WatersEdge

Hello All,

I came upon some interesting information today,
which gives us the ability to compare Farm Prices in Thailand
with the corresponding rates in the US.
      http://usda.mannlib....documentID=1002     
Mid page there is a blue pdf tab,
which will download a 54 page document with more than you want to know.
But you can choose the commodity or the farm requirement of your choice.
There is a fresh report due to be published at the end of this month.

Since the average Thailand farm is small and depends much more on manual labor,
the US prices paid to the Farmer for his product
will across the board seem disastrously low,
but US farmers are indeed making a living at it.

On the Purchase Price of products the US Farmer buys
expect them to be lower than the rate in Thailand as well,
because the marketing scale is much larger
and the competitive edge between many vendors is tighter.
They have a law against monopoly.

Of course you will have to convert units like $/cwt , cwt means hundredweight = 100 lb ,
to get the common Thailand Unit => Baht per Kg,
For example, the American Potato farmer is now getting $8.52 / cwt for his Potato.
That converts to B5.62 / kg
$8.52 / 100 (lb per cwt) x 30(Baht per Dollar) x 2.2 (lb/kg) => B5.62 / kg
Comparing to the going rate that Thailand Potato Farmers receive B14 / kg
The disparity is 14 / 5.62 => 249%

You would therefore conclude that Thai Farmers are loaded...right?
At least the Potato farmers should be, and we all should immediately grow Potato.
But you will find similar disparity in the other products.

Conclusion of the Day:
We have a LONG way to improve.
Predominant inefficiency in the entire farm economy burns up the potential wealth.

For the Thailand farmer who seeks out the inefficiencies in his operation,
which are within his power to defeat,
there is good money to be kept in pocket.

For Thailand's prospects at exporting farm commodities to the world
in products in direct competition to those US heavyweights
We are dead and don't know it.

There are factors of loss in the marketing chain
which are established cornerstones of the system.
The Way Things ARE
Only the failure to compete on the world market can adjust those.
Numbers are merciless,
they don't rest,
they don't adjust for position or personality
They are simply hard cold numbers that enable or prevent.
If my numbers are better than yours, I win You lose.

I'm getting off into strategy when the original intent was tactical.
So let me say that Thailand's natural situation is jam packed with wealth.
How many countries of the world have
six months of good rain?
no frost?
good soil?
The unfortunate fact that the average Thai farmer is poor could be fixed.
Not an easy fix....but defeat one dragon at a time.

Hi Gents,

Did a bit of quick engineering this morning,
from a site assessment at a mountain farm yesterday
which has a large spring fed steam passing by.

Occurred to me that the calculator may be useful for others in similar situations.
It's only an adaptation of the Irrigation Calculator that I posted on another thread last year.

Plug your variables into the yellow cells,
Notable results come out in the blue cells.

The Example results in the case of the farm at hand:
5,000 liters per minute
50 meters fall
in 300 meters pipeline distance
12 inch PVC 8.5 bar Pipe
27 kW Electric Output.

For a long time I have wished there was an Animal Feed Information Exchange
where I could look to see nationwide bargains
and send an email to place an order.
Then I've longed for a six wheel truck freight service,
to bring the load directly to my farm the very next day.

An existing website from University Missouri is found here:
http://agebb.missour...AllProducts.asp

I propose that forum members share information on the best animal feed resources,
so that seasonal windfalls on cheap bulk commodity
can add to our barn / pond profits scattered about the country.

I'm willing and eager to coordinate, sort, organize and distribute the flow of information,
because selfishly speaking, I'll be the first to benefit.

In my quest for the cheapest protein point in bulk feeds
as I raise hogs, catfish, goats, chickens
I continually have pinch points as the market situation changes
throughout the year.
I should clarify that I use very little pellet bagged feed,
depending instead on the large difference in price
to compensate for a bit of extra labor
and for a slower growth rate.

There are things such as
soy meal and
fish meal,
which I'd like to have regularly,
but the local suppliers don't offer.

Other things such as
mung bean screen rejects,
harvest glut field damp cob corn,
rice bran,  
corn sheller chaff
at times are cheap and plentiful beyond my need
and I'd like to share the bargain as I increase my own purchase volume
to enhance my buying status with the suppliers

There is mung bean hay available seasonally in large volume,
which with a hay baler could be harvested by hundreds of tons,
making a cattle feedlot feasible.
There is more than I could possibly use, plenty to share.

As I talk with other animal feeders,
they have local specialty products which are wonderful bargains,
at oversupply
which for the cost of transportation could be completely consumed.

Enjoyed a farm visit from a forum member this week,
to learn that he has an endless supply of wet rice distiller's grains
and his price on rice bran half of mine, a third the standard market rate.
Before his visit, I thought I had the best situation possible

The details are endless, so I will restrain from excess brain storming
in an initial post,
but I'm eager to learn your good ideas.

This will also set up a lot of good information
about why an obscure feed source is so good.
For example:
Okra leaf,
Spiny Pigweed (Pak Kom) Amaranthus spinosus and
Roselle leaf,
I was totally unaware of six months ago.
while now they are elements of my feed supply.