#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  Does anybody do some farming ??

## Dalton

Hi TD members

Does any of you do some kind of farming ? fish, chickens, ducks, cattle, or any form for crops, corn, rice and so on.
If you would like to share your experience or have some questions, then please post it on this thread.

Thanks. :Smile:

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## stroller

We're raising some ducks, chicken and fish (Pla Duk), got a few parcels with rice growing on them.

I've always wondered what exactly the chemicals are they dispense so freely on the farmland.
I wouldn't put it beyond our enlightened neighbours to use agent orange or the like to get rid of the weeds.

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## Dalton

^ The Thais are very facinated by using the chemical fertelizer, they dont get that in the long run it destroys the land, but there are big money in that business, so it's likely to carry on. The weed-killer they use, are banned in many countries, but since most of the crops are for local sale, then they dont care much about that.
What feed do you use for the pla duc ?? and how many ponds do you have going ??
Chicken and ducks are they used as egg-laying or just for a dinner now and again ?  :Smile:

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## hillbilly

Right, now I (they) farm a few rai of rice along with a few rai of Teak trees. Actually, have a bit more but will wait for the pics...

I have thought about pigs, they (the family) said no money.

I have thought about chickens, they (the family) said no money.

I have thought about beef cattle, they (the family) said no money.

Well, the list could gone one. However, growing up on a dairy farm in the hills of Missoura, the urges are still there.

Any ideas? :Smile:  And please remember this is a family forum.

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## stroller

Some of the tins of nasty chemicals have a sticker covering the warning text, which put me on alert!
But I don't get involved in the farming side of things much, I put in the odd few hours at crucial times, much to everyone's amusement.

It's _very_ small operation, got one basin with 100 fish in it, planning a second one with a different type. Just feed them those pellets, and open a strip-light above the basin in the evenings to attract some insects for them.
And the odd bit of pork belly as a treat. :Smile: 
The missus retails them in the neighbourhood.

Ducks: for eggs, we got 10 laying ducks and 2 males to keep them happy. The odd one ends up in the cooking pot now and then.
Eggs sell at 4bt each, we feed the ducks a mixture of the brown powder you get from milling the rice, and the low-grade broken rice. Occasionally some Chinese lettuce leaves as a treat, used to feed them every day, they just love the stuff, but it's too expensive and the left-overs from the market go fast. 

Chickens for eating, we keep a revolving stock of 20.

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## stroller

> along with a few rai of Teak trees.


I'd like to know a bit more about this. We've been offered a few Rai with hardwood on it, but I thought the deal was too dodgy (SorPorGor "title") and 100.000 bt for 4 rais of hillslope seemed a bit much.

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## NickA

> Chickens for eating, we keep a revolving stock of 20.


Don't they get dizzy?

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## stroller

Not after I clubbed them over the head and put them in a bucket of hot water.

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## Rigger

The family do a bit 
Rice, Catfish, Corn, Charcoal, water mellons, chickens, Ducks.
I was going to do the cattle thing but we really dont have the time as they need to much attention. Opening a whole sale bulk buy shop next year and will sell stuff from the farm as well as beer ice noddles and some stuff for the ladys jeans shoes and handbags . I cant see it making any big money but should keep the family busy and make a bit of profit as there is nothing like it in the village

I dont do any farming myself I just drink piss and ride

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## chitown

I tried to grow Wheat Grass for juicing and it did not work. Our maid that comes used to work on the family rice farm tried to grow it and she failed as well. No green thumbs here! 

I hate paying 60 baht for a shot of Wheat Grass at Squeeze!

*There needs to be a forum here at TD that is dedicated to farming so I can get advice on growing Wheat Grass.*  :Wink:  (_a plug for Dalton_)

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## Dalton

> Right, now I (they) farm a few rai of rice along with a few rai of Teak trees. Actually, have a bit more but will wait for the pics...
> 
> I have thought about pigs, they (the family) said no money.
> 
> I have thought about chickens, they (the family) said no money.
> 
> I have thought about beef cattle, they (the family) said no money.
> 
> Well, the list could gone one. However, growing up on a dairy farm in the hills of Missoura, the urges are still there.
> ...


Hi HB.

Teak is not a bad idea, if you have the time to wait, it's a long term investment. 
When the family says "no money" does that mean that raising pigs, chickens or cattle, cant make a profit or does it mean that the dont have the money to do it ??  :Smile:

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## Dalton

> It's very small operation,


Well it sounds like it's covers your daily need, so you dont need to buy as much in the market, and the surplus can be sold, that's the whole idea about small scale, to support the day by day need.
The water from the fish pond, if you change that now and again, then you could make a small hydro-ponic garden with salats and other vegetables, to make it organic. At the moment we are playing with that idea to greate an extra income from our waste-water.

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## Dalton

> I'd like to know a bit more about this. We've been offered a few Rai with hardwood on it, but I thought the deal was too dodgy (SorPorGor "title") and 100.000 bt for 4 rais of hillslope seemed a bit much.


SorPorGor can be changed to proper land-papers over some time, if the 4 rai is full with teak, then it dosent sound like a bad deal, but in any case check with the local land-office, they can tell you what you need to know. :Smile:

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## DrAndy

well, we have a few rai of ricefields and a fishpond. In CM we can get two crops a year, so we alternate normal and sticky rice. Some locals grow beans to help with nitrogen instead of sticky rice but as the fields get so much river water it is hardly necessary

a lot of farmers throw fertiliser around, which helps the duckweed grow in the fields. We then strip it out and feed our fish with it. They love it.

I can't say our fish are organic due to the neighbours policies, but they still taste good

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## Dalton

> The family do a bit 
> Rice, Catfish, Corn, Charcoal, water mellons, chickens, Ducks.
> I was going to do the cattle thing but we really dont have the time as they need to much attention. Opening a whole sale bulk buy shop next year and will sell stuff from the farm as well as beer ice noddles and some stuff for the ladys jeans shoes and handbags . I cant see it making any big money but should keep the family busy and make a bit of profit as there is nothing like it in the village
> 
> I dont do any farming myself I just drink piss and ride


 
One happy family, and a bike-freak farang.. :Smile:  Looks like you have it figured out, keep the family busy, so they dont have time to spend money, and they might even make a profit, dosent get much better than that. :Wink:

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## Dalton

> duckweed grow in the fields. We then strip it out and feed our fish with it. They love it.


I surpose that you have pla Nim and Tap Tim in your pond ?? How big are the pond and how many fish do you put in ?

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## Dalton

> There needs to be a forum here at TD that is dedicated to farming so I can get advice on growing Wheat Grass. (a plug for Dalton)


Hi Chi.

Wheat Grass...That is something I need to do some reseach on, not my speciality, but I will dig around and see what I can find.. :Smile:

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## chitown

> Originally Posted by chitown
> 
> There needs to be a forum here at TD that is dedicated to farming so I can get advice on growing Wheat Grass. (a plug for Dalton)
> 
> 
> Hi Chi.
> 
> Wheat Grass...That is something I need to do some reseach on, not my speciality, but I will dig around and see what I can find..


I can't grow it, but it is good for health. I feel great when I drink a one ounce shot a day. At Squeeze they charge 60 baht and you can buy a whole bag of seeds for 100 baht and that makes a lot of juice. It grows tall once a week and you cut it and juice it then it grows again. Then you have to palnt again. Very cheap to grow.........if you can grow it  :Sad:

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## Bluecat

> Hi TD members
> 
> Does any of you do some kind of farming ? fish, chickens, ducks, cattle, or any form for crops, corn, rice and so on.
> If you would like to share your experience or have some questions, then please post it on this thread.
> 
> Thanks.


Randomchances does.
He's got a big farm, for milk mainly.
Does he post here?

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## stroller

He's sold his stock and is back in the UK for now, Bluecat. :Sad:

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## Dalton

> I can't grow it, but it is good for health


Defeat is not an option, there will be a way to grow it... :Smile:

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## ceburat

Korat Frang Forum has a good bit on farming. A lady named "BINA" american lady married to a Thai is very up on farming and goat raising. I think she will return to Thailand soon. Her husband is from a MuBaan just south of Korat about 25 kilometers.  There is also a german fellow their who raises goats. She, Bina is always active on the forum.  Random Chances plans to return to Thailand and still post there as  do many other knowledgeable farang farmers in the North East, Issan. Very informative threads about farming.  Also TV has some good Issan farming threads.  I have done nothing towards farming in Thailand so far except to read.  I am just now finishing building a house.  I need a rest.  I am interested in fish farming on a serious basis, however, I don't yet have the required knowledge.  From what I have learned you must be sharp street wise and well as knowledgeable about the procedure.  Great market for all fish here.

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## Bluecat

> He's sold his stock and is back in the UK for now, Bluecat.


Sorry to hear that.
Problems with the farm?
Problems with the wife?
Or problems with Thailand?

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## stroller

The cows had some disease, had to sell them at a loss.

The wife is with him now, in Wales, both working.

They'll be back.

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## Bluecat

Oops, sell them to whom?
Are there people buying cows with a disease?  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 
Hopefully he'll be back, nice guy by any standards and so is his wife.

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## Marmite the Dog

> Originally Posted by stroller
> 
> 
> He's sold his stock and is back in the UK for now, Bluecat.
> 
> 
> Sorry to hear that.
> Problems with the farm?
> Problems with the wife?
> Or problems with Thailand?


There's a thread all about it somewhere. Just search for all the threads RC has started and it'll be easy to spot.

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## Dalton

> Korat Frang Forum has a good bit on farming. A lady named "BINA" american lady married to a Thai is very up on farming and goat raising. I think she will return to Thailand soon. Her husband is from a MuBaan just south of Korat about 25 kilometers. There is also a german fellow their who raises goats. She, Bina is always active on the forum. Random Chances plans to return to Thailand and still post there as do many other knowledgeable farang farmers in the North East, Issan. Very informative threads about farming. Also TV has some good Issan farming threads. I have done nothing towards farming in Thailand so far except to read. I am just now finishing building a house. I need a rest. I am interested in fish farming on a serious basis, however, I don't yet have the required knowledge. From what I have learned you must be sharp street wise and well as knowledgeable about the procedure. Great market for all fish here.


Hi Ceburat.

Yes Bina is very active also on TV, I think she is from Israel, they are working there now.
I sure hope RC will be back, he is a great guy so all the best to him.
If you are interested in doing fish on a serious and intensive basis, then you should visit me, that is our main business.

Cheers.

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## tsicar

> Hi TD members
> 
> Does any of you do some kind of farming ? fish, chickens, ducks, cattle, or any form for crops, corn, rice and so on.
> If you would like to share your experience or have some questions, then please post it on this thread.
> 
> Thanks.


first. congratulations, dalton-it seems your farming forum has started up without help from the mods!
i farm clarias catfish in tanks, stocked at 2000 fingerlings per cubic metre.
it is possible to raise up to two tons of catfish in a single tank, dimensions: 2m x 1mx 1m.  ie a ton of fish per cubic metre! the thais think i am fukkn crazy, coz they have been taught not to stock more than 100 fish per square metre. my fish grow out far faster than theirs, are easy to harvest, taste better, and do not stink.

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## Dalton

> first. congratulations, dalton-it seems your farming forum has started up without help from the mods!


Thanks for the support, :Smile:  lets see how it goes, if the thread gets a fair bit of posting, the mods might grant us a forum or sub-forum, :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  time will tell.
I'm looking forward to your return to Thailand, and to see the operation getting up and running, after all we are only 70km apart, so see you soon.

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## hillbilly

Let's try to help this farming forum along with a serious question.

Here is the deal. We have 5 rai of a big rice field outside of P-Lok. The land is paid for, we don't have to pay for anything all we do is collect the rent from the local farmer using our land. It ain't much.

So what could we do with this land instead of renting to the locals to make money farming?

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## stroller

> t is possible to raise up to two tons of catfish in a single tank, dimensions: 2m x 1mx 1m. ie a ton of fish per cubic metre! the thais think i am fukkn crazy, coz they have been taught not to stock more than 100 fish per square metre. my fish grow out far faster than theirs, are easy to harvest, taste better, and do not stink.


That's about the size of our tank - interesting.
But once you go for wholesaling the fish, there isn't much profit in it and you have to know what you are doing, I heard - right?

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## Dalton

> Let's try to help this farming forum along with a serious question.
> 
> Here is the deal. We have 5 rai of a big rice field outside of P-Lok. The land is paid for, we don't have to pay for anything all we do is collect the rent from the local farmer using our land. It ain't much.
> 
> So what could we do with this land instead of renting to the locals to make money farming?


Hi HB

That depends on many things,how much work and money are you willing to invest in it, that is the first question ? rice is small money, that's a given, sugar-cane and corn isent much better. Then you can do eucalyptus, rubber or teak, that is long term, but dosent involve to much work. One thing I have noticed is the price soybean, it has increased with almost 40% over the last 4 month, and there is no sign of it going down, since they are using it for bio-fuel and it's number 1 raw-material in most animal feed. If I had some spare land I would look into soybean.
But to give you a correct advise, then you need to consider how much you are willing to invest in it. :Smile: 

Cheers.

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## Dalton

> That's about the size of our tank - interesting. But once you go for wholesaling the fish, there isn't much profit in it and you have to know what you are doing, I heard - right?


Tsicar is talking about recirculation systems, same thing as I have, you can have very high stocking density in those systems, as long as it all works. You need to have a good working biofilter, a drumfilter or large settlement tank to remove the solids bigger than 30 to 50 micron, smaller than that you need protein-skimmers to remove the tiny ones. And most important you need a generator as back-up in-case of power-cut, if you dont have that, then you will have a lot of dead fish within minutes. The system requires 24 hours observation, not a walk in the park.. :Wink:

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## stroller

Sounds like work to me.
I'd rather stick with throwing in a few pellets now and then, thanks. :Smile:

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## Dalton

^ Sure it is, but also very interesting if you have the time to do it, ono problem is that it cant be left alone, it could lead to disaster, but if runned like a business, then it's a great challenge. We do all ourself from hatching the fry, nursery ponds, from there into the intensive recirculation system, after that of to the market. We also make our floating pellets used for feeding the fish.

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## dirtydog

> nice guy by any standards and so is his wife.


His wife is a bloke? He kept that a bit quiet  :Smile: 

I have a pond on my land, it is about 50 meters by 10 meters, if I stuck like a 1,000 baby catfish in there, how many years would it be till it was full of catfish?

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## Dalton

^ It depends if you drained the pond before you released the catfish fry, if you dident then it will take a awfull lot of years, because they have probably ended up as dinner for some snake-head fish already in the pond.
If the pond was cleared for predators and the fish are being giving feed regulary, it will take about 6-7 month, if you feed them intensive then about 4-5 month, all depending of the water quality.  :Smile:

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## stroller

Apart from the work involved, what about financial input and rewards at the end of the day.
If I could get a few tons of Pla Duk retailing at 50bt/kilo I'd be laughing!

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## Dalton

^ The key-point to make money in fish farming is to avoid the middle man or agent as they offen are called, most people cant do that because there production is to small to supply the market. One exsample, in Supanburi they sell pla duc at the gate for 27-29 baht/kg, when the middle man sells them to the people in the market, the price is 40 baht/kg, then it's sold again to the consumer for 45-50 baht/kg. The trick is to find your own market to supply, even if it's only small scale, I have done both with catfish and now with pla Nin and Tap Tim.

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## Thaicoon

> The family do a bit 
> Rice, Catfish, Corn, Charcoal, water mellons, chickens, Ducks.
> I was going to do the cattle thing but we really dont have the time as they need to much attention. Opening a whole sale bulk buy shop next year and will sell stuff from the farm as well as beer ice noddles and some stuff for the ladys jeans shoes and handbags . I cant see it making any big money but should keep the family busy and make a bit of profit as there is nothing like it in the village
> 
> I dont do any farming myself I just drink piss and ride


And shoot the cows :Smile:

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## DrAndy

> Originally Posted by DrAndy
> 
> duckweed grow in the fields. We then strip it out and feed our fish with it. They love it.
> 
> 
> I surpose that you have pla Nim and Tap Tim in your pond ?? How big are the pond and how many fish do you put in ?


 
we have ruby, catfish, snakehead and lots of others, all wild

the pond is about 20m x 20m and 3m deep in the middle

we don't put fish in; in the wet season the rice fields flood and the fish go into the fields from the rivers. They then like to come into the pond, do some breeding and/or get caught

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## Ivor Biggun

I'm not into farming or business  but the one sort of farming that I would have thought profitable, in Thailand, would be rats. No big outlay, prolific breeders and highly neutritious. Plus I believe a good export demand to Cambodia. As I said I'm not into business but if I was I would look deeply into this.

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## Dalton

> we don't put fish in; in the wet season the rice fields flood and the fish go into the fields from the rivers. They then like to come into the pond, do some breeding and/or get caught


I would imagine that you have some very big snake-head in there, they are having a feast on all the fry.. :Smile:

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## Dalton

> As I said I'm not into business but if I was I would look deeply into this.


Might be an good idea, PM me if you want to look futher into this, I could be interested as well.

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## stroller

Does anyone do rabbits?

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## Dalton

^ There is some, but the market in Thailand for rabbit isent very big, frogs are better, if looking at some small scale bizz

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## dirtydog

^^don't get personal stroller....

Snakehead fish is the one that Thais keep as pets in a fish tank? ie a big tank and one snakehead with a few other little fish in for them to eat, now assuming I have the right fish these sell for upto 100k baht for a big colorful one, the babies are 500baht each, normal big one is about 10k baht, wouldn't they be a good fish to breed in my pond?

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## dirtydog

Okay I have put a bit more thought into this, say tomorrow I chuck in 100 guppies, leave them for a year or 2 to populate the pond, then I go and buy say 50 snakehead fish babies, then another year on if I want a couple of thousand baht real quick I can do a bit of fishing and whip the snakehead down to the petshop?

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## Dalton

> Snakehead fish is the one that Thais keep as pets in a fish tank


Nope DD, it's a different one, the snake-head or pla-chon as its called in Thai, sells for around 80 to 120 baht/kg.  :Smile:  not 100K sorry

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## Dalton

> Okay I have put a bit more thought into this, say tomorrow I chuck in 100 guppies, leave them for a year or 2 to populate the pond, then I go and buy say 50 snakehead fish babies, then another year on if I want a couple of thousand baht real quick I can do a bit of fishing and whip the snakehead down to the petshop?


I dont think the pet shop want that kind of snake-head. :Wink: ..you better try the fresh market, but forget about the 100K  :Smile:

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## dirtydog

I shall go down the petshop tomorrow and see what sort of fish this is, I assumed it was the snakehead fish that everybody was talking about, hey I got a video of one somewhere  :Smile:  let me have a look and upload the beasty fish  :Smile:

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## Rigger

Giant Snakehead - Freshwater Fish Identification - Thai Fishing Guide

FishQuest! Fishing Destinations - Exotic Asia

Some can grow to 1 mtr and I read somewhere today that there are about 4 different types

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## DrAndy

The snakehead in my pond are getting a nice size, prob about half a kilo each

The caretaker who looks after our farm catches bigger ones in the rice fields when they are flooded, tasty

Last year we drained the pond (I think there were some mudfishing pics) and there were all sorts of fish, some well over a kilo; however, I don't want to do that on a regular basis, as the previous owner did, as it mucks up the balance of the pondlife

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## jizzybloke

I am not a farmer in any way but this is very interesting, i am always thinking about what i may do in the future and as yet have no idea.
Thanks Dalton! 

How about Prawn/ Shrimp farming?
I was told it was very good but like other things became saturated, don't know how true that is?

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## DrAndy

Therev is always a good market for top quality prawns but they are not always easy to farm. The farms also pollute the land they are on, making it useless for other crops later (salt). The farms in the sea seem OK. I suppose freshwater prawns are good, but I am not sure of the market abroad

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## Ivor Biggun

> Does anyone do rabbits


I used to do for them when I had a shotgun.

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## Dalton

> How about Prawn/ Shrimp farming? I was told it was very good but like other things became saturated, don't know how true that is?


Hi Jizzy.

Thanks for the support.
Shrimp or prawns are not easy to farm, and there is a high risk involved, they are very sensitive to the quality, the first month its hard to see if any has survived. The price on the market is good, and people can make a nice profit, if they get things right. What kind to grow will depend on your location, but study the subject good, and try to visit some people who are doing it, to get a picture of how it works.  :Smile:

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## Dalton

> Therev is always a good market for top quality prawns but they are not always easy to farm. The farms also pollute the land they are on, making it useless for other crops later (salt). The farms in the sea seem OK. I suppose freshwater prawns are good, but I am not sure of the market abroad


Very true, the ocean farms destroy the mangrooves in many areas. Freshwater prawns is mostly for domestic sale, as far as I know, the price is up and down depending on supply and demand.

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## Dalton

> I used to do for them when I had a shotgun.


Not much left of the bunny then.. :Wink:

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## Jet Gorgon

Congrats on your farm forum, Dalton.

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## Dalton

^ Thanks Jet, :Smile:  let's how it come along, I would like to spread some more to keep the differents kind of farming to an idividual thread, Like one for fish, one for pigs, and so on. :Smile:

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## Jet Gorgon

It sounds corny, but organic farming sounds good. Like how can you keep the bugs away and not use pesticides. Other bugs? Anyway, hope you have fun. I will read.

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## El Gibbon

Hillbilly, re. your rice land,  would be just about useless to do anything with it if your not 'on-site' full time. Two reasons, Thai farmers are quite a bit behind in 'modern' farming techniques - the old "we've done it this way for hundreds of years" syndrome - they will continue doing it the old way unless forced/managed/disciplined into doing it your way. The second reason is pilferage and losses to  staff and passers by that just KNOW its OK to take a little.

Macua is a good product to do as the need is pretty consistent throughout Thailand, too bad they don't last long enough to export. Thai are very very picky about their condition. I've had a couple of ideas running around in how that might be accomplished but have pretty much given up. See the "moving to the mooban thread".

FIRST rule of anyone going into the business is its a full time avocation until you've got it up and running for a couple of years.

For anyone interested in this high volume vegetable, search TV. There is a thread there that will outlines the process in great detail, thanks to a poster known as Maize Farmer, who has a large outfit near Loei.

DD
I believe the fish your talking about is the one the Chinese "see" numbers on and bet accordingly. They are a fixture in Chinese restaurants around the world. The price becomes very high if someone 'hits' the described number in the lottery. I've spent many bleary-eyed hours looking and seeing nuttin but a bunch of scales.

E. G.

PS Looks to a decent start to the thread, thanks folks.

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## stroller

> Macua is a good product


Do you mean Aubergines? They come in all shapes and sizes here, dirt cheap.

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## ceburat

> I am not a farmer in any way but this is very interesting, i am always thinking about what i may do in the future and as yet have no idea.
> Thanks Dalton! 
> 
> How about Prawn/ Shrimp farming?
> I was told it was very good but like other things became saturated, don't know how true that is?


 
I tried gardening/farming 40 years ago as a hobby.  Started all organic.  All on a small scale in my back yard in the U.S. and every where I have lived since. That hobby took over my life. Try farming for fun on a small scale first and let it go from there.  You will love it. Forget about profit.  If it happens, ok.  If not it is still ok.  You have already been paid for the best part of it.

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## ceburat

> ^ There is some, but the market in Thailand for rabbit isent very big, frogs are better, if looking at some small scale bizz


 
Thiland  is a very hot place for raising rabbits.  Maybe up in the mountains would be ok. I would assume that the market is low due to cooking time.  Takes much more fuel to cook rabbit as does chicken or fish.  Rabbit is delicious.

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## Dalton

> You have already been paid for the best part of it.


Aint that the truth. :Smile:

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## Dalton

> PS Looks to a decent start to the thread, thanks folks.


Thanks for the support E.G. I hope you will hang around and share your knowledge. :Smile:

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## El Gibbon

> Originally Posted by El Gibbon
> 
> Macua is a good product
> 
> 
> Do you mean Aubergines? They come in all shapes and sizes here, dirt cheap.


Yep, there are several varieties available to grow here. For those not familiar, they are the small round eggplant type veggie used in curries and often you will see a few on a plate of raw veggies that are eaten with spicy paste or really hot dishes.

Yes, you see them everywhere Stroller, the condition and variety vary according to the supplier. Like I said there are several varieties grown that are all pretty much the same in taste but are different in texture and coloring. They range from pretty much all white to the tiger variety that has dark green strips to the purple ones which are favored in western style restaurants since they provide color. Size is a key matter in saleability, no bigger than 4/5 cm in diameter is most sought after.

You start them from seed and have a producing plant in about 3 months. I did it and followed instructions and the plants produced as described. I did a few plants just to check the idea out, got sidetracked by the weather as you know from reading the "moving.... " thread.

They are not expensive but the volumes can be interesting. Maize Farmer makes the point that on 4 rai you can generate roughly 40K baht per month (he has 22 rai devoted to macua on his farm in Loei). Now, it ain't all easy, I won't go into the details here but check out the 'Growing Macua' thread in the farming section of TV. Its all laid out in detail and you grow them in buckets... big advantage.

Key is the availability of irrigation water on a year round basis. A lot of Thais grow them during the rainy season but can't afford an irrigation system to carry them through the dry spells. (pricing on the wholesale trade range from 6 to 50 baht per kilo, anything less than 8 baht pluck the flowers to save the plant.)

The plant produces pretty much consistently for a period of up to 3 years before it becomes uneconomical and must be replaced.  Periodic pruning is easy to do and the plants are pretty strong.

E. G.

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## Dalton

> Maize Farmer


E.G. Have you heard anything from MF in the last 4 month ?? The last I heard was that he went to India to look at a 2nd hand feed-mill.

----------


## El Gibbon

^ Nothing has been heard from him since the last email/posting when he was in India. Lots of folks concerned about his well being on the other channel. Someone actually went looking for him without any luck. The closest they came was the mother of the heli pilot that airlifted him out after the accident.

It is curious since he was an excellent poster about farming subjects and financial trading. He seemed to get great enjoyment from helping out us beginners and always offered sage conservative advice. If I lived in the area I would spend some time trying to find his place.

there is a thread on the other channel that brings you up-to-date on what folks have tried to do in finding out what the situation is.

RandomChances sent an email I think but didn't receive any reply.

E. G.

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## Dalton

^ Yes, I know the guy who went looking for him, a good friend of mine, he spend two days up there with almost no result. As you say MF was a great poster, always willing to help and share advise, and I loved his arguements with Chownah :Smile:  they could really get into it.
It seems strange to me that they dident find any trace of him, I wonder what is going on.

----------


## forreachingme

Chemical free vegetables is researched by the good hotels all over the country, have a friend farming this around Chiang Mai somewhere, you have to make yourself known for it and the requests flow in...

One of the main supermarket in Korat is in Hydro vegetables, can't remember exact name, but you feed the needs of the plants, they are in pellets, good results of varieties not from here as well, salads, aromatic herbs...

As third i know one guy who invested big in Turtle ponds, this around year 2000 but once his turtles were ready, Thailand got a ban for exporting those to Japan or China, as they were feeding to many antibiotics...
if anybody interested in this around Korat, the guy can provide his ponds for quite cheap i presume...

I'm not a farmer, but realy like to read their adventures, and like to visit them for a day out...

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## Dalton

> As third i know one guy who invested big in Turtle ponds, this around year 2000 but once his turtles were ready, Thailand got a ban for exporting those to Japan or China, as they were feeding to many antibiotics... if anybody interested in this around Korat, the guy can provide his ponds for quite cheap i presume...


How is the market for turtles in Thailand, do you know ?? :Smile:

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## forreachingme

This seems to be the big deal, less water necesary then rice, reuse the sticks to grow a new tubercule, well around korat the rice disappears slowly to leave the space for tapioca...

One of the princess invested a lot to help the farmers with news way to go around, seems to be going on...

One danger around the tapioca is the Cyanide, if you gather the tubercule, you will have to process it within a short time, i heard 24 hours, or the level of cyanide will increase and be deadly !

i was in the phils last year, a full classroom of over 20 students dided from eating aged tapioca on a booth on the street...

if you plan to be one industrial and not a farmer, then make a tapioca processing plant, but i heard you need to process over 800 tonnes a day to get some profitable...

The plant looks like ganja, all new visitors in the area ask me if ganja cultivating is tolerated  over here, i say yes of course, don't  you see around...

----------


## forreachingme

> Originally Posted by forreachingme
> 
> As third i know one guy who invested big in Turtle ponds, this around year 2000 but once his turtles were ready, Thailand got a ban for exporting those to Japan or China, as they were feeding to many antibiotics... if anybody interested in this around Korat, the guy can provide his ponds for quite cheap i presume...
> 
> 
> How is the market for turtles in Thailand, do you know ??


 

dead i heard !, may be it changed by now...

This was mostly export oriented, not sure the thais like it, it was Japan or korea, some other asian country wich is crazy about it, but they got a ban on it as it happend for the shrimps once...

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## RandomChances

> Are there people buying cows with a disease?


 This is why I don't buy beef from the market  :Smile: 



> A lady named "BINA" american lady married to a Thai


 Yea bina is into goats, she runs a petting zoo in israel, good poster and very helpful



> Random Chances plans to return to Thailand and still post there


 Yea I should be back, don't know what I'm going to do yet, I don't really post anywhere much at the moment, not much time.



> I am interested in fish farming on a serious basis


 There's a lot of good stuff on fish farming on TV, I've met most of the guy's that are into it, not sure on how much money can be made. I know on of the guys with a big farm was running at a loss.

----------


## RandomChances

> I have a pond on my land, it is about 50 meters by 10 meters, if I stuck like a 1,000 baby catfish in there, how many years would it be till it was full of catfish?





> It depends if you drained the pond before you released the catfish fry, if you dident then it will take a awfull lot of years, because they have probably ended up as dinner for some snake-head fish already in the pond.
> If the pond was cleared for predators and the fish are being giving feed regulary, it will take about 6-7 month, if you feed them intensive then about 4-5 month, all depending of the water quality.


When we dug our pond I originaly stocked it with 1000 catfish and 500 pla Nin. For some reason it is now teaming with fish even though it sometimes dryes out in the hot season, I've actually put some snake head fish in to try and keep the numbers down.

I really enjoyed my pond and it something I will expand on when I come back. I'm not sold on this high intensity farming, form what I've seen the overheads are too high. I'd prefer a low intnsity approch, a mix of fish, catfish (bottom feeders/insects, Pla Nin or Tap tin (veggie's and will eat algie) and some snake head to keep the population managable.

With use of lights to attract insects, shit for algie growth and baby fish for the snake head fish you can keep the feeding down to a minium, have fresh fish to eat all the time and mabye do a bulk sale once a year. Ok it's not going to be enough to live off but you should get a decent little bonus once year. Ducks might go well with this approch as well, I really liked strolls set up and fresh duck eggs everyday is a bouns

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## Dalton

> There's a lot of good stuff on fish farming on TV, I've met most of the guy's that are into it, not sure on how much money can be made. I know on of the guys with a big farm was running at a loss.


RD, we never got the chance to meet, I joined to late, but anyway I enjoyed reading your posts.
Fish farming is a tricky business, many has lost money on it, and given up. The keys to succes in that business is to basicly know what you are doing, to many rush in to do it without knowing enough, and that is equal to loss. To set up a good farm, cost more than just some fry and a few bags of feed, I dont want to turn this post into a book, so if anybody have questions regarding fish farming and feed, please fire away.. :Smile:

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## RandomChances

> The keys to succes in that business is to basicly know what you are doing, to many rush in to do it without knowing enough


 I think thats basicaly the same in any buissines, but also the most difficult part.



> I dont want to turn this post into a book


  :Smile:  These threads often turn into that .

I'm still not convinced on the high intensity stuff....I don't know mabye because I just cant get my head around those sort of numbers/ cubic meter.

I used to have a mate with a large fish farm, did OK selling once a year, sort of medium intensity, a few 100,000 fish bit about 10 rai of ponds all togehter

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## stroller

> if anybody have questions regarding fish farming and feed, please fire away..


Just out of curiousity, you mentioned making your own food pellets - what do they consist of?
Is it true that there are antibiotics and stuff in the commercially sold ones?

----------


## Dalton

> I'm still not convinced on the high intensity stuff....I don't know mabye because I just cant get my head around those sort of numbers/ cubic meter.


He he.. :Wink:  It aint easy at all, but it's a hell of a challenge, and it will be the future for fish farming (export) People want a product they can trace back, a whole family-tree so to speak. We did first a pilot project with 6 tanks, to see if it was worth doing on a larger scale, of-cause we have a huge advantage in making our own pellets, that reduce the feed cost with 30-40% compared to buing from the dealer in the town. We are still learning, there are no written book of the perfect system, learn from your mistakes.. :Wink:

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## Dalton

> Just out of curiousity, you mentioned making your own food pellets - what do they consist of? Is it true that there are antibiotics and stuff in the commercially sold ones?


We use raw material such as fishmeal, soybean, corn, broken-rice, casava, rice-polish, calsium and some vitamins, no antibiotic it will mess our bio-filter up.
As for commercial pellets, there are so many grades and brands that it's hard to tell what is in it, they write one thing one the bag, but if you take to a lab for a test, it might be something else. :Wink:

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## Eliminator

I've seen on Thai television of these guys injecting fish with what I would guess would be antibiotics, why is this necessary and do you do this with your fish and if not why?

 Oh yes, best of luck with the forum.

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## Dalton

^ Thanks  :Smile:  I think what you have seen is the injection of hormones in the females, just before the fertilizing of the eggs, if antibiotic is given, it's normaly being mixed in the feed by the farmer himself. :Smile:

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## Ban Saray

I'm no farmer but I have inherited the responsibility of the wifes family after her parents died.
I put 3000 teak saplings on 12 rai that was useless to everybody, they are 7 y.o now and looking good.
I had to dig 7 water trenches, that are full this year, so we stocked with some fish for a trial.
ALso have 30 rai we use for rice each year, 2 x 30 rai for tapioca or sugar.
Small seedling plot near the local klong, and a couple of rai for chillies.
We tried mangos and bananas, too much work the family said.
Keen on hydroponics and will look into this once we have consistent water supply.
Also keen on macadamia nuts and bees (honey).
We will be buying another 18 rai soon that has another 1500 teak trees on it, they are 13 years old, and will be what I use to build our next house here in Ban Saray.  We plan to plant another 3000 teak or hardwood here as well.
I can see that there is absolutely no way any of this would work without my monetary assistance.  At best subsistence farming.
But once the teak starts to mature in 15-20 years I'm sure my daughters and in-laws will be well of.
Tried pigs, and the only reason to have them would be for BBQ's IMO, too much work.
A Thai mate has a small piggery, and a rice mill, he uses the by-product for feeding his pigs and ducks.  He only just survives, mainly due to three kids being at college.
I have no doubt that the economy of scales is the deciding factor, so have worked at machining up my relatives with pumps, tuk-tuks, and the like.
I am considering a tractor and a rice harvestor in a year or two.  This provides income for 1-2 months a year.
By the way rice farming is not permitted by Thai Law for foreigner, not sure about all the alternatives.
And getting a license to harvest teak trees takes a bit of work as well.
Good thread many useful tips for me to try on the fish bit.

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## El Gibbon

^

ALL agribusinesses are off limits for farang. On the other hand it appears that if your doing a "family" business and don't cause a whole hell of a lot of problems your left to your own devices.

Its been my perception that if you keep your nose clean and operate a farm and hire locals and family your pretty much left alone.

Most folks get into it for family purposes, either building something for the wife/family or a future for their kids. Not many 'tourists' would be willing to put in the work for minimal income. As mentioned prior, its a 24/7 proposition.

E. G.

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## Dalton

I actually have a work-permit related to fish-farming, but we also work very close with the department of fisheries and we have students here all the time.

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## El Gibbon

Would be interesting to know the basis for the permit. Did they classify your efforts at maximum density as research perhaps?

Good on ya

E. G.

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## Dalton

^ I've been in this province full time the last 8 years, before that I worked in Bowin. Here I've done farming since day one, never bother about a one year visa, because we are only 100km from Cambodia, so in and out every month no problem, until last year when they changed the rules. We had a company already, so I went to the labour department,(who knew me) with a non-immigrant B visa, and asked for a work permit, it was issued as being a consultant to intensive fish farming, done in less than 30 minutes, then of to immigration, and that was a different story, but it all worked out. :Smile:

----------


## Ban Saray

Yes if you have your own company you can be a consultant in any specialised field.  I have to do the same to farm the teak, however the local Kaman has offered to sort it all out as a Thai family business, costs less.

----------


## Dalton

^ Things are a lot easier when you know how the system in Thailand works,  :Smile:  and its not always by the book :Wink:  You got it right.

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## Ivor Biggun

I have a number of established Mango trees in my garden. The problem is that they never seem to bare fruit. Some flower and produce one or two but the others, nothing. Advice please.

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## Dalton

^ Not any advice, but I have the same problem, what I found out was that there are different kind of mango-trees, and somehow we seem to have got the ones there dont bare any fruit... :Sad:  I have about 1 rai with none producing trees... :Sad:

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## Eliminator

Dalton, since they are existing trees, I think you might be able to get "grafts" done and then you wouldn't have to replant or even dig up the existing trees. The grafts shouldn't take long to produce after that. I would think a lot quicker than trying to get new trees in. Just a thought but find someone that really knows their shit on the topic. 555

----------


## Ban Saray

Grafts are not always successful, and also I beleive you need to make sure you have the right gender.  My wifes an expert on all things in the Korat area, I'll get back on this.
BTW we cut down all of ours, they became to heavy with fruit, and snakes moved in as well, chasing the birds etc that ate the fruit.

----------


## Eliminator

Ban saray is right to a degree, you have to pick the right kind or variety of tree to match yours in order for the graft to work. It shouldn't be too hard to find something that will work with your existing  trees. You are already involved with the Thai agricultural dept.


ban saray, You don't cut down trees because they are too heavy with fruit, you prune them before flowering. Even after flowering, you can nip some of the flowers and or even the fruit from the trees after they have set. If your wife doesn't know what it means for  them to set, then your wife isn't an "expert on everything" in Korat and I doubt anywhere else. She might know a lot but NOT everything.

----------


## El Gibbon

Before anyone goes to anything costly or permanent, I have a question regarding mango production.

Do you have bees (either wild or domesticated) in your area? A shortage of bees will give similar problems, no pollination - no fruit. There is a need for quality fertilizer to go along with pruning and irrigation.

Check with the Ag regional folks, they might even be able to get you in touch with a beekeeper. Each provincial capital has an Ag outreach function. They are more than willing to help in all related matters. A resource that is often neglected by us foreigners.

Ag universities are another fountain of good information and there is almost always one within easy reach. Don't forget the BOSS is heavily into the Ag side of the economy and Ag departments and universities are always well funded.

E.G.

----------


## Dalton

^ Good point about the bees, I remember that we had them brourght in, for the appel-tree flower season, when I was a kid.

----------


## Ivor Biggun

> Do you have bees


Due to the natives eating anything that moves here I assume that's why we don't have bees. No we don't have many bees so that could be a reason. I read somewhere that smoke from a fire triggers them to fruit. True or not I don't know.

----------


## Ban Saray

Eliminator, cut them down because the family was too lazy to harvest or prune, mainly due to the snakes that moved in.  Besides plenty of mango trees in the area, so we decided to try something else, that's all.

Ok my wife has no training, other than a life on the farm, all I know is if she plants it, it grows and bears fruit.

----------


## Eliminator

Ban Saray, no worries as we all can't know everything, God knows I'm far from that. 5555 Information is there, just have to find the right source. Pretty sure Dalton said he's involved with the Thai Ag dept. already so he has the right source, he just has to go there and ask.

Dalton, next time you go to the Ag dept. take a branch of one of your trees and I'm sure they can supply you with all the info you need.

----------


## Dalton

^ Will do, I have a meeting with them next week. They have applied for a gorvement funding on a test they want to run at our farm, and they got it, so I need to plan how to fit there experiment in.

----------


## Eliminator

Sounds cool Dalton and I'm sure they can help with the tree problem also. Did you get the bike yet and when are you coming over to help me with mine? 5555



I know you're too busy, just joking.

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## ceburat

Bees - plant a ground cover in your orchard that draws bees.  I don't know the specifics.  I only read about it long ago.  I think in Organic Gardening Magazine.  Most of my knowledge comes from the OGM and Books that I have read for over 40 years.  And, whatever I have learned from experience.  

I am not sure if gender is the right word or not.  In Florida they just said male or female plant. Gender (or whatever) is most important.  The Agri Experiment Station, or equivalent, can make a determination for you.  If you have the matching gender, try and try again.  I had about an 80 percent success rate with roses and citrus trees in Florida.

----------


## ceburat

> Eliminator, cut them down because the family was too lazy to harvest or prune, mainly due to the snakes that moved in. Besides plenty of mango trees in the area, so we decided to try something else, that's all.
> 
> Ok my wife has no training, other than a life on the farm, all I know is if she plants it, it grows and bears fruit.


 
Family members that work my mother-in-laws farm look at snakes and all other insects as stables.  I think they would keep the trees just for the snakes. LOL.

IMO life on the farm is the best teacher as long as you keep and open mind and always try new ways to see what  works best.  Just don't do it that way because daddy did it that a  way.  Too much book learning can be as bad as not enough.  In my case not enough.

One question. Does your family or neighbors raise mushrooms?

Keep planting, growing - only way to live.

----------


## Dalton

> Did you get the bike yet and when are you coming over to help me with mine? 5555


Got the CDI box already, but still havent had the time to go to Korat, where the bike is, well there is another day tomorrow. :Smile:

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## tsicar

If the pond was cleared for predators and the fish are being giving feed regulary, it will take about 6-7 month, if you feed them intensive then about 4-5 month, all depending of the water quality.[/quote]
..................................................  ....................................
......................


 I'm not sold on this high intensity farming, form what I've seen the overheads are too high. I'd prefer a low intnsity approch, a mix of fish, catfish (bottom feeders/insects, Pla Nin or Tap tin (veggie's and will eat algie) and some snake head to keep the population managable...........

actually if you added up the costs of doing the low intensity stuff, you would be surprised how well the high density farming compares. if you were talking small scale, setting up ponds to produce a ton of catfish per month would cost far more than building four 2mx1mx1m tanks plus a home-made biofilter. (this is all you need to produce one ton of catfish per month, every month)
although the high intensity stuff does require daily monitoring, i am willing to bet that less time needs to be spent than on maintaining ponds in the long run, if you count labour spent per ton produced. harvesting ponds, for instance, is a huge mission. monitoring fish growth and controlling and treating diseases is almost impossible.
your intensive system allows (and demands) total control, and exact monitoring is possible. you can tell at a glance where you stand and whether you are actually making a profit or not. you do not need to sell off an whole ton to a greedy wholesaler at a price below production cost.
i am of the opinion that if you are to use a properly formulated feed, (the only way to run a commercially viable operation), there is no way to make a profit other than going the high intensity route, given the realities of the thai situation.


...............With use of lights to attract insects

if you could catch enough to provide your fish with enough nutrients, you are better off selling the insects! they sell at about double the price of the fish!


i guess that if you are not looking at a commercial venture, the "hobby pond" thing is the way to go. stocking the right species and using algae and waste products to establish a balance and a food-chain would produce a small bonus once a year, and you gain the advantage of being able to take a day off once in a while.  bottom line is knowledge, though, even in the hobby situation. 
good luck....

----------


## tsicar

> Originally Posted by RandomChances
> 
> There's a lot of good stuff on fish farming on TV, I've met most of the guy's that are into it, not sure on how much money can be made. I know on of the guys with a big farm was running at a loss.


Fish farming is a tricky business, many has lost money on it, and given up. The keys to succes in that business is to basicly know what you are doing, to many rush in to do it without knowing enough, and that is equal to loss. To set up a good farm, cost more than just some fry and a few bags of feed, 


you are spot-on there. i think many people have been put off by the losses incurred by others (myself included) who made the mistake of assuming that there is profit in doing it the way the thais do it.(this does not only apply to fishfarming)
i think i finally figured out how the thais can carry on farming fish, pigs, cattle and cassava, doing everything wrong, and still surviving:

every year, they borrow money for their "farm". they are given a loan by the bank/government, and they plant a few token rai of say, cassava. the loan must be paid back after one year. they totally blow it, because they know nothing about running a business, never mind farming, harvest at a loss, and spend the small amount they recouped on alcohol. now they borrow money to repay the loan, and they are rewarded by the bank by being able to borrow a larger amount the following year, and so on. 
i have actually witnessed them doing this. the first one paying back his loan, getting the new, increased loan, lending it to the next guy, and so on. in the end, millions are owed to the bank, one loan of 200000 baht has been revolving to keep the bank happy, they blow the increased excess on booze and then periodically protest and get bailed out by the government and the debt written off. (who said the thais were stupid?!!)  

unfortunately most of us have to finance our own operation, and if we go in unprepared i.e. without studying the market and the proper farming techniques, we are in for a huge hiding!

----------


## Jet Gorgon

Does anyone grow avocado? A couple on Samui started several trees many years back. Guess it takes seven years for them to fruit. Initially they sold them for some ridiculously cheap price until they caught onto the real market prices. Costs about Bt35 for one piece here.

Oh, I just harvested my chive and parsley seeds...Big farmer. 555

----------


## pomeloseed

up here in northernmost Thailand, I've planted many trees from seed because they're not available in nursery stock places: namely,

avocados, pink grapefruit. 

The avos are growing strong, am hoping to get a yield starting next year - as the oldest trees are 8 years - some are 25 meters wide.

The grapefruit are susceptible to disease - as are all citrus trees in Thailand.  Am open to any suggestions that don't involve harmful chemicals.  A few that have been grafted on pomelo look healthy, but that may be because they're away from the others that are looking sickly.

also propogated other things you won't find in Thai markets:  thornless blackberries, black mission figs, and dakota figs (straw colored on outside).

Am open to selling avo seedlings or pink grapefruit seedlings.  Let me know if interested.

----------


## Dalton

Had a visitor to the farm yesterday, besides being a good friend, he's also well known in Thailand. Guess who..

----------


## Marmite the Dog

Not that Carabao twat?

----------


## Texpat

Kuhn Thaksin in disguise.

I have about 60 lam yai trees planted in rows around my house. Some bear fruit, some don't -- can't figure it out. As this is the first year I'm here full time, I've babied them all with water 2x a week and fertilizer. I'm torching the ones that don't gimme some stuff this year.  :Razz:

----------


## Norton

> Not that Carabao twat?


Either him or Che Guevara. :Smile:

----------


## Dalton

> Not that Carabao twat?


You would really be a nice guy, if you dident have that twatish attiude towards all people... :Smile:

----------


## Dalton

> I've babied them all with water 2x a week and fertilizer


Peeing on them is not really considered as fertilizer Tex... :Smile:

----------


## Dalton

And just to inform MtD, he aint a twat at all... :Smile:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> he aint a twat at all.


I'm not into ignorant opium-heads. Maybe that's why me and Stroller don't see eye-to-eye?

----------


## billzant

> Originally Posted by stroller
> 
> It's very small operation,
> 
> 
> 
> The water from the fish pond, if you change that now and again, then you could make a small hydro-ponic garden with salats and other vegetables, to make it organic. At the moment we are playing with that idea to greate an extra income from our waste-water.


I am interested in organic hydroponics. I am new to Teak Door so cannot PM you, can you PM me?

Hope you are keeping well,

All the Best

Bill Z

----------


## forreachingme

Is anybody into Bamboo farming ?

Considered as hardwood Bamboo has the fastest return on investment and is seen as having very good potential for construction materials, etc...

Some guy's in Bangladesh were awarded the Agha Khan price with the construction of a school and there is another project made in Indonesia, as well a big school, mostly out of Bamboo...

Bamboo has about 1400 varietyes, some are producing very good shoot and some are less tasty, out of the wood beam...

Some grow up to 6 inch in diameter, some up to 2 only...

Seems to be one hawayan variety winning on many advantages for farming...

There is one Vietnamese company selling house to the States for 50 K Usd + ...

Vietnam is a big producer of Bamboo, it was the first thing growing well after agent orange...

I have quit a bit of Land up somewhere and still search what that in laws could do with it...

Would have to consider the dangers of bringing in foreign plants into one country...

Bamboo any ?

----------


## Dalton

> I'm not into ignorant opium-heads.


Errrr, Not opium your holy-ness, weed and that sort of kiddie stuff.... :Wink:

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Considered as hardwood


Considered as grass, actually.  :La: 

I looked into exporting Chinese bamboo used for flooring into the UK.

----------


## Dalton

> I am interested in organic hydroponics. I am new to Teak Door so cannot PM you, can you PM me?


I sure can PM you, but why not write a little about your ideas  :Smile:  It's always nice to meet new people.

----------


## forreachingme

^ In the grass family, ok but :

Bamboo is a viable replacement for wood. It is one of the strongest building materials, with a tensile strength that rivals steel and weight-to-strength ratio surpassing that of graphite. It withstands up to 52,000 pounds of pressure psi. With a 10-30% annual increase in biomass versus 2-5% for trees, bamboo creates greater yields of raw material for use. One bamboo clump can produce 200 poles in the five years it takes one tree to reach maturity. 

This is taken from one site promoting the houses they make with this material...

Wiki puts it in grass, but remains some very interesting material...

----------


## Norton

> Is anybody into Bamboo farming ?


Farming!  I can't get rid of the stuff.  Anytime you are ready please come and harvest mine.  All free if you remove it yourself. :Smile:

----------


## niftynev

> Originally Posted by Dalton
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by RandomChances
> ...


 
mate i have witnessed them first hand with these loans, i have loaned my tilac's sister  40,000 baht to help pay back to one bank 3 days later she gives it me back, next day loans it again to pay another bank in another town and next day gives me back,her and her lao kao drinking hubby owes 180,000 baht.

anyone on here rent land i have a few in the village wanting me to rent there land incl sis her's is 10 rai sugar plantation right near our 28 rai, wants to rent to us for 35,000 baht, my tilac say's we loose no money when they want the farm back they return the 35,000 baht.
also a thai man i am friends with wants 40,000 for his 10 ral, but i went too look only about 6 rai farmable,but his included small sugar.
now are these good deals :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  i have also heard that 1 rai should rent for 1000baht is this about right no returnable rent.
hope you can all understand that cheers nev.
sorry i dont post much on here but my village have no internet.

----------


## DavidARoss

Id like to raise goats in north east thailand. anybody help me out?? D

----------


## DrAndy

you need a male and a female to start

actually, a dozen females would be better

----------


## mtone9317

According to my research. Chickens were first domesticated by the people who lived in North Thailand Laos area 3 to 4 thousands years ago. How did they do that? Pigs were first raised in the same area. Now that was easy, you just keep putting somethings the porkers liked and then you made friends with them. I raised three pigs last summer. OMG that's the best pork I have eaten since I was a boy on my grandfathers farm. The 8 year old refused to eat it she said "why did you have to kill Charlie" Big mistake naming the pigs.

----------


## stutter

> ^ In the grass family, ok but :
> 
> Bamboo is a viable replacement for wood. It is one of the strongest building materials, with a tensile strength that rivals steel and weight-to-strength ratio surpassing that of graphite. It withstands up to 52,000 pounds of pressure psi. With a 10-30% annual increase in biomass versus 2-5% for trees, bamboo creates greater yields of raw material for use. One bamboo clump can produce 200 poles in the five years it takes one tree to reach maturity. 
> 
> This is taken from one site promoting the houses they make with this material...
> 
> Wiki puts it in grass, but remains some very interesting material...


Great info.. thanks.. I would like to grow bamboo on my land here in Nakhon Si Thammarat but.... I have not found a place to buy it yet.. Anyone in Nakhon Area that can assist me would be more than welcome. thanks

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## stutter

> you need a male and a female to start
> 
> actually, a dozen females would be better


I started with 1 rooster and 9 hens and in two months I now have 15 chicks and they are hatching daily.. I let them run "free range" and give them food every few days as they are foragers.. Im really looking at this as a business now after seeing how easy it is... Everyday one hatches, Its at least another 100 baht.  :Smile:

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## sailorr13

> Id like to raise goats in north east thailand. anybody help me out?? D


Yes I also would like to buy a couple of goats to keep down the grass! Any idea where I can find them?
S

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## thaipod

My wife has 60 rai of teak which her father planted but I don't see us being able to benefit much from them as they need to be at least a healthy  50 up to cut them , then you need a license to cut them that's if they are still there,some are missing already . We also have a rai on a waterway off the chao paya which I use as a hobby  mainly organic fruit trees and some fish in the waterways between the trees and a pond  ,give away most of the fruit and the wife makes E M ,soaps and shampoos etc which she sells . 
We are planning on retiring on the 1 rai doing organic gardening herbs veg and fruit and selling to the community around us and visitors on boat can visit on Sunday's and have coffee and cake and light meals in a nice environment ... Well it's only a dream  ,see what happens.

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## mtone9317

Hi HB.

Teak is not a bad idea, if you have the time to wait, it's a long term investment. 
When the family says "no money" does that mean that raising pigs, chickens or cattle, cant make a profit or does it mean that the dont have the money to do it ??  :Smile: [/quote]
I'm a funny one to be in SE Asia. I can't eat rice. Makes me sick. I live in Laos and the family is planning to move to Thakek,
They decided to raise chickens;
Step one: build a house for them and keep the chicks at 80F for about 1 month.
Do not let them out of the house and change the water every day or more often.
Step two: Gradually reduce the heat and watch to see who is the boss rooster, he will sit on the top rod. 
Step three let them out of the house and watch to see if they are all back inside.
They didn't know chickeds could fly. So they never asked me how to grow chickens so they wound up roosting in the trees and on the neighbors roof, ha.
Of course they had 100 chickens in the space for 10 and did;t change the water so they all died, within 3 days. End of chicken experiment.

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## mtone9317

I would like to grow sweet potatoes, more vitamins than ma falong amd ok for hot humid climates.

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## sranchito

> up here in northernmost Thailand, I've planted many trees from seed because they're not available in nursery stock places: namely,
> 
> avocados, pink grapefruit. 
> 
> The avos are growing strong, am hoping to get a yield starting next year - as the oldest trees are 8 years - some are 25 meters wide.


I'd like to see that 25 meter wide tree that is 8 yo.  What r u feeding that thing?

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## sranchito

> Originally Posted by Dalton
> 
> he aint a twat at all.
> 
> 
> I'm not into ignorant opium-heads. Maybe that's why me and Stroller don't see eye-to-eye?


I am with ya on that one, Marmi.

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## Kaviar

Do any of you guys know where I can buy some ducks around Pattaya /Sattahip area. They are Mallard type.
I want about half a dozen females, I have 3 males ( 2 males plus I think they turned one into a ladyboy!). :Confused:  
I think one male to two females should be about the right ratio. 

Any help will be much appreciated.

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## poorfalang

To the Op

Look at sugar cane in your area,

buyers/tractor workmen/ price per rai of seed

we are getting 14.000 per rai, and it is rice land,
get the right right variety like (khon kaen 3 ) or higher,
we did 3.5 rai two season ago
and just planted another 10 rai.
 here i get seed for 20.000 a rai but a rai of seed will plant about 10-12 rai plus tractor and work men for another 1.000 a rai, fertilizer is free from my pigs but it could be another 800.00 baht per rai
weeding is about 2.500 and thats is it,
it will be a lot cheaper if you can do it yourselfish.
i have my own tractor, i do the weeding my self and as i said i have pig shit to use, 
look into it, you can make profit from it,

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