Farming Greenhorns - Tips for Surviving the Early Years

[phuketsub]

I am new to this forum, but plan to give 'farming' a go when I semi-retire to my wife's village in coastal Songkhla, where she has a small plot of what appears (to me anyway) to be arable land.

I have 25 years of experience of living and working in Thailand and am fluent in the language, but no background in gardening or farming whatsoever.

I really just want to keep busy and would like to grow the things I like and consume a lot of: coffee beans, durien, Thai pumpkin...I think it is probably too late/impractical for me to have any ambitions to produce cash crops -- I just want to be self-sufficient in crops that are the easiest to grow: I just don't know what they are.

A lot of people in her area also raise oxen, and I am kind of interested in doing that too...but that might be too much of a time commitment -- I simply don't know what it entails because, once again, this is another area I have no expertise in whatsoever.

Anyway, any advice to this greenhorn would be most appreciated.

Mate you'll be alright, you speak the language, you've been here a long time. But I personally am not a big fan of durian as it made me quite ill one rare night drinking a bit of whisky with it. But it will take a few years to grow trees and fruit. What do other farmers grow in the area. You'll have plenty of time while they are growing to research techniques. If you do it properly you will get more than enough fruit for yourself all at once so a bit of pocket cash anyway. I don't know about coffee but veggies will be OK, you may need water though if it doesn't rain, they will keep you busy while you wait for the king of fruit. PS up here in Chantaburi now there is durian coming out of our earholes but I don't grow it.

Thanks David...there seems to be a surfeit of durian here in Phuket too. I have to add for the record that I once won a bet by downing a huge monthong durien and a bottle of Black Label...and I actually felt fine the next day. I think that threat is overrated...

[David48]

Still open for comment/assistance for the newbies ...

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[RedBullHorn]

Just a note about consuming durian with hard liquor, the combo will sent the heart racing for some people. Rumour has it that some people died for the mix. I love durian and usually i off it with light beers.

[bantatnin]

For newbies take the time to read snip>

+1 ... I've ran out of likes for the moment.

Agreeing with the thrust of what you have written above ...

Just one point for discussion from my perspective ... renting the Farmland.

The Farm father rents ALL his ponds.

But that is a situation that works for him personally because he rents from relatives who live or work away from the Farm.

That said, the Farm house is one the one land owned by the Parents.

My point about sometimes renting is that what happens in the situation where the Farm Enterprise has failed to make a profit and what is left after a few years is a land holding in your (usually) wife's name of which you have no control ... but a lot of sunk capital.

But I don't wish to get carried away with the 'renting' bit ... just an option for some, but not many or all.

@ cornishcarlos ... I'm sure the a wayward python or trouser snake has been the undoing of more then one Farmer ...

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Lol.. the wayward python, how I wish I read this advice earlier. Now I have a half grown rubber plantation and am looking at pig farming in Loei - is it going to be too cold in winter?

[br12stol]

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For newbies take the time to read snip>

+1 ... I've ran out of likes for the moment.

Agreeing with the thrust of what you have written above ... alt=thumbsup.gif>

Just one point for discussion from my perspective ... renting the Farmland.

The Farm father rents ALL his ponds.

But that is a situation that works for him personally because he rents from relatives who live or work away from the Farm.

That said, the Farm house is one the one land owned by the Parents.

My point about sometimes renting is that what happens in the situation where the Farm Enterprise has failed to make a profit and what is left after a few years is a land holding in your (usually) wife's name of which you have no control ... but a lot of sunk capital.

But I don't wish to get carried away with the 'renting' bit ... just an option for some, but not many or all.

@ cornishcarlos ... I'm sure the a wayward python or trouser snake has been the undoing of more then one Farmer ... alt=w00t.gif>

.

Lol.. the wayward python, how I wish I read this advice earlier. Now I have a half grown rubber plantation and am looking at pig farming in Loei - is it going to be too cold in winter?

If you have land @ altitude in Loei Province there are some very profitable Herbs that can be grown.

[Bulldozer Dawn]

I could probably write a book on things not to do

Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)

At the moment I settle for a few salient points ... maybe your top 1 or 2 ...

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Don't have children until you have established your business and it provides a postive cashflow.

[somo]

1. Look at what the locals are doing and do it better. You will probably have the resources to do so as lack of finance/business sense is what holds most Thai farmers back. This is your strength so focus on it. If you try doing your own thing all sorts of unforseen problems will arise. Doing what is already being done means most problems can be overcome.

2. For agriculture with the price of land now it is mostly uneconomical to buy so rent don't buy.

3. Initially don't buy any expensive equipment rent it. You would need over 100 rai to justifying buying a tractor and

even then hiring one is headache free.

4. If any project is going to rely on you breaking your back and working like mad just to save 250Baht/day wages then forget it.

In my experience getting your wife to oversee hired workers is the best way. As you slowly get to know them you can then start to influence things.

If you are going with point 1 above there will not be a lot of need for your input anyway.

5. Start small and once you can see the way ahead then expand by doing more of the same thing. Once you are making money then you can reinvest the profits.

My only experience is with cassava for which the above served me well. I think it may well be relevant for other types of farming. We need to look at farming as a business and what we can bring to it.

I see myself as an investor and recognise I have an experienced and inexpensive pool of labour with an existing market. At first I didn't lift a finger in the fields but now I enjoy a few hours getting stuck in just for the hell of it and the excercise.

I now am on good terms with everyone who works for me and have nothing to prove but initially I think it better to keep a distance.

[canuckamuck]

3 years in, no profit on the horizon, but the losses are smaller.

Ask me again in 3 more years.

[cobbler]

I come from a long line of farmers in australia . I dont pretend to inow everything but I have experienced a fair bit .

1 dont put all your eggs in 1 basket . Grow 3 different things if u can .

2 if u do animals , you need to be there every day . If not you , somebody you can trust .

3 grow wat grows in your area . Go to the local kings project they are a wealth of knowledge .

On our frm we have 3 main sources of income . Rubber ( this has crashed price wise now ) Bananas , namwa . Was shit money , but now we r getting ok money . Long beens tua fukyeow . This is our daily beer money , 10 x 10 meters are gettinb us 200 to 300 bart per day . Need sprinklers for this, but not hard work .

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