Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

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shankar61

New Member
Dear Nature Lovers,
Recently I acquired a small piece of farm land in Tamil Nadu (Krishnagiri Dist). It is being developed by me as a Horticultural Garden. I thought of sharing my experiences with you. So here goes...

Farm House
I reside almost 90 kms away from the land. Commuting up and down by bike (yes..I am a bike crazy farmer) in Bangalore traffic is a nightmare.
Therefore it was important to have a small farm house with a washroom, where I could rest and store a few things and maybe stay overnight if need be.
The dimensions decided was 12 ft width x 18 feet length, with a wall at 12 feet length to provide for a 6ft wide washroom in the rear.
After considering many options such as a conventional brick 'n mortar structure, log cabin, etc, I finally decided to build a room using prefab concrete slabs and pillars, and Coloured Metal Sheet roofing supported by metal trusses.
The prefab slabs and pillars are commonly used for making compound walls. I extended the idea to build a farm house.

The Walls:-
I ordered stronger concrete pillars with 12 mm iron rods instead of normal 8 mm rods. The pillars were a mix of 12 feet and 11 feet height, and placed in holes 3 feet deep, packed with concrete for support and stability.
The concrete slabs were 6 feet long and 1 feet wide with 5 mm metal reinforcement and brick-shaped design on one side. The slabs slide into slots in the pillars and are stacked one on top of the other, making the walls. Space has been left for doors.
The windows are concrete slabs with criss-cross pattern.
The entire structure i.e. walls without roof came up in just 5 days. 1 day for digging the holes to place the pillars, 2 days to erect the pillars and provide concrete packing, and 2 days to fix the walls.
The result matched my expectations.
The structure looks decent enough. Sadly I am unake to attach photos now due to some error. Will again try to...

Pros & Cons of pre-fab structure :

Pros:
-
1) Quick execution of work
2) Eye-catching structure
3) Strong enough as a farm house (unless someone purposely tries to damage it using hammer).
4) Reasonable costing.
Cons:-
1) Due to mis-communication, the rooms became smaller by about 1.5ft as the installer erected the pillars considering the measurements as external rather than internal.
2) It was first time experience for the installer and towards the completion of work, he wanted more money than he initially agreed to charge citing cost over-runs.
3) Flooring, doors was not included in scope of work, and they remain pending and need the services of other tradesmen, i.e. mason for PCC floor, plumber for washroom fittings, carpenter for door frames and doors.
4) Installer did a shoddy job of internal finishing of walls and curing of concrete.

Roofing:-

Initially I wanted to install Clay tiles (a.k.a. Mangalore tiles) on wooden reapers/trusses. Unfortunately, I could not find a roofer for the job. So I decided to use the services of a Welder to fix Metal coloured sheet roofing on Steel Truss.
To beat the heat, I added Gypsum Sheets as roof underlay.
The work was completed in about 8 working days instead of the planned 4 days . There were delays because the Welder had to hire 3 phase welding machine as our DG Set was shorting his Single Phase Machine (We don't have Electric Connection. It's been applied for, but is dragging on..)
While workmanship was of reasonable quality, the Welder, who offered to procure the material, overcharged me for the same by providing inflated bills for material. His scam was busted and he reluctantly agreed to a mark-down. All the same, I ended up paying him about 20% more than what we agreed initially.
All in all, a bitter-sweet learning experience for me.

Next Steps :-

The House :

Water tank mounted on RCC Pillars - In progress
Flooring of house - In progress
Waste water line - In place
WC, Bath, Wash Basin- After flooring
Septic Tank - Yet to commence
Doors and Frames - Yet to commence
Electricity - Applied for

Phase 2 - Additional rooms for family. It may commence after a couple of months.

The Farm:
Planned to have High Density Taiwan Guava plantation, along with some Lemon, Pomegranate, Sapota.
Lots of flower plants and trees planned around the house.

1) JCB hired for 4 days to dig pits. Work is almost complete.
2) Taiwan Guava supplier identified but awaiting verifiable references
3) Solar Pumping Solution - Reaching out to potential suppliers. Awaiting quotes.
4) Drip Irrigation main lines in place. Needs to Be extended. Gate valves, sub-mains and laterals to be procured.
5) Looking for Farm Yard Manure.
6) Lastly, planning for a Dense Miyawaki Fruit Garden. Will take it up after other planation work is complete.
So thats all for now.
Hope you found this Post useful.
Cheers, Happy Farming and God Bless:)
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

Hi Shankar....Appreciate for taking time and writing detailed blog on your esteemed work which is helpful information to others.

Keep up the good work going !!!! Wishing u all the very best in all ur future endeavors in life.....Keep sharing useful info as always !!!

Regards,
Raju
9848055865
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

shankar61

New Member
Thanks Raju. I appreciate your warm comments.
The purpose of sharing was to provide an alternative perspective, so that farm owners need not reinvent the wheel all over again.
I feel that hidden in this Forum is the invaluable experience and expertise of senior Members. If the information is shared wholeheartedly and if they respond quickly to querries, the entire Community can benefit immensely.
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

Hello Shankar,
Wonderful Experiences of yours,
1) Thats a wonderful Model Farm House.
2) If you have a HF-27 breed cow there, it will give 30 to 60 litres of milk Daily.
3) Milk can b sold directly or as GHEE.
4) 15 kgs of Cow dung plus 15 Litres of Cows urine PER ACRE will b Super Fertilizer giving better yield and avoiding Diseases through Organic Farming.
5) Organic products have more demand in India & abroad
Please contact me
Mr.Narayan Chetty
+91-7829930072
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)


Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

greenlandfns

Well-Known Member
Dear Nature Lovers,
Recently I acquired a small piece of farm land in Tamil Nadu (Krishnagiri Dist). It is being developed by me as a Horticultural Garden. I thought of sharing my experiences with you. So here goes...

Farm House
I reside almost 90 kms away from the land. Commuting up and down by bike (yes..I am a bike crazy farmer) in Bangalore traffic is a nightmare.
Therefore it was important to have a small farm house with a washroom, where I could rest and store a few things and maybe stay overnight if need be.
The dimensions decided was 12 ft width x 18 feet length, with a wall at 12 feet length to provide for a 6ft wide washroom in the rear.
After considering many options such as a conventional brick 'n mortar structure, log cabin, etc, I finally decided to build a room using prefab concrete slabs and pillars, and Coloured Metal Sheet roofing supported by metal trusses.
The prefab slabs and pillars are commonly used for making compound walls. I extended the idea to build a farm house.

The Walls:-
I ordered stronger concrete pillars with 12 mm iron rods instead of normal 8 mm rods. The pillars were a mix of 12 feet and 11 feet height, and placed in holes 3 feet deep, packed with concrete for support and stability.
The concrete slabs were 6 feet long and 1 feet wide with 5 mm metal reinforcement and brick-shaped design on one side. The slabs slide into slots in the pillars and are stacked one on top of the other, making the walls. Space has been left for doors.
The windows are concrete slabs with criss-cross pattern.
The entire structure i.e. walls without roof came up in just 5 days. 1 day for digging the holes to place the pillars, 2 days to erect the pillars and provide concrete packing, and 2 days to fix the walls.
The result matched my expectations.
The structure looks decent enough. Sadly I am unake to attach photos now due to some error. Will again try to...

Pros & Cons of pre-fab structure :

Pros:
-
1) Quick execution of work
2) Eye-catching structure
3) Strong enough as a farm house (unless someone purposely tries to damage it using hammer).
4) Reasonable costing.
Cons:-
1) Due to mis-communication, the rooms became smaller by about 1.5ft as the installer erected the pillars considering the measurements as external rather than internal.
2) It was first time experience for the installer and towards the completion of work, he wanted more money than he initially agreed to charge citing cost over-runs.
3) Flooring, doors was not included in scope of work, and they remain pending and need the services of other tradesmen, i.e. mason for PCC floor, plumber for washroom fittings, carpenter for door frames and doors.
4) Installer did a shoddy job of internal finishing of walls and curing of concrete.

Roofing:-

Initially I wanted to install Clay tiles (a.k.a. Mangalore tiles) on wooden reapers/trusses. Unfortunately, I could not find a roofer for the job. So I decided to use the services of a Welder to fix Metal coloured sheet roofing on Steel Truss.
To beat the heat, I added Gypsum Sheets as roof underlay.
The work was completed in about 8 working days instead of the planned 4 days . There were delays because the Welder had to hire 3 phase welding machine as our DG Set was shorting his Single Phase Machine (We don't have Electric Connection. It's been applied for, but is dragging on..)
While workmanship was of reasonable quality, the Welder, who offered to procure the material, overcharged me for the same by providing inflated bills for material. His scam was busted and he reluctantly agreed to a mark-down. All the same, I ended up paying him about 20% more than what we agreed initially.
All in all, a bitter-sweet learning experience for me.

Next Steps :-

The House :

Water tank mounted on RCC Pillars - In progress
Flooring of house - In progress
Waste water line - In place
WC, Bath, Wash Basin- After flooring
Septic Tank - Yet to commence
Doors and Frames - Yet to commence
Electricity - Applied for

Phase 2 - Additional rooms for family. It may commence after a couple of months.

The Farm:
Planned to have High Density Taiwan Guava plantation, along with some Lemon, Pomegranate, Sapota.
Lots of flower plants and trees planned around the house.

1) JCB hired for 4 days to dig pits. Work is almost complete.
2) Taiwan Guava supplier identified but awaiting verifiable references
3) Solar Pumping Solution - Reaching out to potential suppliers. Awaiting quotes.
4) Drip Irrigation main lines in place. Needs to Be extended. Gate valves, sub-mains and laterals to be procured.
5) Looking for Farm Yard Manure.
6) Lastly, planning for a Dense Miyawaki Fruit Garden. Will take it up after other planation work is complete.
So thats all for now.
Hope you found this Post useful.
Cheers, Happy Farming and God Bless:)
You may have achieved a dream to have a farm and farm house, and writing about the experience is fine and may help others who are on the same dream track. But to tell you frankly (and also all others in this thread), there are lot of wrong steps/actions/systems you have followed, which will boomerang sooner or later, if we consider what you did in relation to long term sustainability of your farm, farm house, your life and life of Mother Nature.
Being a farmer from childhood, with experience of all kind of farming and familiarity with all kind of ecological areas of India, I can tell you that you will have lot of problems in near future because of the kind of building structures and materials you have adopted (in view of the climatic condition of the area) and also your ideas of farming with non-companion crops can lead to problems like low yield.
Just one thing to indicate the wrong steps:If you consider long term sustainability of your farm and want to maintain it organically, then drip irrigation is not at all suitable option-as a short term solution, it is fine but if you put the pipes in the land round the year for a few years, then you are leading your land to a toxic hell within a few years: your drip pipes made of toxic plastics will contaminate the soil with hundreds of toxic organo chlorines (elements of the plastics will reacts with atmospheric elements and elements of soil and water and also sunshine and thus create toxic organo chlorines) within a few years, and these will enter the crops you produce, through the atmospheric elements plants will absorb and also through soil and water, and can lead to severe health hazards in the long run, including cancer and endocrine disruptions/hormone disorders to people who use that crop products, and that will include you.
So think further and study deeply about Mother Nature and its processes, and try to change accordingly.
And someone in the thread suggesting to have HF cows etc. Please note that HF cow urine and HF cow dung can't be organic manure because they are not reared organically-they are mainly stall fed with ready made food.
First of all understand the minimum basics of Mother Nature: You are what you eat. What you shit depends on what you eat. This principle applies to all living beings on the Earth, be it animal or plant.
 
Last edited:

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

shankar61

New Member
Dear Greenlandfns,
With humility I accept what you say.. i may have made mistakes.
You should also be humble enough to accept that you could shed away your 'Consultant ' nomenclature, and start working for free to help Mother Nature and the hapless farmers.
I might have made mistakes in my enthusiasm and bravado, but you are purposely fleecing the farmers to become more rich.
You must have made enough profits all these years, now start serving the farmers by working on a 'no-profits' basis and share your expertise with the poor farmers, most of whom cannot afford your Consultancy Fees.
The farmers will be forever grateful to you and bless you.
Think about it.
Thanks for your free advice and critique.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

surraaa

New Member
Hello shankar,
I am planning to build a natural house which is around 700 sq feet of area, it will be great if you have any information about the same. I talked to few people from thannal as well but it is not possible to be around while constructing.
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

diy_farm

New Member
Photos attached after compression..:cool:
Kudos to your innovative solutions.
Do share how you managed to fit doors and frames.

This monsoon please try to have water harvesting structures in place for water security before you go about procuring saplings.

Look forward for more updates!

Cheers
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

mraja

Member
Dear Nature Lovers,
Recently I acquired a small piece of farm land in Tamil Nadu (Krishnagiri Dist). It is being developed by me as a Horticultural Garden. I thought of sharing my experiences with you. So here goes...

Farm House
I reside almost 90 kms away from the land. Commuting up and down by bike (yes..I am a bike crazy farmer) in Bangalore traffic is a nightmare.
Therefore it was important to have a small farm house with a washroom, where I could rest and store a few things and maybe stay overnight if need be.
The dimensions decided was 12 ft width x 18 feet length, with a wall at 12 feet length to provide for a 6ft wide washroom in the rear.
After considering many options such as a conventional brick 'n mortar structure, log cabin, etc, I finally decided to build a room using prefab concrete slabs and pillars, and Coloured Metal Sheet roofing supported by metal trusses.
The prefab slabs and pillars are commonly used for making compound walls. I extended the idea to build a farm house.

The Walls:-
I ordered stronger concrete pillars with 12 mm iron rods instead of normal 8 mm rods. The pillars were a mix of 12 feet and 11 feet height, and placed in holes 3 feet deep, packed with concrete for support and stability.
The concrete slabs were 6 feet long and 1 feet wide with 5 mm metal reinforcement and brick-shaped design on one side. The slabs slide into slots in the pillars and are stacked one on top of the other, making the walls. Space has been left for doors.
The windows are concrete slabs with criss-cross pattern.
The entire structure i.e. walls without roof came up in just 5 days. 1 day for digging the holes to place the pillars, 2 days to erect the pillars and provide concrete packing, and 2 days to fix the walls.
The result matched my expectations.
The structure looks decent enough. Sadly I am unake to attach photos now due to some error. Will again try to...

Pros & Cons of pre-fab structure :

Pros:
-
1) Quick execution of work
2) Eye-catching structure
3) Strong enough as a farm house (unless someone purposely tries to damage it using hammer).
4) Reasonable costing.
Cons:-
1) Due to mis-communication, the rooms became smaller by about 1.5ft as the installer erected the pillars considering the measurements as external rather than internal.
2) It was first time experience for the installer and towards the completion of work, he wanted more money than he initially agreed to charge citing cost over-runs.
3) Flooring, doors was not included in scope of work, and they remain pending and need the services of other tradesmen, i.e. mason for PCC floor, plumber for washroom fittings, carpenter for door frames and doors.
4) Installer did a shoddy job of internal finishing of walls and curing of concrete.

Roofing:-

Initially I wanted to install Clay tiles (a.k.a. Mangalore tiles) on wooden reapers/trusses. Unfortunately, I could not find a roofer for the job. So I decided to use the services of a Welder to fix Metal coloured sheet roofing on Steel Truss.
To beat the heat, I added Gypsum Sheets as roof underlay.
The work was completed in about 8 working days instead of the planned 4 days . There were delays because the Welder had to hire 3 phase welding machine as our DG Set was shorting his Single Phase Machine (We don't have Electric Connection. It's been applied for, but is dragging on..)
While workmanship was of reasonable quality, the Welder, who offered to procure the material, overcharged me for the same by providing inflated bills for material. His scam was busted and he reluctantly agreed to a mark-down. All the same, I ended up paying him about 20% more than what we agreed initially.
All in all, a bitter-sweet learning experience for me.

Next Steps :-

The House :

Water tank mounted on RCC Pillars - In progress
Flooring of house - In progress
Waste water line - In place
WC, Bath, Wash Basin- After flooring
Septic Tank - Yet to commence
Doors and Frames - Yet to commence
Electricity - Applied for

Phase 2 - Additional rooms for family. It may commence after a couple of months.

The Farm:
Planned to have High Density Taiwan Guava plantation, along with some Lemon, Pomegranate, Sapota.
Lots of flower plants and trees planned around the house.

1) JCB hired for 4 days to dig pits. Work is almost complete.
2) Taiwan Guava supplier identified but awaiting verifiable references
3) Solar Pumping Solution - Reaching out to potential suppliers. Awaiting quotes.
4) Drip Irrigation main lines in place. Needs to Be extended. Gate valves, sub-mains and laterals to be procured.
5) Looking for Farm Yard Manure.
6) Lastly, planning for a Dense Miyawaki Fruit Garden. Will take it up after other planation work is complete.
So thats all for now.
Hope you found this Post useful.
Cheers, Happy Farming and God Bless:)

Dear Shankar,

Instead of using pillars and pre cast slabs for walls, you could have opted for in site caste RCC walls - 4 inch thick, using 5 mm steel bars (Net), it would be a neat job and would have cost around the same as you spent for pillars / slabs. some cost cutting would be on the steel trusses for the roofing.
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

bejoypynadath

New Member
C
Dear Nature Lovers,
Recently I acquired a small piece of farm land in Tamil Nadu (Krishnagiri Dist). It is being developed by me as a Horticultural Garden. I thought of sharing my experiences with you. So here goes...

Farm House
I reside almost 90 kms away from the land. Commuting up and down by bike (yes..I am a bike crazy farmer) in Bangalore traffic is a nightmare.
Therefore it was important to have a small farm house with a washroom, where I could rest and store a few things and maybe stay overnight if need be.
The dimensions decided was 12 ft width x 18 feet length, with a wall at 12 feet length to provide for a 6ft wide washroom in the rear.
After considering many options such as a conventional brick 'n mortar structure, log cabin, etc, I finally decided to build a room using prefab concrete slabs and pillars, and Coloured Metal Sheet roofing supported by metal trusses.
The prefab slabs and pillars are commonly used for making compound walls. I extended the idea to build a farm house.

The Walls:-
I ordered stronger concrete pillars with 12 mm iron rods instead of normal 8 mm rods. The pillars were a mix of 12 feet and 11 feet height, and placed in holes 3 feet deep, packed with concrete for support and stability.
The concrete slabs were 6 feet long and 1 feet wide with 5 mm metal reinforcement and brick-shaped design on one side. The slabs slide into slots in the pillars and are stacked one on top of the other, making the walls. Space has been left for doors.
The windows are concrete slabs with criss-cross pattern.
The entire structure i.e. walls without roof came up in just 5 days. 1 day for digging the holes to place the pillars, 2 days to erect the pillars and provide concrete packing, and 2 days to fix the walls.
The result matched my expectations.
The structure looks decent enough. Sadly I am unake to attach photos now due to some error. Will again try to...

Pros & Cons of pre-fab structure :

Pros:
-
1) Quick execution of work
2) Eye-catching structure
3) Strong enough as a farm house (unless someone purposely tries to damage it using hammer).
4) Reasonable costing.
Cons:-
1) Due to mis-communication, the rooms became smaller by about 1.5ft as the installer erected the pillars considering the measurements as external rather than internal.
2) It was first time experience for the installer and towards the completion of work, he wanted more money than he initially agreed to charge citing cost over-runs.
3) Flooring, doors was not included in scope of work, and they remain pending and need the services of other tradesmen, i.e. mason for PCC floor, plumber for washroom fittings, carpenter for door frames and doors.
4) Installer did a shoddy job of internal finishing of walls and curing of concrete.

Roofing:-

Initially I wanted to install Clay tiles (a.k.a. Mangalore tiles) on wooden reapers/trusses. Unfortunately, I could not find a roofer for the job. So I decided to use the services of a Welder to fix Metal coloured sheet roofing on Steel Truss.
To beat the heat, I added Gypsum Sheets as roof underlay.
The work was completed in about 8 working days instead of the planned 4 days . There were delays because the Welder had to hire 3 phase welding machine as our DG Set was shorting his Single Phase Machine (We don't have Electric Connection. It's been applied for, but is dragging on..)
While workmanship was of reasonable quality, the Welder, who offered to procure the material, overcharged me for the same by providing inflated bills for material. His scam was busted and he reluctantly agreed to a mark-down. All the same, I ended up paying him about 20% more than what we agreed initially.
All in all, a bitter-sweet learning experience for me.

Next Steps :-

The House :

Water tank mounted on RCC Pillars - In progress
Flooring of house - In progress
Waste water line - In place
WC, Bath, Wash Basin- After flooring
Septic Tank - Yet to commence
Doors and Frames - Yet to commence
Electricity - Applied for

Phase 2 - Additional rooms for family. It may commence after a couple of months.

The Farm:
Planned to have High Density Taiwan Guava plantation, along with some Lemon, Pomegranate, Sapota.
Lots of flower plants and trees planned around the house.

1) JCB hired for 4 days to dig pits. Work is almost complete.
2) Taiwan Guava supplier identified but awaiting verifiable references
3) Solar Pumping Solution - Reaching out to potential suppliers. Awaiting quotes.
4) Drip Irrigation main lines in place. Needs to Be extended. Gate valves, sub-mains and laterals to be procured.
5) Looking for Farm Yard Manure.
6) Lastly, planning for a Dense Miyawaki Fruit Garden. Will take it up after other planation work is complete.
So thats all for now.
Hope you found this Post useful.
Cheers, Happy Farming and God Bless:)

Could you please share your contact number. I have also bought some lnd and am in that phase you mentioned
 

Business Opportunities in Agriculture: 150 Field Interviews (Book)

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