Hi I am a total novice although I hail from farming ancestry, advice would be most welcome and appreciated.
I am trying to help my in-laws who farm Rice and corn in northern Thailand as you may imagine the farmers life out there is one of poor existence but they are happy and work very hard, but have little or no prospects of financially improving their lives.
My thoughts are to buy land and cattle for them; the land is very flat, fertile and can be irrigated from the river in the dry months.
The Thai farmers who own cattle tether them on any available land mainly on rice stubble as you can imagine they are of poor quality, my family would create fenced pasture and graze the stock accordingly.
I have read with interest about the Bonsmara breed of cattle from South Africa and the transportation of Embryo to host cows in other countries I have mailed breeders in SA and up to now not a response.
The questions are.
1. Suitability of the breed, the land is approximately 25 degrees north of the equator,
2. The success rate of Embryo transfer.
3. Associated costs of Embryo and transfer.
4. Given that the land is very fertile with the lowest temperature 12c in Dec Jan how many cattle would 50 acres support.
I am to retire out there next year and I will be working with them on this project (it should keep me out of mischief) Thanks in anticipation, perhaps one day I may be in a position to help a novice?
Gordon
I am trying to help my in-laws who farm Rice and corn in northern Thailand as you may imagine the farmers life out there is one of poor existence but they are happy and work very hard, but have little or no prospects of financially improving their lives.
My thoughts are to buy land and cattle for them; the land is very flat, fertile and can be irrigated from the river in the dry months.
The Thai farmers who own cattle tether them on any available land mainly on rice stubble as you can imagine they are of poor quality, my family would create fenced pasture and graze the stock accordingly.
I have read with interest about the Bonsmara breed of cattle from South Africa and the transportation of Embryo to host cows in other countries I have mailed breeders in SA and up to now not a response.
The questions are.
1. Suitability of the breed, the land is approximately 25 degrees north of the equator,
2. The success rate of Embryo transfer.
3. Associated costs of Embryo and transfer.
4. Given that the land is very fertile with the lowest temperature 12c in Dec Jan how many cattle would 50 acres support.
I am to retire out there next year and I will be working with them on this project (it should keep me out of mischief) Thanks in anticipation, perhaps one day I may be in a position to help a novice?
Gordon
