They’re putting rocks “into” the field?!?

“They are nuts! They put rocks on their fields, they knock down perfectly good paddy dikes, and only plant their rice two centimeters deep in little rows!”  The neighbors are scratching their heads watching our rice planting. The rocks they are referring to are ground up limestone, the dikes are being destroyed by our chain scraper to make much larger and more efficient fields.

We’ve spent a small fortune putting in culverts, digging ditches, leveling land, building dikes, liming and fertilizing soil, planting certified  and foundation seed, with the hope for a big payback, not only in yield, but in value. The rice price is so low right now it does not pay to plant. This is due to the Thai government lifting the rice subsidy paid to Thai farmers and releasing the huge surplus on the world market. I’ve farmed long enough to know that when everyone else gives up, it is time to plant. We’re doing it with a vengeance.  Maybe I am nuts?