How Is The Dry Season Looking?

[David48]

I had a look at the thread about the wet season and the most recent post was last year ... and it's probably seems like a mirage just now.

Sitting in my office in Australia ... we can't turn the darn tap off at the moment ... just keeps raining.

So ... how is the dry season looking?

Is it as dry as a dead dingo's donger at the moment?

Have you been able to adjust your crop for the year?

... or just waiting for the rains to come?

Maybe you are one of the lucky ones with some decent falls recently?

[Mosha]

Odd isolated shower in Ranong, none in our village. It's hotter than I can remember in the last 10 years or so.

[IsaanAussie]

Hopefully the hot season heatwave is ending. So far a few sprinkles or drizzle, just enough for the grass to green up. Anything already in the ground is struggling. So the dance starts on when to plan this years rice crop. Tractors have started levelling the paddies and repairing bunds. Farmers burning off rice stubble and weeds.

[farmerjo]

Normally opening rains are at songkran,land is ripped up ready to go for corn,but wont be rushing in till i see at least 2 inches of rain.

Hotter than the norm this year which is keeping the sugar growers busy irrigating their fields.

[patongphil]

We had about 5 to 6 mm in mid Feb, other than that nothing at all. Everything dead or dying, rivers and dams bone dry - pretty bleak around here.

[David48]

From what I read it is fairly bleak outlook for the moment.

If you like ... also the area your Farm is in.

[Mosha]

I've seen the stream behind the house lower, but not by much. It goes from waiting for the stones to move, to 10' above it's normal level.

[kickstart]

Here in Lopburi ,it is hot for the past week temp has been 38-40c ,no rain cows calving no appetite to hot, so no milk, one of my beef cows a dairy cross Braman is even feeling the heat, a dairy heiffer come on heat, I served her but the conception rate will be low to hot, same with most dairy farms round here ,grass silage is getting low might have to buy in some maize silage but at 50-55 bart a25kg bag that will hurt but we allmost pride our selfs as the only farm in the area who dos not feed rice staw, our other forage is "gratin" even that is getting short compared to other years, we or TW dos the most, gos out with motorbike and trailer cuts it localy, I worked it out we are over feeding the gratin but so far no proberlms . The small river at the back of our land will be dry in a couple of weeks, the same one that flooded us out big time 3 years ago, all the loacals are netting all the fish, so next year no fish.pumping water for the rather sick looking suger cain has not helped.

TW says it is the hottest for some years ,I am putting in a water pump, try and get the Napia grass to grow and make some more silage also for maize and the pappyers in the garden we put some veg seed in th garden 3 weeks ago that was the the last we saw of it.

As has been said in a few days songkrane should get some rain most years we do,as I have the new water pump it is bound to rain

Yours Rgs

KS

[jonnyscot]

Same outside Suphanburi, 38 to 40 and no rain for weeks, canal beside wife's land has now dried up,, first time that's happened in more than 15 years the neighbours say,, getting concerned about our bamboo that we planted 10 odd months ago as its starting to show signs of drying out,, I'm currently away working and should've sorted that before i left, but the wife's been desperately trying to get hold of someone to do a borehole for us, but soonest she can get it done is 2 weeks away

[cardholder]

I have not seen any rain on our land since November.

(It did rain one day because I saw the evidence of puddles on our return from Cambodia).

[David48]

Same situation in Bangkok.

The gf's Parents Farm the small klong that services the area is almost dry ... the dog no longer needs to swim across it ... he just walks now.

Some excellent posts above ...

This thread won't make it rain at your place ... though, it is nice sometimes to chat about about what happens at other Farms.

I hope soon that the stories turn to having to dig the car out of the mud from the 6" of rain you've had in the past week.

.

[patongphil]

I keep on wheeling out the old rain making machine (BBQ) but even that tried and tested old girl not working this year.

[soidog2]

For those interested; some sobering region by region climate change predictions in Thailand.

Preparation of Climate Change Scenarios for Climate Change Impact Assessment in Thailand.pdf

[Mosha]

We had a 30 minute shower, and damn is it humid now,

[Thaddeus]

I have not seen any rain on our land since November.

(It did rain one day because I saw the evidence of puddles on our return from Cambodia).

I've just heard the distant rumble of thunder, but it is coming from Cambodia (you may be having a wet weekend mate)

Working from memory, we have usually had a couple of large storms by now, this year, nothing.

[farmerjo]

Hooray,out of nowhere 35mm rain last(phuphaman)will feel better on golf course today

[David48]

Hooray,out of nowhere 35mm rain last(phuphaman)will feel better on golf course today

Was it nice soaking rain ... or a torrential downpour?

Soak-in or run-off (the land)?

Enjoy the golf ...

.

[khwaibah]

Light rains yesterday evening, last night and this morning. Kap Choeng.

[David48]

The Aussies amongst you may remember this ...

.

[Mosha]

It's thundering, hope it's rain headed here.

[Potosi]

Good rain in Pattaya today, and considerably cooler than it has been for weeks. We had rain here at least once per month during the dry season from December to April, in January even a whole week long. Never been hotter than 34.5 degrees, feel sorry for you guys in Isaan who had to cope with up to 43 degrees recently.

[Mosha]

Good rain in Pattaya today, and considerably cooler than it has been for weeks. We had rain here at least once per month during the dry season from December to April, in January even a whole week long. Never been hotter than 34.5 degrees, feel sorry for you guys in Isaan who had to cope with up to 43 degrees recently.

It did rain all afternoon, and it's the 1st time in ages I haven't been sweating most of the day.

[farmerjo]

Hooray,out of nowhere 35mm rain last(phuphaman)will feel better on golf course today

Was it nice soaking rain ... or a torrential downpour?

Soak-in or run-off (the land)?

Enjoy the golf ...

.

Land was ripped up so took it easy over 3 hour period,as for golf score,back on tractor tomorrow

[Bluetongue]

I want to complain but I cant because I know how tough some of you blokes up in Isaan are probably doing it. I have had rain on 10 occasions so far this year, It didn't rain between 27 November and 26 January. About half of those have been light falls but including yesterday there have been 4 or 5 decent falls. I call a decent fall when I don't have to irrigate for a few days. Those figures actually compare pretty well against previous years.

Even so it has been particularly hot, the trees are showing some mild signs of heat stress, lamyai (longan) is drought resistant (except at fruiting time) but doesn't really like heat. Now that I have new growth up and away I can taper the irrigation for a while, maybe a month or so. The watercourses are pretty much all dry or as low as I've seen them, my three dams are 1) critical, planning urgent pipe construction from alternate source less than 5%, 2)Serious less than 20%, considering bumping the other user (a freeloader) 3) Watch - about 60% will be OK this year.

Mind you the water trucks are doing a roaring trade as people still with fruit to harvest have no water, growers like to wait for this time ostensibly to get a higher price but this year their quality and quantity will be down and expenses up. Within 2 kilometres of me two or three excavators have been working non stop for months digging dams, so many holes have been dug along our creek I have doubts it will ever flow except briefly after major storms. Luckily I am fairly high up the valley so have access to the system before a lot of others. There are only irrigators here no flatlanders, no inundators.

Chantaburi up near Soi Dao

Edited April 12, 2013 by Bluetongue

[David48]

Excellent report above ...

Bluetounge wrote the original Wet Season report which I referred to in the OP.

He also has his blueys-quarterly-wrap ... a great thread.

The more we talk, the more we share ... the better connected we all are.

.

[Mosha]

The rain is disrupting our tapping. I think our dry season is over.

[Bluetongue]

The rain is disrupting our tapping. I think our dry season is over.

aha but you are a Mexican (as we say in Australia, but must have originated in America I suppose) actually at 11pm on the night before Songkran we had a cracker, belted down the missus made me go and open the tap at midnight into the drinking water tank an now we have a full one. I say again worry for the noreasters.

[Mosha]

Brit 555. The stream behind the house is now at wet season levels. Ditto for the guys up there.

Edited April 14, 2013 by Mosha

[murrinman]

no rain around lampang for about six weeks now still irrigating have got about 4to6 weeks water left then its up to somebody else to water the bamboo

[Canada]

Out here in deepest driest Isaan, it is still bleak. My wife was dancing around with a stuffed cat in a cage today in their little village parade to the temple. It is supposed to be their version of a rain dance. Just about fell over laughing when she told me this. Cane is about all I care about these days and a lot of it in this area is pretty damn poor. Some of it is dead and some will be dead if things don't change here soon. We are lucky. I have drilled 7 holes on 4 properties. And have been irrigating for a few months now I think. I get confused about time out here. Couldn't care less what year, month or day it is, and on 95% of the days, I couldn't tell you the day, half the time I don't know what month and if I think hard I can tell you what year it is (Christian). Back on track...... I cheaped out on one of my motors. I bought a "Golden Bow" version of a Kubota. 11 hp. It packed it in yesterday. We were running a generator off it. As usual, cheaping out just makes the right one more expensive when you get to buying it. I'll go get a Kubota 14 hp n the next couple of days. I am running a 1 1/2 hp chinese 3" sub pump at pour home plot. A 2" 2hp Mitsubishi that I use at 3 plots along with your regular Kubota driven suction pumps. I have 2" and a 3" Jap made pumps. These are a pain in the arse really. Sub pumps are the way to go, but electricity is real handy. I have no electricity on any of my plots. I am constantly running supervising the watering guys, delivering diesel and food, supervising the house building, parts running, or operating the tractor. I am tired...and hot. I wish it would rain. One of my pits just had pups and we lost 2 to the heat. We have had 2 rains that I can recall since November that were heavy enough to be happy about it. Maybe another 2 times we got sprinkles. Another 2 or 3 times it threatened to rain with lightning and thunder...but no rain.

The dry spell has shot a gaping hole in my budget. I am looking for ways to get through the year now. On the "+" side. Our sugarcane is healthy and we are heading into rain season. We should do well this year and we may get a premium if we hold out and don't sell to the first broker that comes offering. I imagine cane will be in demand this year.....this is my fantasy anyways.

Wishing, and hoping for rain.