Rice farming april 2016 by One Grower Publishing

www.ricefarming.com

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

APRIL 2016

Intermittent flooding saves water, creates CO2 credits Erratic export demand, strong dollar soften market

Red flag warning Pay attention to wind, other factors to reduce drift

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ENERGIZE YOUR RICE CROP FOR BETTER

RETURNS

Formulated With

Learn more at helenachemical.com, featuring more information on Helena products and services.

Always read and follow label directions. Helena and People...Products...Knowledge... are registered trademarks of Helena Holding Company. HeadSet and Goëmar are registered trademarks of Arysta LifeScience. ©2016 Helena Holding Company. HPGW0216

April 2016

www.ricefarming.com

Vol. 50, No. 5

COV ER STORY

COLUMNS From the Editor

Big minds work on solutions to big data privacy concerns

Rice Federation Update

Promotion starts at home

DEPA RTM EN TS Industry News

Rice business scene

Specialists Speaking

Seed treatments offer early season pest control ON THE COVER: Color-coded flags help identify sensitive fields with no herbicide-tolerance traits or those with specific herbicide traits. Photo illustration by Ashley Kumpe

GET CONNECTED Stay up-to-date with the latest from Rice Farming. Like us on Facebook: Search for RiceFarming

Red flag warning Pay attention to wind, several other factors to minimize off-target herbicide movement onto sensitive crops.

FEATUR ES

Welcome relief Lower fuel prices help farmers cope with other production costs, lower crop values.

Uphill battle Erratic export demand, strong U.S. dollar and higher comparative rice prices conspire to soften short-term market outlook.

Opportunity in the air Sign up for the monthly e-newsletter at ricefarming.com to have exclusive industry news and content delivered directly to your inbox. TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

Intermittent flooding leads to water savings and potential profit from greenhouse gas offset credit sales.

10 12

RICE FARMING â&#x20AC;˘ APRIL 2016

RiceFarming

From The Editor

Big minds work on solutions to big data privacy concerns The growth of big data within agriculture has created some big privacy concerns. But a collaborative effort among several universities, agri-businesses and ag groups hopes to develop an independent national online repository to help allay some of those fears. The Agricultural Data Coalition seeks to develop a way to securely store and control digital information collected by producers’ tractors, harvesters, fertilizer spreaders and other devices. Only if farmers choose will the data be transmitted to third parties, whether researchers, crop insurance providers, government officials or vendors. And producers will be able to select how much or how little personal information is tied to the data. Members of the coalition include AGCO, the American Farm Bureau Federation, Auburn University, CNH Industrial, Crop IMS, Mississippi State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Raven Industries, Topcon Positioning Group and Ohio State University. The project was formally announced at the recent Commodity Classic in New Orleans. “I think this gives producers greater power to control what becomes of their data,” says Keith Coble, W.L. Giles Distinguished Professor of agricultural economics at Mississippi State University, Starkville. “This is a way a producer can control who gets use of the data and who does not.” The ADC is an offshoot of earlier discussions among nearly 40 entities, including USA Rice, about data privacy, access, portabililty, security safeguards and other related issues. The result was a list of 12 data privacy and security principles. Say a producer wants to change fertilizer dealers. But he may hesitate because he doesn’t know if his soil test, field fertility and yield monitor data will be transferred to the new dealer. Even if the information is sent, will it be in a useful format and will all of the data be forwarded? The ADC project addresses that. “We wanted a place where farmers could put the data and they could store it there or send it to their agronomist or to their crop insurance agent,” says Mary Kay Thatcher, American Farm Bureau Federation senior director of Congressional relations. “So that data would be there and portability would not be an issue.” The project goes beyond what could be considered just cloud-based storage. Coble says one goal is to build a platform where data would be compatible regardless of source. The group also wants to set up an entity where data privacy could be maintained and wouldn’t be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. This spring, the ADC plans to conduct a pilot program with a small group of growers and a few co-op and retail service providers within five to six commodities, says Matt Bechdol, interim executive director. It will be limited in scope, focusing on a centralized environment for farmer data and farmer control.

Vicky Send your comments to: Editor, Rice Farming Magazine, 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654. Call 901-767-4020 or email vlboyd@onegrower.com.

4 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor Vicky Boyd vlboyd@onegrower.com 209-505-3612 Copy Editor Amanda Huber ahuber@onegrower.com Art Director Ashley Kumpe akumpe@onegrower.com

ADMINISTRATION Publisher/Vice President Lia Guthrie 901-497-3689 lguthrie@onegrower.com Associate Publisher Carroll Smith 901-326-4443 csmith@onegrower.com Sales Manager Scott Emerson 386-462-1532 semerson@onegrower.com Circulation Manager Charlie Beek 615-377-3322 Production Manager Kathy Killingsworth 901-767-4020 kkillingsworth@onegrower.com For circulation changes or change of address, call 847-559-7578

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC Mike Lamensdorf President/Treasurer Lia Guthrie Publisher/Vice President ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS — One Grower Publishing LLC also publishes COTTON FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH magazines. RICE FARMING (ISSN 0194-0929) is published monthly January through May, and December, by One Grower Publishing LLC, 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OMEDA COMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 1388, NORTHBROOK, IL 60065-1388. Annual subscriptions are $25.00. International rates are $55.00 Canada/Mexico, $90.00 all other countries for AirSpeeded Delivery. (Surface delivery not available due to problems in reliability.) $5.00 single copy. All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. RICE FARMING is a registered trademark of One Grower Publishing LLC, which reserves all rights granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in association with its registration.

One Grower Publishing, LLC 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654 Phone: 901-767-4020

RICEFARMING.COM

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R ice Feder ation

Update

Promotion starts at home Help spread the word to restaurants or other foodservice providers about U.S.-grown rice and about supporting America’s farmers.

ed to our program and lots of goodwill from consumers eager to support American agriculture. And we’re happy to say we’ll be expanding our partnership this year.

USA RICE

By Betsy Ward President and CEO USA Rice Federation

ne of our primary objectives is to raise awareness of U.S.-grown rice and to encourage its use, both domestically and abroad. We do this through many different programs and efforts on your behalf, but now I’d like to ask for help from each of you – our crop’s best ambassadors. Domestically we work in the retail space, with schools and among other sectors, but I’m going to ask you to get directly involved in our foodservice, or restaurant, work. Nineteen percent of U.S.-grown rice is destined for foodservice – that’s more than 7 million hundredweight — and I think there’s room for growth — both in the overall volume and the percentage of U.S.-grown rice used in foodservice. Last September, we launched a successful partnership with upscale Asian chain restaurant P.F. Chang’s Asian Bistro. P.F. Chang’s exclusively uses U.S.-grown

Free window badges help identify restaurants that serve U.S.-grown rice.

rice, both long and medium grain, and they wanted to let their customers know. We created a fun animated video that highlighted key information about U.S. rice, such as the fact that it is free of genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, and is grown on family farms with a great sustainability record. The video was a huge hit on social media with almost 500,000 views and nearly 1 million consumers reached with our messages. P.F. Chang’s was happy with the program, too, reporting a sales increase directly attribut-

6 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

So where do you come in? Every December, during our USA Rice Outlook Conference, we partner with local restaurants in our host city to display a badge in the restaurant indicating they proudly serve U.S.-grown rice. Most of our partners report they receive positive feedback from customers – not just conference attendees – and ask us if they can leave the badge up year round. We tell them that as long as they continue to source U.S. rice, they can keep the badge up. And we encourage them to talk about their rice and even mention on their menus that they are supporting U.S. farmers with their supply chain choices. We know it makes a difference to their customers and the restaurants’ sales, so I’m asking you to help us expand this program. In your communities when you go out to eat or when you are traveling and dining out, make a point of asking your server where the rice they use is from. And if it’s from the United States, thank them. Encourage them to tell their customers about it. If they want a sticker for their window or graphic for their menus or websites that proudly tells the world they serve U.S.-grown rice, tell them you’ll get them what they need. And then you tell us. We know consumers show a preference for U.S. products, especially agriculture, and they appreciate businesses who support America’s farmers. Help us remind restaurants that they have a choice when they buy rice and that they should choose U.S. rice. Together we can continue to move the needle on awareness and consumption, so start talking about what you do, and like me, tell anyone who will listen. Good promotion starts at home. To see the P.F. Chang’s video, visit www.usa rice.com/videos. To order window decals, email promotions@usarice.com. RICEFARMING.COM

Use Inputs Wisely To Boost Return On Investment Blake Foust

Southern Heritage Cotton Co. Forrest City, Ark. I began scouting cotton in 1994 while attending Arkansas State University. In 1996-97, I worked for Don Benson, an independent consultant, in Marinna, Ark., who also checks rice. After starting my own business — Southern Heritage Cotton Co. — in 2002, I have checked rice ever since. Today, I consult on rice, cotton, soybeans, corn, milo and peanuts, mostly in Lee County. For rice farmers in my area, 2015 was a challenging year but not as bad as things were to the west of us where rice yields were adversely affected by heat. Most of my rice was on heavy ground, which forced us to plant a little later due to the wet spring. The University of Arkansas attributed our lower yields primarily to the high nighttime temperatures we experienced.

Weed And Insect Control

Sprangletop is the most troublesome weed in my area. We apply Bolero with propanil in many situations, trying to overlap the Command and Sharpen tankmix that we put out at planting to control grass and resistant pigweed. We sometimes include Command in our post treatment for extra residual against grass. RebelEX has been a good fit pre-flood. As long as we have adequate moisture, RebelEX has provided excellent control of sprangletop as well as barnyardgrass and coffeebean. A postflood application of RebelEX also helps to clean up any escapes that we get. Grasp has been a good post-flood weed management option where we have had corn in adjoining fields because it doesn’t cause injury to corn. We don’t seem to have a lot of insect pressure in rice fields in our area. Although stinkbugs can be an issue at times, we can easily control them with pyrethroids.

Don’t Skimp On Inputs

At the end of March, we had begun planting a few rice fields. Right now, farmers need to be paying attention to what crops will be planted around the fields where they will grow rice. When a rice field is surrounded by another crop, it’s important to make sure the wind is perfect before making herbicide applications. While rice farmers in our area face challenges going into the 2016 season, we might as well make the most of what we have to work with. We can’t cut inputs that provide the most return. On the bright side, fertilizer prices have come down, and chemical prices seem to be easing down as well. We don’t need to try to save a nickel that will cost us a dollar.

• B.S., Agricultural Business, Arkansas State University • M.S., Agriculture, Arkansas State University • Certified Crop Adviser – American Society of Agronomy, Arkansas board member and past chair • Certified Professional Agronomist – American Society of Agronomy and Soil Science Society of America • Past president of Arkansas Agricultural Consultants Association • Member of the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants (NAICC) • Married to wife, Jamie, for 18 years. Two daughters: Halle and Annalee • Enjoys spending time with family and turkey hunting

Recap: Use Inputs Wisely To Boost ROI

1. Sprangletop is our most troublesome weed. We apply Bolero with propanil in many situations, trying to overlap the Command and Sharpen tankmix that we put out at planting to control grass and resistant pigweed. 2. We sometimes include Command in our post treatment for extra residual against grass. 3. RebelEX is a good fit pre-flood. As long as we have adequate moisture, RebelEX provides excellent control of sprangletop, barnyardgrass and coffeebean. 4. Grasp has been a good post-flood weed management option where we have had corn in adjoining fields because it doesn’t cause injury to corn.

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Lower fuel prices help farmers cope with other costs By Ching Lee

8 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

CHING LEE, CALIFORNIA FARM BUREAU

s California farmers prepare for spring planting, they say lower diesel prices have been a welcome relief, especially with other production costs soaring and crop values falling. “I guess fuel is the one bright picture of the year,” says Chris Capaul, a Sutter County bean and rice farmer. Despite the fuel savings, Capaul says he has not changed much of what he does on the farm and continues to do what he can to save energy and money. For example, he bought a new tractor that uses less fuel when diesel prices were higher, and that has improved his savings. He also uses additives in the fuel to make the tractor run cleaner and more efficiently. Many of his pumps now run on electricity, allowing him to reduce his diesel expense, he adds. While paying less for diesel is a blessing, Capaul says, other expenses have surged while his earnings have shrunk. The higher-value dollar has hurt his specialty bean business, most of which is exported to Japan; he has not been able to sell his bean crop from last year. Capaul also has not been able to grow rice the past two years because of a lack of water. Although that means not having to run his pumps, which takes further pressure off his energy needs, he’s also losing income. He says he is still unclear about his water allocation for this year and, therefore, has not finalized his planting decisions. “I’m going through a lean year because I don’t have the cash flow,” Capaul says. Glenn County rice farmer Lee McCorkle, who also runs a trucking business, says lower fuel costs have not influenced him to change his practices on the farm, but he has adjusted the transportation surcharges for hauls. While farmers have found some relief at the pump, the dip in oil prices has not necessarily carried over into the fertilizer market. But that may be changing, McCorkle

Sutter County, Calif., farmer Chris Capaul puts diesel in a newer tractor he bought when fuel prices were higher.

says. He notes the price of his last fertilizer order, which he made in mid-March, is the lowest he’s seen in several years—but he also says his dealer warned the price may go up again closer to rice-planting time. Bean and rice farmer Capaul observed that fertilizer prices remained elevated last year but says he thinks that market tends to lag behind changes in the oil market. “I think we’re going to see (lower fertilizer prices) this year, which is good news, because that’s a big expense, too,” he says.

To be more strategic about when to buy fuel, Capaul says he’s been tracking diesel prices for the past three years to try to determine a pattern to the rise and fall of prices. Though he found “no rhyme or reason” to it, he says he’s comfortable with the decision he made, having purchased his fuel in December and January. Fuel prices have been climbing in recent weeks. This article was provided by the California Farm Bureau Federation. RICEFARMING.COM

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INTRODUCING

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$1.00/ACRE*

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AN EXTRA

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*Based on program rate of 13.0 oz/acre. Purchase from October 1,2015 to July 31, 2016. $0.50/acre rebate is based on program rate of 24 oz/acre for Authority and 4 oz/acre for Anthem Maxx. Always read and follow label directions. Anthem herbicide, Authority herbicides and Command 3ME herbicide are not registered for sale or use in California. FMC, Command, Authority and Anthem are trademarks and Investing in farming’s future is a service mark of FMC Corporation or an afﬁliate. Clearﬁeld is a registered trademark of BASF. ©2016 FMC Corporation. All rights reserved. F100-41896 2/16

Uphill battle Erratic export demand, strong U.S. dollar and higher U.S. rice prices conspire to soften short-term market outlook. By Kurt Guidry

10 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

COURTESY LSU AGCENTER

he supply and demand outlook for the rice market remained mostly unchanged with the release of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s World Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates report on March 9. The only change made was a 2 million hundredweight reduction in total rice exports for the 2015/16 marketing year. This reduction continues to highlight a significant issue for this market in finding consistent demand. Export demand continues to be highly variable for both rough and milled sales. Although long-grain rough sales are up roughly 15 percent from the previous year, long-grain milled sales are more than 10 percent below last year. For long-grain rough rice, good sales to Panama, Columbia, Honduras and Venezuela helped to boost total exports early in the marketing year but have not been followed up with significant additional purchases. Likewise, for long-grain milled rice, sales to Iran and Iraq during the first three months of the marketing year have not been followed by additional purchases. This erratic nature of export demand has been one of the reasons the rice market has been unable to provide sustained support and strength to prices. While there continues to be hope for future expanded trade with Cuba and China, the current facts are that U.S. rice exports face an uphill challenge in being able to provide a positive spark to this market. A stronger U.S. dollar and higher U.S. rice export prices relative to competing suppliers provide little optimism for significantly improved export demand moving forward. With no significant short-term improvement expected in the demand side of the equation, the market will continue to focus on potential production and supplies in 2016. The USDA’s Planting Inten-

The potential for increased planted rice acreage and associated supplies in 2016 could contribute to a continuing downward push on both futures and cash prices.

tions report on March 31 will be an important factor in determining what type of future price movement to expect. Planted acreage remains a wildcard Pre-report expectations are for rice acres in the United States to increase in 2016. Of all of the major rice-producing states, only Louisiana expects acreage to remain mostly unchanged in 2016. Expectations for Texas and California are for increased acres with significant improvements in drought conditions and water availability. Acres in Mississippi and Missouri are expected to increase as low prices for competing commodities have producers looking to include rice in their crop mix. The big question is what will happen in Arkansas. Although most analysts feel that acreage will increase, the bigger question is by how much. Wet conditions limiting planting of corn and other crops have many believing that many of those acres could be switched to rice. Reports of large supplies of old-crop

rice remaining in Arkansas, the potential for increased acreage and supplies in 2016, and continued variability in export demand have all created the downward trend in both futures and cash prices since the beginning of 2016. Current old-crop prices have been reported in the low $11 cwt ($18 per barrel) range, whereas new-crop bid prices have been in the high $10 cwt (low $17 per barrel) range. Without a boost in export demand, prices look to remain in this sideways to downward pattern in the short term. In the long term, it is difficult to project any significant price improvement. Without major improvements in demand, larger supplies in 2016 unfortunately suggest prices for the 2016 crop in a range from the $9 to $11 cwt (mid $14 to low $18 per barrel) level. Dr. Kurt Guidry is an agricultural economist with Louisiana State University’s AgCenter. Contact him at KMGuidry@ agcenter.lsu.edu. RICEFARMING.COM

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Opportunity in the air

Q. What is a CO2 offset? A: Carbon offsets are created voluntarily by changing practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that would have otherwise been created. Q. Who purchases offsets? A: Companies that want to reduce their environmental footprint for the sake of stewardship or to meet regulations.

Intermittent flooding leads to water savings and potential profit from greenhouse gas offset credit sales.

Q: What is a ton of CO2 worth? A: About $12 per ton at current rates, but some of that money goes to the verification process. Many believe the price will go up substantially in coming years.

By Mark Isbell

rice field through intermittent flood, also known as alternate wetting and drying (AWD), translates to up to 1 ton per acre of CO2 offsets. As long as the activity is properly verified, that offset is marketable. AWD has been practiced by some producers for more than a decade to save irrigation water, which can amount to as much as 30 percent over traditionally irrigated rice. But verification and marketing of the offsets created through this process is new to the industry. Ryan Sullivan and his father, Mike, have been practicing AWD for the past few years on their central Mississippi County, Ark., operation. “What drives us to want to do more of it is knowing that we have the ability to use so much less water and make the same yields,” Ryan says. “Another added benefit we see to practicing AWD is the potential to enter this carbon offset market.” An ongoing project, partially funded by a USDA Conservation Innovation Grant to

Further reading: http://carboncreditsolutions. ca/carbon-credits/carbon-markets/rice/

the White River Irrigation District, is working to make access to the offset market easier for farmers by streamlining third-party verification. Buyers of the offsets require verification, but putting together all of the pieces can be difficult and expensive. Progress is being made, and farmers should be able to reap some of the benefits this year. “I think this is a very intriguing thing to get involved in with agriculture right now,” Ryan Sullivan says. “During these hard times in farming, any extra bit we can get can only be a positive.”

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

016 presents an opportunity for Mid-South rice farmers to reap additional profits from irrigation conservation practices beyond just water savings. They will have a chance to participate in a program that allows for creating carbon dioxide (CO2) offsets through the practice of intermittent flooding in either precision-leveled or zero-grade fields. Departing from the typical continuous-flood scenario and briefly stopping irrigation mid-season allows the field to dry just below the point of saturation one time before re-flooding and is adequate enough to create offsets. When soil that contains organic matter is flooded, methane is created by the natural activity of anaerobic bacteria in soil. Allowing the flood to briefly lapse halts the production of methane, explains Dr. Joe Massey of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service. Reducing this methane production on a

Q. How can I participate? A. Contact Dennis Carman at the White River Irrigation District to learn more: Dennis@wrrid.com

In AWD, or alternate wetting and drying, farmers allow the flood water to recede to a ‘muddy’ state before reflooding the field. The number of days of non-flooded soil between irrigations varies between one to more than five, depending on soil type, weather and rice growth stage.

12 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

Early efforts In addition to university research and farmer participation, early grants from the U.S, Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service with matching funds from Entergy Corp. shareholder’s Environmental Initiatives Fund helped pave the way for the current project. “Supporting the low-methane rice production project with Arkansas rice growers supports both Entergy’s agricultural customers and Entergy’s commitment to sustainability and has helped fund the country’s first verifiable and marketable, low-methane rice protocol,” says Chuck Barlow, vice president of environmental strategy and policy. “NRCS has put a lot into this effort for long-term benefits. Entergy has done the same, and we could not have done anything near the work without them,” says Dennis Carman, director of the White River Irrigation District. Mark Isbell is a farmer in central Arkansas. He can be found on Twtter at @mjisbell. RICEFARMING.COM

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MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

Gramoxone and Boundary herbicides likely from a nearby soybean field drifted onto these young rice plants.

Red flag warning Pay attention to wind, several other factors to minimize off-target herbicide movement onto sensitive crops. By Vicky Boyd Editor

s growers of other row crops have transitioned away from glyphosate because of resistance concerns, the timing and extent of herbicide drift damage to rice also has changed. To help alert applicators and nearby growers of sensitive crops in the area, the University of Arkansas launched a color-coded ﬂag system in 2011. Even with the ﬂags, Bob Scott, University of Arkansas Extension weed specialist based in Lonoke, says paying attention to wind speed and direction, boom height, nozzle and spray droplet size, sprayer speed and climatic conditions are key to reducing the risks of off-target herbicide movement onto a sensitive crop.

14 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

Of those factors, he says wind has the greatest influence on drift. Last season, Scott visited several rice fields with suspected herbicide drift, but he says the overall number was more in line with what he considered normal. Scott blames bad years on prolonged periods of wind when growers or applicators get behind schedule and may push the envelope a bit too far. Years when wet fields delay rice planting also can be problematic as growers hurry to get fields sprayed. And the amount of planted rice acres also can intensify the problem. “It’s one of those things that kind of comes and goes,” Scott says. “We’ve had bad drift years and we’ve had good drift years. I think the Flag The Technology program has helped.” RICEFARMING.COM

“We’ve had bad drift years and we’ve had good drift years. I think the Flag The Technology program has helped.”

And he suspects many cases of mild drift go unreported. Bobby Golden, an agronomist at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, also categorized 2015 as a normal drift year. Out of the roughly 20 rice fields visited, he said only two had significant damage caused by glyphosate drift. A few years ago, Scott says he received several calls about Newpath drift onto non-Clearfield rice or glyphosate drift from applications to Roundup Ready crops. But he says Clearfield rice acres have declined, and more growers have moved to Liberty Link crops as glyphosate-resistant weed problems have increased. During the past couple of years, Scott says he has seen more drift onto rice from burndown herbicides used on other field crops. Golden says he’s seen similar trends in Mississippi, particularly because his state has fewer rice acres than Arkansas. “We’re seeing more coming off of pre-emerge soybean herbicides or burndown soybean herbicides, depending on the planting window,” he says. One of Golden’s concerns this season is wet fields caused by earlier flooding. Once the fields dry, growers may be in a hurry to get them prepared for planting and may not pay as close attention to drift prevention as they should. “It depends on how we dry out,” he says. “When we get in a big hurry and we’re planting rice and soybeans close together and in a tight time frame, it could be a problem.” Watch droplet size Many of the burndown products, such as paraquat, are contact herbicides, so applicators want a fine droplet size to obtain better coverage. But small droplets also are more susceptible to wind transport and drift, so it becomes a balancing act, Scott says. The amount of chemical that drifts onto susceptible plants and the growth stage of those plants play a big role in the ultimate damage. “It’s pretty simple,” Scott says. “The more chemical you get on a susceptible plant, the worse the damage and the worse the effect will be on yield. And the timing of the drift is also something that very much contributes to the eventual damage.” If glyphosate, for example, drifts onto rice in the vegetative stage, Scott says in many cases the rice will grow out of it. The plants may be stunted and maturity delayed, but growers will still harvest a crop. But if herbicide drifts onto rice during the reproductive stage, it may cause blanking of seed heads and serious yield losses. In either scenario, Scott says it’s difficult to quantify yield losses until the grower harvests the field. If conditions are right, drift may not just be one incident but the accumulation of two to three nearby passes. During each pass, a small amount of herbicide moves onto the sensitive crop. “We do a lot of research on this because we need to know what these chemicals can do to off-target crops in any given drift event,” he says. “It’s very hard to know what’s going to happen until you put the combine in the fields.” Twitter: @RiceFarming

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

— Bob Scott, University of Arkansas Extension weed specialist

Herbicide drift onto rice during the reproductive stages may cause blanking of seed heads and serious yield loss.

To help growers manage rice injured by drift, MSU graduate student Ben Lawrence is looking at nitrogen regimes as part of his doctoral research. “What type of injury can you expect if this type of herbicide gets on the rice and how do you manage it going forward?” Lawrence says of his research focus. Flag The Technology To help warn applicators and growers about neighboring sensitive crops, the University of Arkansas launched a colored flag system in 2011. The colors denote the crop’s herbicide-tolerant trait or lack of herbicide tolerance. Red, for example, denotes a conventional crop that is sensitive. Bright yellow, on the other hand, signifies a Clearfield crop. As new herbicide traits come on the market, flag colors have been expanded. The latest addition is purple with the Provisia logo, which will mark rice fields tolerant to Provisia, or quizalofop herbicide, once the product receives Environmental Protection Agency registration. The Arkansas Soybean Research and Promotion Board provided funding for direct purchase of flags during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, giving the program a big kick-start, Scott says. Two years ago, a supplemental cloud-based field identification system was introduced, but it is still in development. “What I’m seeing now is rather than flagging all of the fields, growers who are using this are flagging trouble areas,” he says. “If they have conventional rice near Clearfield rice, they’re using the technology on an as-needed basis and where it has a fit.” The color coding has been adopted by both the Southern Weed Science Society and the Weed Science Society of America, Scott says. Texas also has expressed interest in the flags, and he gave a presentation on the subject at the Texas Plant Protection Association’s annual conference in December 2015. Scott also has received inquiries from as far away as Canada and Brazil. RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

Flag The Technology Flag The Technology is a quick and inexpensive method to prevent misapplication of pesticides and warn of technology that is sensitive to potential off-target drift. Advanced technology continues to improve the way we manage weeds in agricultural crops. Recently, herbicide-tolerant crops have been developed that allow certain non-selective or broad-spectrum herbicides to kill weeds without injury to the crop. The use of non-selective herbicides on tolerant crops presents special challenges to ensure crops without the trait are protected from accidental misapplications and off-target movement. The Flag The Technology idea is simple. Colored bicycle-type or

marker flags that represent a particular herbicide technology are placed at the field entrance or in conspicuous locations in the field visible from ground and air. The color of the flag represents the technology. Multiple flags may be used if needed to ensure visibility. In fields where stacked technology (such as Roundup Ready and Liberty Link) is used, flags representing both technologies are displayed. The objective of the Flag The Technology program is to significantly reduce herbicide application errors and to foster good community relations. This program is presented by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service and is endorsed by the Arkansas agricultural industry.

Preferred flag size 6’ x 1/4” fiberglass pole with minimum 11” x 17” flag for maximum visibility

Color codes RED

BRIGHT YELLOW

WHITE

TEAL

BRIGHT GREEN

BLACK

signifies conventional varieties with no herbicide technology traits. Extreme caution.

represents the Roundup Ready technology tolerant to glyphosate herbicide.

indicates Liberty Link technology. This technology is tolerant to glufosinate (Liberty) herbicide.

is for Clearfield rice technology and STS soybeans.1

indicates tolerance to both 2,4D and FOP (Accase) herbicides or the Enlist technology. The white stripes indicate tolerance to glyphosate. For Enlist cotton and soybean fields, a green flag should be added to denote tolerance to glufosinate (Liberty).

indicates tolerance to dicamba herbicide or Xtend. The black and white checks indicate tolerance to both dicamba and glyphosate (Roundup). A green flag should be added for cotton to denote glufosinate (Liberty) tolerance.

PURPLE

is for the Provisia rice system, which is tolerant to quizalofop or Provisia herbicide. It is not commercially available yet.

1 Although many herbicides are in the ALS family, crops with this technology are not tolerant to all ALS herbicides.

Information provided by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Research & Extension

16 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

RICEFARMING.COM

The aquatic weed, ducksalad, is one of the pests targeted by at least one new herbicide in the pipeline.

Attendees at LSU AgCenter session learn about herbicides Producers attending a recent educational session sponsored by the Louisiana State University AgCenter in Crowley learned about a handful of herbicides that are in the pipeline. But none will be available this season. “We’re probably a couple of years away from having most of these,” AgCenter weed scientist Eric Webster said in a news release. The Provisia rice system, which pairs resistant rice varieties with Provisia herbicide, will help producers with red rice and outcrosses not controlled by currently registered herbicides. The system is designed to complement Clearﬁeld rice. Currently the only way producers can reduce weedy rice populations is to grow three consecutive years of soybeans. When registered, Provisia rice could offer an alternative rotation for the second year. AgCenter rice breeder Steve Linsombe had a 7-acre seed ﬁeld of Provisia rice in Puerto Rico that was harvested in March. Graduate student Sam Rustom is examining the interactions among quizalofop herbicide — the product paired with Provisia rice — and other common herbicides, such as Grasp, Grasp Xtra, Regiment, RiceBeaux and propanil. Benzobicyclon, an HPPD inhibitor from Gowan Co., is not yet registered. But Webster says it shows promise controlling sprangletop, aquatic weeds, nutsedge and red rice. The chemical has been used for years in Japan on short-grain rice, which seems more tolerant. This season, he says he plans to look at how much benzobicyclon long-grain rice can tolerate. Dow AgroSciences hopes to launch Loyant with Rinskor Active, which contains a new active ingredient, as early as next year. TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

Regardless of the active ingredient, weed scientist Daniel Stephenson says producers can adopt several practices to minimize development of herbicide-resistant weeds, including rotating modes of action and crops, using labeled rates and applying products at proper timing.

SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY

JOHN D. BYRD, MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY; BUGWOOD.ORG

INDUSTRY NEWS

Study: Row rice reduces arsenic levels to negligible An irrigation study conducted by Southeast Missouri State University has found rice yields can be maintained while reducing arsenic concentrations in the grain. The research is part of a continuing effort by the Cape Girardeau-based university’s agriculture department that examines the differences between row rice and traditional delayed flood irrigation production. It was led by Michael Aide, department chair. During the project, researchers found that arsenic levels typical in the delayedflood rice virtually disappeared in the row rice. Even rice produced using delayed flooding contained arsenic levels well within international trade guidelines and safety

Research that examined irrigation methods and their relationship to rice arsenic levels was led by Michael Aide, chairman of Southeast Missouri State University’s agriculture department.

thresholds. But there’s always room for improvement, Aide said in a news release. Arsenic levels in “Missouri rice are low to begin with, but furrow-irrigated rice is even lower,” he says. “If you switch to furrow-irrigated rice, it’s virtually undetectable.” The research examined 44 different rice varieties over four seasons.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Rice Technical Working Group awards By Dr. M.O. “Mo” Way

CMY

’m happy to say that the 36th Rice Technical Working Group 2 meeting, held March 1-4 in Galveston, Texas, was successful, judging from all the positive comments my colleagues and I received. On behalf of approximately 430 meeting attendees, I’d like to thank Drs. Eric Webster and Lee Tarpley, chair and secretary, respectively, of this year’s meeting, for organizing and putting on an outstanding program. I’d also like to thank the employees at Moody Gardens Hotel, in particular Gaylyn Wisko and Katrina Wiggers, for their hospitality and guidance. The 37th RTWG will be hosted by California in 2018. Part of the RTWG meeting recognizes scientists who have made significant contributions to the US rice industry. Here are this year’s recipients: 1 Dr. Terry Siebenmorgen (left) received the Distinguished Rice Research and Education Individual Award for outstand4 5 ing work on grain characterization, processing, storage and quality. Presenting the award was Dr. Eric Webster. Siebenmorgen is a VVKD0216 RICE FARMINGofFEB AD 022216-RESIZED.pdf 1 2/22/16 2 10:07 AM left) Drs. Steve Linscombe, Dustin Harrell, Don Groth (From professor with the University Arkansas’ Food Science Departand Eric Webster received the Distinguished Rice Research and ment and director of the university’s Rice Processing Program. Education Team Award for developing and implementing Clearfield technology. They all are with Louisiana State University’s AgCenter. Dr. Lee Tarpley, right, Texas A&M, presented the award. 3 Dr. Farman Jodari, long-grain breeder with the California Rice Experiment Station in Biggs, left, received one of three Distinguished Service Awards for long-time significant service to the U.S. rice industry from Dr. Eric Webster. Jodari is credited with developing the long-grain varieties L-206 and L-207 as well as the basmati and aromatic varieties, Calmati-202 and A-202, respectively. His goal is to develop high-quality long-grains adapted to California’s cooler growing climate while not forgetting high yield potentials. Jodari also conducts related research to provide information to aid variety development efforts as well as to provide useful information to U.S. rice producers. 4 Dr. Steve Linscombe, left, accepted the Distinguished Service Award from Dr. Eric Webster on behalf of Dr. Larry “Smokey” White, who could not attend RTWG. White retired from the LSU AgCenter’s Rice Research Station in October 2015 after more than 35 years as director of the station’s foundation seed program. During his tenure, the foundation seed program developed the reputation as one of the best in the rice world. 5 Dr. Rolfe Bryant, left, a research chemist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, received the Distinguished Service Award from Dr. Eric Webster. After 19 years of service, Bryant retired from the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Ark., in June 2015. He had published 40 peer-reviewed journal articles and participated in the release of 35 rice cultivars and germplasm lines.

18 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

RICEFARMING.COM

PHOTOS BY MANNY CHAN

Texas AgriLife Research

2016 Rice Awards Nomination Form The Rice Farmer of the Year, Rice Industry Award and Rice Lifetime Achievement Award recognize those rice leaders who have demonstrated dedication, determination and innovation to the industry. We need your help to identify candidates who are worthy of these prestigious awards. Please take the time to consider which industry members in your area should be recipients of these honors and mail or scan/email this form and supporting materials.

Categories Please check the box of the appropriate award category:

q Rice Farmer of the Year Award • Must farm at least 200 acres. • A farmer who has successfully achieved goals in his/her farming operation, rice industry association, community improvement/development, innovative production practices and/or environmental stewardship.

q Rice Industry Award

If you are submitting more than one nomination form, please make a copy before you fill out the form. Nomination forms can be downloaded at www.ricefarming.com.

Nominee’s name Nominee’s address Nominee’s phone number Nominee’s rice acreage (if applicable)

• Has been in the rice industry for more than five years. • A researcher, Extension person, government/association leader, etc… who has demonstrated commitment to the rice industry through innovative practices, industry association, community involvement/development.

Your name

q Rice Lifetime Achievement Award

Your profession

• Has been in the rice industry for more than 10 years. • An industry leader who has provided great contributions to the rice industry through industry associations, community involvement/development, innovative practices/projects that have advanced the industry.

Deadline:

June 15, 2016

Number of years involved in the rice industry (if applicable)

Your address Your phone number Your signature Date

Please send completed form & supporting materials to: Carroll Smith 7201 Eastern Ave., Germantown, TN 38138 Scan/Email: csmith@onegrower.com

On a separate piece of paper, please consider the following: Dedication to farming and/or agriculture and the rice industry, local community and education. Determination to succeed and overcome hurdles that have emerged while trying to reach goals. Innovation to identify new and better ways for the industry to become more profitable, manage risk, achieve a higher level of efficiency. In addition to completing this form, please describe the nominee in terms of the above guidelines. It also is helpful to send letters of recommendation for the nominee from other individuals in the rice industry who are familiar with his/her accomplishments. A panel of judges from across the Rice Belt will select the recipients of the 2016 Rice Awards. The award recipients will be honored at the USA Rice Outlook Conference, December 7-9, 2016, where an official presentation will be made at an awards luncheon. They also will be featured in a special salute sponsored by Horizon Ag, USA Rice Federation and Rice Farming magazine in the December 2016 issue.

SPONSORS

Specialists Speaking

Just treat it! DR. JARROD HARDKE

ARKANSAS Asst. Professor/Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service jhardke@uaex.edu Just treat the seed, that is. The 2016 season is shaping up to be a year of cutting corners and minimizing risk. Unfortunately, we largely grow rice in the Mid-South efficiently already, and there are few areas where we can afford to reduce inputs. Insecticide and fungicide seed treatments are areas we do not need to cut. There are several comments that emerge from time to time to justify not using seed treatments: (1) We don’t plant early so we don’t see the benefit; (2) On our heavy ground, we just don’t have the same problems; and (3) It’s cheaper to just plant more seed. The list doesn’t end there. Have a look at the graph, “Seed Treatment x Planting Date, 2015.” Everything received a fungicide seed treatment; the variable is the insecticide seed treatment. Fungicide seed treatments provide about two weeks of protection against seedling diseases and are cheap insurance. But they are used to buy time until the rice is larger and can outgrow seedling diseases, not protect the rice forever. So the primary comparison here is between insecticide seed treatments. The bottom line is that the answer to issue 1 above (planting date) is that these insecticide seed treatments offer a yield benefit ranging from 4 to 24 bushels per acre, regardless of planting date. The answer to issue 2 (soil type) isn’t answered here because the figure comes from work on silt loam soils, but we have done plenty of seed treatment trials on clay soils, and the benefits are

Scout fields for insects starting at emergence DR. M.O. “MO” WAY TEXAS Rice Research Entomologist moway@aesrg.tamu.edu

I can’t emphasize enough the value of scouting your fields for insects beginning at emergence. This is especially true for Texas this year, because we found the rice delphacid attacking ratoon rice last fall. We have been sampling rice stubble and ryegrass in and near the field where we originally found the rice delphacid. We have not found any planthoppers (eggs, nymphs or adults) here during the winter, which is good, but we must continue

20 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

just as great. The answer to issue 3 (seeding rate) is that while you can simply plant more seed to achieve a better stand, you risk increased disease and lodging. The best seeding rate is one that allows us to use the least seed to produce an optimum, uniform stand. There are pros and cons to each insecticide seed treatment that should be considered. CruiserMaxx Rice and NipsIt Inside are the preferred options when you have a history of grape colaspis problems, and they provide management of rice water weevil. However, if rice water weevil is your primary issue, then Dermacor X-100 is the better option, but it only suppresses grape colaspis. If armyworms are an issue, Dermacor X-100 will provide control while the others will not. CruiserMaxx Rice is a pre-mix of insecticide and fungicides; NipsIt Inside is an insecticide only but can be purchased now as NipsIt Rice Suite that also contains fungicides; and Dermacor X-100 is an insecticide only. Be sure you know what you need, what you get and what you pay for — and make sure you get an insecticide seed treatment to diligently search for this pest throughout 2016. My hunch is that early infestations will be more damaging than later infestations. Thus, I am recommending farmers apply either NipsIt Inside or CruiserMaxx Rice to their seed. We have no Texas data to support this recommendation, but the active ingredients in both of these seed treatments generally target insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts. If you find these planthoppers in your field or if you have suspicions, please contact me ASAP at moway@aesrg.tamu.edu or 409-658-2186. As you probably know by now, the rice delphacid is native to Latin America. At the recent 36th Rice Technical Working Group meeting held in Galveston, I met scientists from Nicaragua who have been dealing with this pest for quite a while. They gave me some good information regarding control methods used in their country. I plan on evaluating the methods this year if the rice delphacid becomes problematic. Sharing data among scientists at national and international conferences frequently benefits all vested parties. RICEFARMING.COM

Specialists Speaking

Suite of insecticides offers control options DUSTIN HARRELL

LOUISIANA Extension Rice Specialist dharrell@agcenter.lsu.edu This year we will not see any new insecticides on the market in Louisiana. However, we do have a good suite of them we can use to manage the most troubling pests. The most important insects are the rice water weevil and stink bugs. Of course, there are a lot of other insects that can cause sporadic problems in Louisiana rice, such as rice stem borers, rice seed midge, leafminer, colaspis and armyworms. Rice water weevil can cause a 1 percent decline in yield per larva found in a core sample. So it does not take very many to do a lot of damage. Rice water weevil management decisions begin before planting. Producers must decide if they are going to use a seed treatment or if they are going to use a foliar treatment later in the season. The available seed treatments include Dermacor X-100, CruiserMaxx and NipsIt Inside. Dermacor has proven to be the most effective against the rice water weevil, and it also provides protection against stem borers and army worms. However, Dermacor is also the most expensive of the three. CruiserMaxx and NipsIt Inside are both good at managing rice water weevil, and you also get activity on colaspis, chinch bugs and thrips. Recent research has shown that treating seed with CruiserMaxx tends to increase early season seedling vigor. Foliar insecticides labeled for rice water weevil management include the pyrethroids and Belay. Foliar applications have been shown to be as good as CruiserMaxx and NipsIt Inside seed treatments. However, proper application timing is critical for control. These insecticides must be applied immediately before flooding or shortly thereafter to kill rice water weevil adults before the females lay eggs. Belay has been shown to have a longer residual than the other foliar products. Rice stink bugs are a late-season pest that must be managed in rice. Stink bug damage results in yield losses and pecky rice and provides an avenue for pathogens to infect the grain. Management begins with scouting for the bugs during the first two weeks after heading. During this time, 30 stink bugs per 100 sweeps of a sweep net is the threshold. Beginning at the soft dough stage, 100 stink bugs per 100 sweeps is the threshold. Twitter: @RiceFarming

DR. PAT PORTER, TEXAS AGRILIFE

as well as the fungicide package. In more than 200 observations in trials since 2008, the use of these insecticide seed treatments has resulted in an average stand increase of 14.5 percent compared to the control (fungicide only). In addition, mirroring the figure shown, these treatments provide an average yield increase of more than 8 bushels per acre with an 80 percent chance of a yield increase. Adult rice delphacid (left) and nymph (immature), both up close

Pyrethroid insecticides as well as Tenchu (a neonicotinoid) are recommended to control stink bugs. Dr. Mike Stout is currently working to fine-tune LSU stink bug thresholds. He believes that stink bug damage is less than we once believed and that thresholds may need to be raised. The rice delphacid is a plant hopper species more common in Louisiana before the 1960s, and it has not been seen in a long time. However, it was found in Texas on ratoon rice last year. Not only can the delphacid cause typical plant hopper damage, but it also can transfer the virus Hoja Blanca. Hoja Blanca infection in young plants will stunt the rice, and leaves will begin to show chlorotic-yellow stripes and eventually die. In older plants, leaf blades actually turn white, thus the name Hoja Blanca or “white leaf.” The delphacid is definitely a pest to keep a lookout for.

Keep eyes peeled for armyworms DR. LUIS ESPINO

CALIFORNIA UCCE Rice Farming Systems Adviser laespino@ucanr.edu Last year an armyworm outbreak affected many growers, mostly in Butte and Glenn counties, and resulted in severe yield loses in many cases. A survey I conducted during our winter rice grower meetings showed that 82 percent of attendees experienced yield losses in these two counties, and for 9 percent, yield losses were 20 percent or higher. Our currently registered insecticides for armyworms were ineffective, reducing armyworm populations only half the time. Armyworms occur in rice every year, but they typically do not cause yield reductions. Rice has a great capacity to recover from foliar injury, withstanding up to 25 percent defoliation without affecting yield. Panicle injury is less forgiving, and that is why the threshold is only 10 percent injured panicles before a treatment is recommended. It is impossible to know if we are going to experience another armyworm outbreak this year. Nevertheless, growers should increase scouting during typical periods of armyworm activity. To help, I plan to have pheromone traps at several locations across the valley to monitor moth activity. Research conducted a few RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

Specialists Speaking years ago showed that the pheromones work well to detect when moths are flying and laying eggs. Then, using temperature models, I can estimate when we should look for larvae in the field. Last year, Intrepid insecticide received a Section 18 registration for use against armyworms in several counties. Intrepid may be available again this year if we experience another severe outbreak. To receive alerts on armyworm activity and Intrepid, subscribe to the UC Rice Blog (http://ucanr.edu/blogs/riceblog/).

However, many pollinators, including honey bees, harvest pollen from multiple plant hosts. Gore and Cook recently surveyed eight rice fields at multiple times during the day to observe how frequently honey bees visit. Their preliminary data suggest that honey bees were observed at only 4 percent of the total observation points. Additionally, most bees were observed at one location that had a bee yard with about 20 hives nearby. This survey showed that honey bees will visit rice during flowering. However, numbers were extremely low, which would suggest that insecticide applications in rice to manage pests will pose little risk to honey bees.

Seed treatments aid rice water weevil control Seed treatments offer DR. BOBBY GOLDEN a positive ROI MISSISSIPPI Extension Rice Specialist bgolden@drec.msstate.edu

It’s been a tough start to the year in Mississippi. As of March 15, many fields remained flooded due to abnormally high rainfall. As fields dry and we begin to think about planting, we must consider insect management programs, and that typically starts with an insecticide seed treatment. Rice water weevil is the most important insect rice pest in Mississippi, with approximately 80 percent of rice grown in the state experiencing significant infestations annually. In Mississippi, research has shown that as few as one rice water weevil larvae in a sample can reduce yield by approximately 0.9 bushels per acre. The good news is managing rice water weevil infestations has improved recently because of the registration of neonicotinoid seed treatments. Drs. Jeff Gore and Don Cook, our entomologists at the Delta Research and Extension Center, have been evaluating seed treatments and the benefits they provide rice growers. Their research and that from colleagues in Arkansas suggests that seed treatments result in an overall economic benefit to growers about 80 percent of the time with an average yield advantage of 8 to 12 bushels of rough rice per acre. Unfortunately, predicting when and where rice water weevil infestations will occur is difficult and the likelihood of having a significant infestation is high in the Mississippi Delta. Because of that, seed treatments remain an ideal management tool. In addition to insecticide seed treatments, Belay was recently labeled as a foliar spray for rice water weevil control. It has some advantages over pyrethroid sprays; mostly notably Belay is a neonicotinoid. It moves into the plant tissue and provides some systemic rice water weevil control. Because of that, we have seen better residual control of rice water weevil than pyrethroids, and therefore, application timing is not as critical with Belay. Recently, concerns have been raised about the use of agricultural insecticides — particularly neonicotinoids — and their impact on managed honey bee colonies. Rice is self-pollinated and does not require insect pollination to achieve adequate yields.

22 RICE FARMING • APRIL 2016

SAM ATWELL

MISSOURI Agronomy Specialist atwells@missouri.edu With the economic crunch facing rice farmers due to low rice prices, we are getting calls on what inputs can be cut. The quick answer is none, if you have done your homework and have a strong justification for each input. It’s probably unwise to cut any input that has a high probability of significantly reducing yields. The small differences of each basic input sets farmers up for a profit. For example, research has shown that a seed treatment with the proper insecticide and fungicide provides a good return on investment. Most rice producers use one of three insecticidal seed treatments — chlorantraniliprole (Dermacor X-100), thiamethoxam (CruiserMaxx) and clothianidin (NipsIt Inside). These products control an array of rice insect pests, including rice water weevil, grape colaspis, chinch bug, aphids and leafhoppers. Dr. Moneen Jones, research entomologist with the University of Missouri Delta Center at Portageville, and entomologists across the rice belt are battling the Environmental Protection Agency and environmental groups to prevent banning neonicotinoids. Diseases reduce yield and quality and increase production cost. Although disease pressure has been relatively low in Missouri the past few years, we did have a couple hot spots of blast on CL 151 last year. High-yielding conventional varieties need to be scouted closely for early insects and diseases, then quick foliar applications can be made in a preventive manner. Hybrids typically have a better disease package but don’t ignore them. In 2016, we need to pay attention to sheath blight and blast, especially if we are forced to plant late. Hot weather and lack of water also induce blast. This will be more of a problem for farmers who plant more furrow-irrigated or row rice. Along with blast, we recommend scouting weekly for sheath blight, straighthead, bacterial panicle blight, narrow brown spot, leaf spot, stem rot, black sheath rot, and kernel and false smut. RICEFARMING.COM

RF0416 Layout_CF 11/13 template 3/29/16 9:21 AM Page 23

CFO

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We partner with rice growers like the Long family to ensure our high-yield seed helps their business grow. Growing rice is no small undertaking. In fact, it’s often a family affair. At RiceTec, we take pride in advising growers on drill calibration, inputs, timing and other key decisions that affect crop success. That’s what partners do. Of course, we’re also happy to offer the highest-yielding long-grain rice in America.

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RF0416 Layout_CF 11/13 template 3/29/16 9:22 AM Page 24

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Find out more e about Halomax 75. 7 Contact your local dealer for or more mor information. Halomax 75 is a trademark ademark of Aceto A Agricultural Chemicals Corporation. Permit is a registered trademark ademark of Nissan Nis Chemical Industries Ltd. Clearﬁeld is a registered trademark ademark to t BASF. ©2016