Thai Agri-Tourism

Today we left the big city lights of Bangkok for the countryside. How refreshing to step out of the bus onto Baan Susan Chamchoen Farm and meet the owner Mr Somsak and his wife. With great passion and enthusiasm he toured us through his mixed fruit farm, combining agro tourism with fruit production and 20 value-added products. The King, a great supporter of agriculture, had advised all farmers to diversify. As such, Mr Somsak has a unique intercropping system combining banana, coconut and mango trees along with ducks, chickens and goats.

In scenic (and very hot and humid) surroundings, the trees grow on rows of mounded soil separated by a continuous canal system. These canals are used to irrigate and to collect crops while controlling ants and raising fish which links directly to the main 32 km canal leading to the city markets.

Mr Somsak exemplifies diversification and added value with guest rooms and a restaurant for Thai tourists. The variety of retail products made from his crops include sugar, butter and oil from coconut. He's a third generation farmer having retired from teaching eight years ago. Some of his coconut trees grow to be 100 years old. He was so very excited to show us his farm as AALP Class 16 were the first international tour ever to visit his farm. His innovation, adaptability and resourcefulness was certainly inspiring and all agreed this stop was our Thai highlight.

Mr Somsak insisted that each classmate take a bottle of his coconut oil, posed for pictures in his new Ag More Than Ever Tshirt we gave him and bid us farewell with a left-handed handshake, teaching us that the right hand is used for killing but the left is for peace.

After a light lunch at a nearby restaurant along one of the main canals, we drove to the Nonthaphum orphanage for children with disabilities. There we were met by a worker and former student who told us how the the 390 residents receive education, vocational training, rehabilitation and social services support. We watched as lunch was served to many of the clients. The school depends on government support and donations to provide fulsome care. The class donated all our excess snacks and, having passed the hat, a $431 US donation to help them carry on their important work. Later we spent time discussing how blessed we are to be healthy and Canadian. We also discussed the act of giving and how it is incumbent upon us all to use our leadership skills and talents to give back to our organizations in our communities.

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Choosing Malting Barley for 2027? Market Demand Could Be Key

Canadian malting barley acres are shifting toward newer varieties. CDC Churchill reached 13.7 per cent of Western Canadian acres in 2026, while AAC Synergy retained the top spot at 37.6 per cent. Recommended Varieties

China extends tariff relief for peas, canola meal

China has extended significant tariff reductions on Canadian peas, canola meal, lobster and crabs for another two years after a meeting in Beijing between Chinese officials and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu. The announcement, part of a deal struck recently, removes a cloud of uncertainty that had been hanging over Canada’s agriculture and seafood sector. The tariff reductions, set to expire on Dec. 31, have been extended to the end of 2028, Sidhu said in a statement from Beijing. The suspended tariffs include 100-per-cent levies on peas and canola meal and 25-per-cent on lobster and crab. Shipments of these products for the first eight months of the year reached $1-billion, according to Sidhu’s office. “This extension gives farmers, producers and harvesters predictable access to the Chinese market, and it’s how we will grow our exports to China by 50 per cent by 2030 to create good-paying jobs and new opportunities for businesses across Canada,” Sidhu said.

Cyclists in another Ontario town worried they’ll lose some bike lanes

The Great Bike Lane Battle of Ontario™ isn’t just happening in Toronto. We’ve already seen several places in the province who are fearful that some of the Toronto removals, and plans to remove more or kibosh future lanes, might affect them. It began over two years ago when Premier Doug Ford’s government passed legislation that changed the way municipalities can create bike lanes. Essentially, the province can now dictate the way towns or cities can create cycling infrastructure that may reduce car lanes. The bill also quite specifically targeted several sections in the city which it planned to remove lanes. After a long legal battle—which included a Charter challenge put forth by cycling advocates, which was ultimately appealed and won by the province—the first round of lane removals began. The Ontario bike lane brouhaha In early October, crews set out to get rid of a 1.2-km section of protected bike lanes on Bloor Street West in the west part of the city. For days, cyclists and s

Eggs of invasive moth detected for the first time in Great Lakes region in Detroit, U.S. says

The eggs of an invasive moth known to be a voracious consumer of trees have been discovered for the first time in the Great Lakes region on a vessel in the Port of Detroit, according to U.S. Customers and Border Protection. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the specimens came from two distinct subspecies of the flighted spongy moth complex native to Asia. The steel-carrying cargo ship had arrived in Detroit from South Korea via Hamilton. “It's very concerning because … spongy moth is one of those moths whose caterpillars feed on the foliage of a large number of tree species,” said Richard Hamelin, a professor of forestry at the University of British Columbia. He worked with the USDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on a DNA test to differentiate the Asian and European varieties of the moth. “My guess is that this [is] being an alarm … bell … because … if there's one ship that had eggs, then … there was … some kind of a breakdown in the inspection or maybe t

Lambton County farmers near end of harvest thanks to favourable weather

Ideal fall conditions have allowed Lambton County producers to bring a smooth and successful harvest near the finish line. Lambton Federation of Agriculture President Mike Belan said the soybean harvest and winter wheat planting finished really well thanks to a long stretch of nice weather. He said area farmers, including himself, have made good progress harvesting corn since with average to above average yields being recorded. "We just finished up last week and I think probably, if you went around the county, we'd be probably 85 to 90 per cent wrapped up on corn harvest," said Belan. "The first part of November has been exceptionally well weather wise." Belan said everyone he talks to has been eager to collect their crops. "November's notorious for having a large snowfall or getting wet and staying wet for the rest of the month," he said. "So, you take advantage of the nice weather when you can." With flurries starting to show in local forecasts, Belan said extra effort is being

More…

Switch to the Mobile Optimized View

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service