to the Thread ... I hope you enjoyed your holiday ...

And also ... an Avatar ... it's a ripper.

Just everyone doesn't have to squint to read it.

Here it is ...

To all who have posted thus far ... ... an excellent standard of posting and civility.

I warmly acknowledge each and every post.

[Gary A]

my wife and myself put some fruit trees in last year, we went for lambutine,( the red hairy ones,) and mangatine(the brown hard ones),,lol. the reason is that everyone round our way has over the last couple of years put in lamyai, just like the thais do, if they see someone doing well they will copy,

anyway we havnt got many just 2 rai,

im happy with my pigs

jake

Sometime back, my brother in law gave us one of those little black pigs. I liked the little guy and he was smart like a dog. I could go out and yell oink and he would always answer with his oink. We have two and a half rai of yard with a two meter high wall all around it.

Unfortunately the little guy was very destructive. He dug holes all over and ate a lot of my wife's weeds, trees, vegetables and herbs. One day I found him tied to a tree. His neck was raw from fighting the rope. I told my wife that you can't tie up a pig and if she didn't want to build a pen for him to tell her brother in law to come and get him. The pig was gone the next day and I don't know what her brother in law did with him and I doubt that I want to know.

[soidog2]

A nice thread indeed.

If you do not have scale you can still make some beer money.

Picked today (picked six more earlier) out of a 3x5 m plot, put in front of the house at 13B per kilo.

Fun.

[linno2]

I agree with many of the[postings about the reality of farming in Thailand. We have about 50 rai split up over 4 blocks with the largest at 24 rai. Just about all is used for rice and the family uses the land and pays us in rice. My efforts have been put into persuing small scale cash flow opportunities to supplement the families rice income so that my family members can earn some money and be self sufficient in between the one or two episodes of income when the rice is sold. I am trying (gradually) to follow the King's model of sustainable small land holding model. We have tried crickets, meat frogs, cat fish and nin, chicken eggs (100 fowl), fattening pigs, brown and white mushrooms and seasonal vegetables. We have the equipment to manufacture fertilizer pellets from the pig and chicken manure and of course use this to reduce commercial fertilizer use theoretically saving some rice production costs. These have had varying levels of success but always seem to earn enough for the family members involved to get by on a day by day basis. We have experimented with value adding to the produce - smoking the catfish and with some cricket recipies. Middle men seem to find our place and buy all the crickets, pigs and mushrooms. This is convenient but takes a resonably large slice out of potential returns. I aim to focus on the marketing and merchandising to see if it is worth the effort to retain a higher portion of the returns. My main problem is that I am away much of the time on foreign assignments and this creates a weal point in the plan. I really need to be there to continuously inject the support (not financial) and ideas. Book keeping is also a problem - record keeping and financial management are the next factors to look at. It brings great pleasure and a degree of frustration - but the overall situation is posiive and worth it - especially as it gives my family improved financial autonomy and the dignity that goes with it.

[TwoDogz]

Great thread.

[David48]

Great thread.

Glad you like it.

Do you or a friend have a Farming story to share?

We would be happy to hear it.

.

[TwoDogz]

Great thread.

Glad you like it.

Do you or a friend have a Farming story to share?

We would be happy to hear it.

.

I used to chase cows a long time ago.

Ridden a few too.

But that is not Thai related.

Edited August 8, 2012 by TwoDogz

[grimleybob]

Little Black Pigs

Anybody tried keeping them? My wife insists that in her region you can get more per Kilo for the little black pigs than the white commercial ones.

She says they taste like the wild pigs as they are allowed to forage for themselves. She also says they have bigger litters and are easy to keep.

Any experiences of rearing them. Let us know if it's truth or myth.

Please only reply if you know your Pig from your Ass

Edited August 9, 2012 by grimleybob

[Khonwan]

Grimleybob, posted be me 6 years ago:

"Moo Pha (wild boars): We often get the opportunity to eat 100% moo pha from the forest, 2 metres behind our house. A couple of locals shoot and trap them quite regularly, despite the fact that my only close neighbour is the forest rangers station! My wife did previously try her hand at breeding and growing moo pha while I was occupied by my cattle. These were around 80% pure moo pha (as are normally farmed). She looked after them for nearly one year; had around 25 at peak. Waste of time! Other Thais around here who have tried agree. Fatten them like domestic pigs (moo baan) and customers complain the meat is, funny enough, just like moo baan (and why then should they fork out extra money?). Feed them naturally and the (live-pig buying) customer complains they are too thin. They are wild muscular animals in the wild that don't get the opportunity to deposit much fat!

I expect you could make a go of it if you fed/managed them naturally, slaughtered & butchered them, and marketed the meat in the cities (where the meat commands a much higher value). Build strong walls extending under the ground should anyone wish to try farming moo pha - they are true escape-artists who just love your neighbours crops!"

[RedBullHorn]

.

(reason for editing : wrong topic)

Edited August 9, 2012 by RedBullHorn

[oldsailor35]

Where are these people growing Palm Oil in Isaan ? They need 5-350 ltrs water per day. Dry spell cannot be more than 60 days. Rainfall around than 1800mm per year or min 150mm monthly. Plus 6 hrs sunlight per day.

[loong]

Where are these people growing Palm Oil in Isaan ? They need 5-350 ltrs water per day. Dry spell cannot be more than 60 days. Rainfall around than 1800mm per year or min 150mm monthly. Plus 6 hrs sunlight per day.

If they are growing in Isaan, then I would have to assume that they are being grown by farmers that have access to water year- round.

[Gary A]

I have a friend here in Loei province. He and his Thai wife recently attended some kind of seminar about oil palms. Apparently he and his wife have been sold on the idea. They have jumped in the business big time. They are buying more land to plant more trees. The trees are only knee high and now he is talking about an extraction plant.

A friend of mine from Krabi always used to call this area the high desert. Most of Loei area trees are or will be at about 1,000 feet elevation while some are about 1,500 foot elevation. Rainfall is quite limited. I hope for my Loei friends sake that he knows what he is doing. There must be a reason that there are no palm oil plantations in this area.

[jamescollister]

I have a friend here in Loei province. He and his Thai wife recently attended some kind of seminar about oil palms. Apparently he and his wife have been sold on the idea. They have jumped in the business big time. They are buying more land to plant more trees. The trees are only knee high and now he is talking about an extraction plant.

A friend of mine from Krabi always used to call this area the high desert. Most of Loei area trees are or will be at about 1,000 feet elevation while some are about 1,500 foot elevation. Rainfall is quite limited. I hope for my Loei friends sake that he knows what he is doing. There must be a reason that there are no palm oil plantations in this area.

Government tried to stsrt it up around here, even build a big dam for irrigation, don't think it was a big success as like everything if it worked everyone would be planting. Rubber and cassava mostly not much palm. Jim

[TommoPhysicist]

Very hard to make money out of farming.

Very easy to have a nice life with a hobby farm and a small pension.

And one of the advantages of a small farm in Thailand, is you don't need any expensive machinery, everything can be done by hand.

[Canada]

We have about 100 rai close to Udon. First year and a half has been a wash with in laws looking after it. My mistake. We are growing sugarcane on all of it. 20 rai of it we just picked up. The other 80 rai is looking really good for this year. We are cutting now and don't yet know numbers.

After watching carefully since we bought our first piece, I finally decided I needed to move here from Chiang Mai to look after it. Bought the latest 20 rai and a really nice New Holland 6610S. First time I ever sat on a tractor was at the dealership when I asked them to show me how to drive it. I then cleared, ploughed and planted 23 rai by myself with minimal instruction from wifey's uncle. It is just coming up out of the ground now.

We just picked up 5 rai which we are renting from Mom in law for the value of the rice that she used to get off it. 50 sacs per year. 2 rai is going to be hobby farm and is still treed. the other 3.5 rai is going to be a sugarcane experiment. We will plant 4 types of sugarcane and vary planting, spacing, water, and fertilizer from the norm in this area and see what happens. Plans for turkeys, chickens, ducks and small pigs are in the works and mostly for food value and the value of just having them and doing it. I will start the conversion of rice patty to sugarcane tomorrow. I love the tractorwork.

I used to be a glassblower, then when that disappeared, a counselor. Then when the clients drove me crazy, I took a couple years off. I basically fell into farming in Thailand through bad decision. I thought I could make money and do nothing. Just pay the bills from Chiang Mai 55555. Now that we are here and I have a tractor, I am loving it. Never in a milliion years did I ever consider being a farmer.

We will make money on the sugar. I have done my research of the last couple of years, watched it all get done the wrong way, watched it all get done the Thai way, spent far too much money on having other people do things, got ripped off by the father in law....it goes on. Probably the only thing I did right so far is to stick with it and move here and start doing the work. Now I am looking to sell the Chiang Mai property and buy more land.....to farm in Isaan. 5555

Making money is of course relative to where the money is spent. We will stay here with our money.

That's my story.

Good thread.

[David006]

Good to read all these stories..thx 555

Guess you could say I am a farmer by default....life of telecom and IT far behind, met the new love of my life and set up house in Phuket.Somehow ended up a year or so later with the gf owning a rubber farm and an all but empty bank account.

Anyways the only farming experience I had was digging potatoes on dad's norf London allotment in the pissing cold rain.

Does the farm make money? I would say a definite yes if one looks at the ROI. ..... however, it goes we know not where...

Been at it a few years now strictly as a grass and brush cutting , hole digging, rock moving, buckets of latex lugging,mr fixit laborer.

Tried cutting rubber once but seeing as I find it impossible to hand cut a two by four with any accuracy it was obviously doomed to failure.

Was walking around the farm yesterday after fixing one of our well pumps......christ stuff don't 'alf grow fast!! ......seedling coconuts , betel trees , mango, papaya,banana trees etc now towering, some rubber trees which were little sticks a few years back now thick as ya thigh.

It is a good life all up I think but can get a bit boring sometimes drinking beer and watching the grass grow....great to be retired I think?

Gotta go buy some sand and cement sometime maybe to eventually finish off that concrete patio thing (read new beer drinking spot ) under her orchid shade house.

Just think, if I was not farming I would be wasting away in margaritaville just sitting on a beach drinking beer instead of our veranda...location, location location??

...and in other news............................................................................................................film at eleven....

cheers guys

d

[IsaanAussie]

I suppose we are all kidding ourselves about the profitability of farming here. Probably more so than we try to convince others. But that's OK because I for one enjoy the farm despite all the challenges. Its hard work but fun and so personally rewarding. In my position the finances are important and scarce, there is no golden parachute here, for that matter no bloody parachute, no safety nets, nothing but determination.

Many guys I talk with sum their farms up like interesting slow leaks. Some are very well organised and financed and secure with a well planned operation. For me, more like trying to find the valve rather than the patch kit.

If I do run out of luck and have to give it up, it will not be for lack of trying. It will also be without remorse as the Thais say "Up to you!", and that is definitely true in my case. There will be no-one else to blame.

[David006]

I suppose we are all kidding ourselves about the profitability of farming here. Probably more so than we try to convince others. But that's OK because I for one enjoy the farm despite all the challenges. Its hard work but fun and so personally rewarding. In my position the finances are important and scarce, there is no golden parachute here, for that matter no bloody parachute, no safety nets, nothing but determination.

Many guys I talk with sum their farms up like interesting slow leaks. Some are very well organised and financed and secure with a well planned operation. For me, more like trying to find the valve rather than the patch kit.

If I do run out of luck and have to give it up, it will not be for lack of trying. It will also be without remorse as the Thais say "Up to you!", and that is definitely true in my case. There will be no-one else to blame.

I am with you mate...had no plan and no idea that any other farangs were actually farming...it isn't for the weak of heart but certainly better than sitting in front of the tv with a budgie and and a two bar electric heater.

As long as I can keep the rice bowl full (and the beer fridge maybe) not a lot to worry about really. ....got a fridge magnet that says "if it is to be it is up to me". Have no insurance except #3 on the truck..

No guarantees in this life except that it will end eh?

Good luck to all....d

Just think ourselves lucky we ain't born Afganistan or ....

[IsaanAussie]

Well David I think the biggest challenge here is to appear to stay within the expected norms. Change is resisted and jealousy is rampant. Once you learn to not worry about things that cannot or will not change, you're free to just get on and do what you plan.

I had a well thought out plan (8 years in the making) and have stuck to it, albeit at a very slowed pace. Things change and compromises are needed. I am nearly over getting angry at the disappointments and broken promises, just need to adjust to doing more myself. When it is all said and done, slowly is better than never... One thing hasn't changed, it is still fun

[Khonwan]

To anyone stuck in a ruck, trying to force their plan to work:

“No U-turns” should stay retired with Thatcher. Sticking to a plan can be fatal, and worse, stupid. Business demands constant re-appraisal, willingness to recognize mistakes and insurmountable problems, and constant evolution that leads to success possibly in a way not originally planned. Success, however you define it personally, is more valuable and commendable than tenacity in keeping to a plan, no matter how well thought out. Unforeseen circumstances and changes in circumstances may thwart the best of plans. Flexibility has greater strength than rigidity. Constantly analyse alternatives. This effort will be rewarded.

Rgds

Khonwan

[David006]

To anyone stuck in a ruck, trying to force their plan to work:

“No U-turns” should stay retired with Thatcher. Sticking to a plan can be fatal, and worse, stupid. Business demands constant re-appraisal, willingness to recognize mistakes and insurmountable problems, and constant evolution that leads to success possibly in a way not originally planned. Success, however you define it personally, is more valuable and commendable than tenacity in keeping to a plan, no matter how well thought out. Unforeseen circumstances and changes in circumstances may thwart the best of plans. Flexibility has greater strength than rigidity. Constantly analyse alternatives. This effort will be rewarded.

Rgds

Khonwan

good thinking mate...most of what happened in my little life has been by default and for whatever reason has not worked out too bad.

Sad that we spend/spent so much time on sweating the small stuff..lost a lot along the way for sure ,like many, but still here and battling....

Maybe one day will get a chance to meet up with all you fellow sufferers....555.

If any of yous are down south Krabi way love to get blotto and we can cry on each others shoulders...I promise to put up the first half dozen cases of beer and maybe a bottle of indifferent scotch or two plus gratis food....lots of floor space and doonas available...PM me eh!

.take care me 'earties.....

Oh ! and the light of my life the wife IS a good cook! .....Makes the best BBQ pork ribs and sauce this side of the Mekong.

......

Cheers from an old fart...

d

[revar]

Some say that the way to make a Small fortune in Farming in Thailand is to start with a Large fortune

I like to think that I make a fortune farming here. Only not in money but in pure enjoyment of life and happiness. I have a pig farm and no income from outside so finance is important.

But to enjoy living in a small village in the isan like I do you don't need much. As long as I can pay for the delicious food and my beers I am a happy camper.

Here I work in the open air together with my wife instead of getting stressed in an office. I am my own boss and only the wife can tell me what to do.

Instead of paying a subscription to a fitness-center I lift foodbags for free.

Huge bar bills from the west are replaced with lower beer-40 bills.

Lots of opportunaties and challenges around so enough intellectual stimmulation.

Condition, bloodpressure, general health all have improved dramatically.

I might not make a fortune but feel fortunate.

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[somo]

It is indeed a fine line between banging your head against a brick wall and having the persistence

nearly all small businesses require to succeed. As khowan says flexibility is key but that doesn't mean losing sight of your goals.

It may just mean bending a bit and going around the wall.

Having said that I have never really set goals and I feel that has helped me to so far have a wonderful freedom/life to just follow my fancy (usually a lady )

It is only recently I have started thinking I should grow up abit and get my act together financially and suprise suprise things are falling into place.

Going back to the OP I would say yes there is money to be made in farming here but the benefits are not just that.

The sense of accomplishment, fresh air and being in a diffrent world are waht gets me. Thailand is indeed a special place for many contradictory reasons but everyday it makes me feel alive whereas back in the UK most people resemble

the walking dead.

As to pitfalls they are numerous but mostly the head bashing mentioned before and spending too much money on stuff you don't need.

[revar]

For those of us who have to make a living out of farming, planning is essential. The investment is substantial and there are no safetynets in thailand. But that does not exclude being flexible. Any good plan can and must be adjusted to circumstances all the time. otherwise its not planning its dogma.

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[loong]

My plan, when I started farming earlier in the year was that I would be the boss and use local labour to do the actual work.

I soon realised that the local labour was expensive and they did crap work.

If I complained about the work they would actually say " Why do you care? you are rich! You don't need to make a profit."

As well as that, people would turn up for work when they felt like it, not when I wanted the work done.

When I have seen people working on neighbouring farms, I have gone over and chatted with them. I've seen a totally differnt work ethic and have some phone numbers. I am building contacts.

I will be lucky to break even this year, but I now have some more contacts. I won't use local labour if I can help it in futuire. the closer they are to you, the more they will take the piss.

Isaan is a farming area, but so many have no idea how to farm, well maybe they do, but decide not to put in the effort if it is not their farm.

[IsaanAussie]

My plan, when I started farming earlier in the year was that I would be the boss and use local labour to do the actual work.

I soon realised that the local labour was expensive and they did crap work.

If I complained about the work they would actually say " Why do you care? you are rich! You don't need to make a profit."

As well as that, people would turn up for work when they felt like it, not when I wanted the work done.

When I have seen people working on neighbouring farms, I have gone over and chatted with them. I've seen a totally differnt work ethic and have some phone numbers. I am building contacts.

I will be lucky to break even this year, but I now have some more contacts. I won't use local labour if I can help it in futuire. the closer they are to you, the more they will take the piss.

Isaan is a farming area, but so many have no idea how to farm, well maybe they do, but decide not to put in the effort if it is not their farm.

Maybe one day someone will explain the thought process behind this attitude. Same thing happened here to me.

[tingtong]

My plan, when I started farming earlier in the year was that I would be the boss and use local labour to do the actual work.

I soon realised that the local labour was expensive and they did crap work.

If I complained about the work they would actually say " Why do you care? you are rich! You don't need to make a profit."

As well as that, people would turn up for work when they felt like it, not when I wanted the work done.

When I have seen people working on neighbouring farms, I have gone over and chatted with them. I've seen a totally differnt work ethic and have some phone numbers. I am building contacts.

I will be lucky to break even this year, but I now have some more contacts. I won't use local labour if I can help it in futuire. the closer they are to you, the more they will take the piss.

Isaan is a farming area, but so many have no idea how to farm, well maybe they do, but decide not to put in the effort if it is not their farm.

Maybe one day someone will explain the thought process behind this attitude. Same thing happened here to me.

this is true capitalism:

they getting the most out (money from you) with the least effort invested.( their passable work)

thais arent that much behind in this, it seems