Thread: Harvesting rice

This is PI. A simple adaptation of a brush cutter. Has it been done in Thailand?
Perhaps someone here who has rice farming in their family and a little bit of handyman skills could make life easier for the in-laws.

https://www.facebook.com/HuzzBuzz1/v...2859581741034/

It looks good but I don't know how many Thais harvest rice by hand. I see a lot of ice harvest machines around at harvest time.

Ahhh, ok. I have no idea as there is no rice grown around here.
I just thought it might be helpful to smallholders still harvesting by hand.

It might be. I suppose it will come down to economics. Buy a hand-held harvester (if they are available) or hire a harvester (and probably a driver too). I'll try to find out the cost of hiring someone to harvest rice.

Looks a great Idea to me and would be ideal for the small farmer with only a little bit of land ,were its not feasible to get a combine in like in my area were they still do handcutting ,at that speed 10 small farmers could have a little cooperative to make it less backbreaking and much cheaper .

The drawback with combines are that you still have to dry the rice out, so you have to unbag the unmilled rice and spread it out somewhere. If the rice can be left on the stalk, to dry in the field (assuming no rain), that takes no energy other than what's already been done once hand-cut (tied into bundles for later throwing into a thresher).

Spillage is another major reason not to use combines (in addition to the problem of drying). We haven't hand threshed in over a decade, maybe longer (before I was around). The thresher guys take 8-10% of the yield and that seems to work out fine for us. They make a quick job of it and it, of course, the job also becomes a family production as we all feed the machine and cart the bags away.

Originally Posted by LEGENDARY

Spillage is another major reason not to use combines (in addition to the problem of drying). We haven't hand threshed in over a decade, maybe longer (before I was around). The thresher guys take 8-10% of the yield and that seems to work out fine for us. They make a quick job of it and it, of course, the job also becomes a family production as we all feed the machine and cart the bags away.

Same here, it's cut by hand and then a threshing machine is hired.

The vid looks neat, but a) spillage, b) the rice doesn't stand up vertical as in the vid.

Originally Posted by LEGENDARY

This is great! Yes, we harvest about 7 acres of sticky and jasmine rice every year and using what we call a tatya (brush cutter) with a feeder will cut our rice-cutting time dramatically! I estimate what usually takes us close to a week could be done in two days at max. Thanks so much for posting!

Glad it inspires. I get the feeling that rhythm and timing is all important, so if you were to devise a similar feeder, expect some disappointments until the reaper chap gets it right.

Originally Posted by Maanaam

Originally Posted by LEGENDARY

This is great! Yes, we harvest about 7 acres of sticky and jasmine rice every year and using what we call a tatya (brush cutter) with a feeder will cut our rice-cutting time dramatically! I estimate what usually takes us close to a week could be done in two days at max. Thanks so much for posting!

Glad it inspires. I get the feeling that rhythm and timing is all important, so if you were to devise a similar feeder, expect some disappointments until the reaper chap gets it right.

I think that the problem is nowadays they rarely hand plant rice seedlings like they used to do but just scatter the rice seeds , this gives a poorer yield but saves on labour costs, the video showed hand planted seedlings which here are virtually a thing of the past .

Originally Posted by piwanoi

Originally Posted by Maanaam

Originally Posted by LEGENDARY

This is great! Yes, we harvest about 7 acres of sticky and jasmine rice every year and using what we call a tatya (brush cutter) with a feeder will cut our rice-cutting time dramatically! I estimate what usually takes us close to a week could be done in two days at max. Thanks so much for posting!

Glad it inspires. I get the feeling that rhythm and timing is all important, so if you were to devise a similar feeder, expect some disappointments until the reaper chap gets it right.

I think that the problem is nowadays they rarely hand plant rice seedlings like they used to do but just scatter the rice seeds , this gives a poorer yield but saves on labour costs, the video showed hand planted seedlings which here are virtually a thing of the past .

Depends where you are, Piwanoi. I see plenty of re-planting of seedlings.

Originally Posted by Neverna

Originally Posted by piwanoi

Originally Posted by Maanaam

Originally Posted by LEGENDARY

This is great! Yes, we harvest about 7 acres of sticky and jasmine rice every year and using what we call a tatya (brush cutter) with a feeder will cut our rice-cutting time dramatically! I estimate what usually takes us close to a week could be done in two days at max. Thanks so much for posting!

Glad it inspires. I get the feeling that rhythm and timing is all important, so if you were to devise a similar feeder, expect some disappointments until the reaper chap gets it right.

I think that the problem is nowadays they rarely hand plant rice seedlings like they used to do but just scatter the rice seeds , this gives a poorer yield but saves on labour costs, the video showed hand planted seedlings which here are virtually a thing of the past .

Depends where you are, Piwanoi. I see plenty of re-planting of seedlings.

Quite true thats why I just said here as I have no way of knowing how they plant elsewhere

^From what I have seen and heard it is all done by hand in our area. This machine looks perfect for the small farm. I'd be interested in the cost of one as well. That way I'll know reality if I come across one in the future. Not the roundeye price. Thanks, cheers.

Originally Posted by fishlocker

^From what I have seen and heard it is all done by hand in our area. This machine looks perfect for the small farm. I'd be interested in the cost of one as well. That way I'll know reality if I come across one in the future. Not the roundeye price. Thanks, cheers.

It worked a treat with rice that had been hand planted with seedlings but I am not so sure with rice that had been sown the "scatter seeds "way as it tends to fall over when the rice is ripening, just back from doing 5 kms through the rice fields on my Bicycle and either side of the road did not see one rye of land that had been planted by using rice seedlings .

Originally Posted by piwanoi

just back from doing 5 kms through the rice fields on my Bicycle and either side of the road did not see one rye of land that had been planted by using rice seedlings .

It's a bit early in the season for that. The seedlings have to grow in a field first, to a certain size.

Originally Posted by Neverna

Originally Posted by piwanoi

just back from doing 5 kms through the rice fields on my Bicycle and either side of the road did not see one rye of land that had been planted by using rice seedlings .

It's a bit early in the season for that. The seedlings have to grow in a field first, to a certain size.

As stated not one rye of land had been planted with rice seedlings only by the scatter method And Rice seedlings have to be planted in muddy fields conditions , try and find any muddy fields here after the severe drought we have had up here .

If the rice is transplanted (dam na) then it is great. Fast and economic however if the rice thrown and let to grow as most people here do it. It is no use. Weeds and lots of rice are flat because of wind.

Originally Posted by poorfalang

If the rice is transplanted (dam na) then it is great. Fast and economic however if the rice thrown and let to grow as most people here do it. It is no use. Weeds and lots of rice are flat because of wind.

3 weeks ago I drove to Kap Choeng Immigration 60 kms from here ,I passed hundreds of thousands of rye of growing rice, not one rye had been sown the rice seedling way ,every rye done by the scatter method .

Originally Posted by piwanoi

Originally Posted by poorfalang

If the rice is transplanted (dam na) then it is great. Fast and economic however if the rice thrown and let to grow as most people here do it. It is no use. Weeds and lots of rice are flat because of wind.

3 weeks ago I drove to Kap Choeng Immigration 60 kms from here ,I passed hundreds of thousands of rye of growing rice, not one rye had been sown the rice seedling way ,every rye done by the scatter method .

Read my lips ....

Originally Posted by Neverna

It's a bit early in the season for that.

The seedlings have to grow in a field first, to a certain size, THEN replanted in a different field. It's quite possible that some of those plants you saw will be replanted elsewhere later.

Originally Posted by Neverna

Originally Posted by piwanoi

Originally Posted by poorfalang

If the rice is transplanted (dam na) then it is great. Fast and economic however if the rice thrown and let to grow as most people here do it. It is no use. Weeds and lots of rice are flat because of wind.

3 weeks ago I drove to Kap Choeng Immigration 60 kms from here ,I passed hundreds of thousands of rye of growing rice, not one rye had been sown the rice seedling way ,every rye done by the scatter method .

Read my lips ....

Originally Posted by Neverna

It's a bit early in the season for that.

The seedlings have to grow in a field first, to a certain size, THEN replanted in a different field. It's quite possible that some of those plants you saw will be replanted elsewhere later.

Read my lips I know what a rice seedling nursery looks like after seeing hundreds since I first came here in 1989 ,and please read my lips again its totally impossible to replant seedlings on just damp ground it has to be almost ankle deep in mud OK? , and believe me there are no muddy fields here whatsoever .and as any rice farmer will inform you with half a rye of rice seedlings you canplant 10 times at least of rice as the seedlings are that tightly packed .

Originally Posted by piwanoi

its totally impossible to replant seedlings on just damp ground it has to be almost ankle deep in mud OK? , and believe me there are no muddy fields here whatsoever .

So it's too early in the season, then?

Originally Posted by Neverna

Originally Posted by piwanoi

its totally impossible to replant seedlings on just damp ground it has to be almost ankle deep in mud OK? , and believe me there are no muddy fields here whatsoever .

So it's too early in the season, then?

No The rice was planted here over a month ago by the scatter fashion

Originally Posted by piwanoi

Originally Posted by Neverna

Originally Posted by piwanoi

its totally impossible to replant seedlings on just damp ground it has to be almost ankle deep in mud OK? , and believe me there are no muddy fields here whatsoever .

So it's too early in the season, then?

No The rice was planted here over a month ago by the scatter fashion

But not enough rain yet to re-plant.



Too early.