IsaanAussie

CWMcMurray, on 2012-05-26 08:51:14, said:

Perhaps, but his Majesty seems to have other "sufficiency" ideas. One thing is for sure, it is cheaper to employ machines than men here already.

My compost consists of manure, straw and rice hulls. The issue is mixing and heating as much as the oxygen level. To get an even result it must be turned frequently. These are "old fashioned" three box systems and I move the material from box to box as well as turn it in each box. Again for aeration and mixing in other materials. The moisture level can be adjusted to suit the three stages. I windrow other materials to help build soil, those I do not turn, effectively building a layer cake with whatever comes to hand.
I doubt any manure based compost is produced without some form of aeration. Horses for courses, in my case pigs for pokes.

Smithson,

Governments serious? Of course they are, there are a few in the ranks of officials that seem to jump highest when the prod comes from the top however. Now with the wet season started their eyes will be on rain fed rice no doubt.

IA

I agree. I was here two years after the 1997 crisis and could not believe what was available for sale at bargain basement prices, the rush to get out of trouble, the level of nonperforming loans was staggering. With the cost of living rising so quickly and finance available in the inflationary rather than investment areas, the gun is being cocked again.
As far as farming is concerned the cost of such labour as remains is just crazy. They grow chili here off season. Too much but that is another issue. At its peak with the first green chili for sale the farmgate prices hit the mid thirties, within weeks red chili was getting not much more than half.
Pickers were hard to find and not many that would work for the few baht a kg that was standard last year. I heard one guy explain that since people in Bangkok now got 300 baht a day, he didnt figure he should take less. Since he thought he could pick (at a leisurely pace) about 10kg a day, he wanted 30 baht a kg to pick the crop. Say what? TIT

Choice of words I suppose but I believe that composting decomposes organic matter, not rots it. I have recently started anaerobic fermentation of compost with great success and a sweet smell. I have always thought that aerobic was the only way but it isn't, there are good guy microbes that work anaerobically as well. The anaerobic way is harder but the results are good once you get the process right.
Absolutely agree compost is soil food, but differ on compost being used when fully matured. To me, it makes sense that if the decomposition of organics in the soil by microbes is feeding the plants then there should be some "live" organisms involved, something left to "chew" on.
Don't suppose it really matters what belief we have as long as it works.