Rice farming december 2015

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ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

DECEMBER 2015

Bearish trends hit rice market California drought impacts waterfowl

Bred for success

New varieties offer better yields, quality

1 RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

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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.

To find your local RiceTec representative, call 877.580.7423 • RiceTec.com

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December 2015

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Vol. 50, No. 1

COV ER STORY

COLUMNS From The Editor

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Who says you can’t go back home?

Rice Federation Update

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Industry shines with sustainable practices.

Rice Producers Forum

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Direct-farmer marketing pays off.

DEPA RTM EN TS Specialists Speaking

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2015 crop review

Industry News

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Rice business scene ON THE COVER: This 2015 harvest photo was taken on Wesley and Josh Chandler’s farm located off Highway 49 in the Mississippi Delta. Dylan, who is a cousin of Wesley and Josh, enhanced the photo with one of his favorite apps.

Photo by Dylan DeBower

New varieties look promising Rice breeders continue to bring outstanding options to the marketplace.

FEATUR ES

Outlook is not ducky California’s lingering drought impacts overwintering waterfowl.

Rice market update 2015 Rice Awards

Weaker demand, lower prices replace bullish start to 2015-16.

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See page 13

2016 variety/hybrid roster Look for the Soybean South supplement included with the Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas versions of Rice Farming.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

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Check out new and current rice hybrids and Clearfield varieties.

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

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RiceFarming

From The Editor

Who says you can’t go home?

Until about 10 years ago when Rice Farming Magazine was sold to One Grower Publishing, I was at home as editor of the publication. Veteran agricultural journalist Carroll Smith stepped in as editor and has kept the magazine on its successful course.

Imagine my elation when I received a recent phone call from One Grower publisher Lia Guthrie inviting me to rejoin Rice Farming as editor. Naturally I responded with a resounding “yes”!

Don’t worry – Carroll isn’t leaving.

She’s just moving over to fill the editorial void at our sister magazine, Cotton Farming, left by the retirement of longtime editor Tommy Horton.

Only a week before Lia’s call, I had been north of Marysville in California’s rice country talking to producer Charley Mathews Jr. Later that night, I attended the Rice Leadership Program dinner in Williams, Calif.

Being out in rice fields and among growers and other industry representatives felt comfortable – kind of like your favorite pair of old jeans.

In the coming months, I look forward to reconnecting with old acquaintances and meeting new ones. Feel free to contact me with comments, story ideas or just to say “hi” at vlboyd@onegrower.com or 209-505-3612.

Vicky

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 800-888-9784 kkillingsworth@onegrower.com For circulation changes or change of address, call 800-888-9784

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 Decem­b er, for $25.00 per year 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 SUNBELT FULLFILLMENT SERVICES, 307 SOUTHGATE COURT, Brentwood, TN 370277987. International rates are $55.00 Canada/ Mexico, $90.00 all other countries for Air-Speeded 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.

© Copyright 2015

Send your comments to: Editor, Rice Farming Magazine, 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654.

Call 901-767-4020 or e-mail vlboyd@onegrower.com.

4 RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

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RICE

QUALITY MATTERS

Breeding For Quality Is Paramount

Dr. Steve Linscombe, LSU AgCenter Dr. Karen Moldenhauer, University of Arkansas Dr. Ed Redona, Mississippi State University, DREC Dr. Xueyan Sha, University of Arkansas

In 2010, rice quality came to the forefront of the industry when the northern part of the Southern rice-production area experienced an extremely hot growing season, and rice quality fell across the board. The USA Rice Federation formed the Rice Marketability and Competitiveness Task Force, which developed a program to evaluate varieties that were currently on the market.

“During this evaluation, we grew 19 varieties in a number of different locations under 11 different environments,” says Dr. Steve Linscombe, senior rice breeder, LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station. “We sent samples to the mills where they were all milled identically. The results showed that we had some really high-quality pure line varieties.

“Quality has always been an important part of our breeding efforts. We start looking at quality very early in the breeding process and understand that the varieties we release will be higher quality than others. That’s part of the dynamics of what we do.”

Linscombe also notes that the Rice Research Station now has access to equipment that allows the breeders to run more samples for cereal chemistry characteristics than they could if they were still sending them to the USDA labs, which were located for many years in Beaumont, Texas, and are now located at the Dale Bumpers Center near Stuttgart, Ark. “Our turnaround is much quicker because we can run samples in house,” he explains. “We also have an image scanner in which we can put brown rice and milled rice. This equipment gives us the total percentage of chalk in the sample, along with the grain dimensions of the rice kernels in the sample.”

ricequalitymatters.com

Dr. Karen Moldenhauer, Arkansas rice industry chair in variety development, University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center, says, “In my breeding program, quality is as important as yield. If a variety isn’t low in chalk and doesn’t have all the qualities that the mills want, then it will not be released. If you ask Producers Rice Mill or Riceland Foods about the pure lines that come out of the Arkansas program, they do not have a problem with the quality. We also consider disease susceptibility and different maturities, but, to me, quality is the most important attribute.”

Rice breeder Dr. Ed Redona, based at the Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center, says, “For a rice breeding program to be successful, it must be anchored on the demands of the intended markets, both existing or potential. Grain quality traits – physical, chemical and cooking – are primary parameters and determinants of market preferences and consumer acceptability.

This market-oriented breeding strategy is what we have adapted in Mississippi.”

Dr. Xueyan Sha is the medium grain rice breeder at the University of Arkansas. He works with long grain and medium grain rice, both Clearfield and non-Clearfield. He views rice quality in general with the same importance as yield potential.

“However, quality is not a well-defined trait like yield, depending on to whom, when or where you are talking,” Sha says. “It generally consists of cooking quality, grain appearance (dimension, shape and chalkiness) and milling quality (milling recovery and difficulty).

There are some well-accepted industry standards for cooking quality, grain dimension and shape for both long and medium grain rice. Selection for those quality attributes is given equal importance and simultaneously carried out as selection for yield. For anything beyond the industry standards (extremely fancy looking kernels, for example), I like taking a balanced approach, such as achieving the desired characteristics without sacrificing yield or milling.”

A pretty good year, considering...

Despite the drought and a localized armyworm infestation, this season produced some very strong yields.

A

n overview of the 2015 rice-growing season in California would not be complete without mention of the ongoing drought. Statewide, the last rainy season (October 2014 through April 2015) brought only a small fraction of the state’s average precipitation; snow pack in the mountains was virtually non-existent.

The impact on agriculture has been severe.

Growers in the Sac­­­­­­​­ramento Valley fared better than those in the southern part of the state where allotments Randall “Cass” were reduced to zero Mutters in some instances. The majority of the irrigation districts that serve rice growers received between 50 and 75 percent of their typical allotment from state and federal sources.

Many new wells were installed and old ones refurbished to at least partially make up for the irrigation water shortfall. Water limitations resulted in fewer acres of rice being planted compared to previous years. In 2013, for example, there were more than 550,000 acres of rice planted in California. In 2014 there were about 425,000 acres, and in 2015 the planted acres of rice were further reduced to about 375,000.

Another dry winter will likely reduce rice acreage further. Whether El Niño brings relief from the drought remains a hopeful promise at this point.

Armyworms were an exception Water aside, this past season was a good one. The dry, warm spring resulted in

6 RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

early field preparation and planting. The exceptionally dry soil profile required a surprisingly large volume of water to establish a flood for planting.

Irrigation districts implemented strict water management rules. As typical in recent years, medium-grain varieties M205 and M206 dominated the landscape. The early maturing variety M105 became increasingly popular in some areas.

Aside from the typical struggles with weed control, the season was without much pest pressure with the notable exception of an area in the northern valley.

In that area, an armyworm outbreak was severe.

The worms devoured rice stands down to the mid-vein in large portions of many fields beginning in mid-June. This level of armyworm pressure is extremely rare.

Tens of thousands of acres were treated.

However, commonly used pyrethroid insecticides did not provide good control and neither did carbaryl applications.

Most likely, these products failed to provide good control because of the very high populations. A coalition of grower organizations, university and industry managed to obtain a Section 18 for Intrepid 2F in time for the second population outbreak in August – the time when armyworm pressure typically occurs.

Strong yields mark season The 2015 crop matured a few days earlier than the long-term average, with harvest beginning in early September.

Yields in many areas were strong, excluding heavily worm-damaged fields where yields were reduced by as much as 15 percent.

Documented yields have been as high

LUIS ESPINO, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

By Randall “Cass” Mutters

A rare infestation of armyworms in parts of the northern Sacramento Valley devoured rice stands down to the mid-vein in portions of many fields. Tens of thousands of acres were treated.

as 130 hundredweight per acre (dry weight), which is just short of amazing.

The statewide average is expected to come in around 85 cwt. Early returns on milling quality for many are in the 65/70 range (head and total). In contrast, there were reports that rice harvested early at a high moisture content and rushed through the drying and milling process in an effort to capitalize on the “new crop” market suffered from low milling quality.

But overall, a pretty good year, considering.

Contact Dr. Randall “Cass” Mutters, Extension agronomist, University of California, Davis, at rgmutters@ucdavis.edu.

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Grass Control Key To Crop Success B.D. Fontenot Crop Production Services Eunice, La.

After graduating from the University of Southwestern Louisiana, I worked for Louisiana Farm Bureau for several years. Since I wanted to have more hands-on involvement in agriculture, I joined what is now Crop Production Services in 1980, and eight years later, became a Certified Crop Consultant.

This past rice season was off by about 5 barrels per acre because it was wet and cold for a long period of time. We could not carry out some of our production practices on a timely basis, which resulted in reduced yields and milling quality. Some of the milling problems also were caused by rain at flowering.

The primary weeds in this area are barnyardgrass, fall panicum and sprangletop, which is growing exponentially. It’s always important to emphasize grass control because grass is a lot more yield-robbing than broadleaves. I would much rather contend with broadleaves later in the season than I would with grass.

We try to start weed-free at the beginning of the season at what I call “ground zero.” I refer to the “bricks and mortar” of weed control where post-emergent herbicides are the “bricks,” and residual herbicides are the “mortar” that holds the program together. Every time we make a herbicide application, we try to spray young, actively growing weeds to bring us back to ground zero. Then, if the weather doesn’t cooperate, we activate the residuals ourselves – start stacking residuals – to extend control.

In many instances, we have crawfish production integrated into the rice system. Weeds grow in a crawfish pond, so the seed bank is increasing, too. If we are trying to put a crop in and fighting weeds because the field was in crawfish, I turn to Clincher SF herbicide for grass control or Grasp SC or Grasp Xtra herbicides for broadleaf control. RebelEX herbicide is a very good compound, too. It’s a broad-spectrum premix of Clincher SF and Grasp SC. We also recommend soil sampling. I don’t want to over simplify fertility, but pulling good soil samples and following the results on a timely basis, can eliminate 80 percent of the fertility problems.

We apply sulphur and zinc on about 80 percent of our acres, and those recommendations are all soil-sample driven.

This year, we have seen unprecedented yields in the ratoon crop. Farmers are already making plans for next year to try to capitalize on the ratoon crop because the market is not very good. To increase the chance of having a good ratoon crop, make sure the first crop is clean and well fertilized. After cutting the first crop, manipulate the straw by rolling the stubble or clipping it to about 6 or 8 inches and add fertilizer. Manipulating the straw makes the ratoon crop more uniform when it comes up, so it will head out at the same time and mature at the same time.

Based on the ratoon crop yields that we are seeing this year, it would be a good idea for farmers to include practices that would be conducive to producing a good ratoon crop next year as well.

• B.S., Agronomy, University of Southwestern Louisiana • Certified Crop Consultant • Consults on rice and soybeans • Has consulted for 25 years • Very active in the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association (LACA) • Married to wife, Laurie. One son: Jacques (wife, Shelley).

Two grandchildren: Rose, 5; and Finn, 4 • Enjoys colt starting and deer hunting

Recap: Grass Control Key To Crop Success

1. The primary weeds in this area are barnyardgrass, fall panicum and sprangletop, which is growing exponentially.

2. It’s always important to emphasize grass control because grass is a lot more yield-robbing than broadleaves.

3. We try to start weed-free. I refer to the “bricks and mortar” of weed control. Post-emergent herbicides are the “bricks.” Residual herbicides are the “mortar” that holds the program together.

4. We spray young, actively growing weeds. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, we activate the residuals ourselves – start stacking residuals – to extend control.

5. If we are fighting weeds because the field was in crawfish, I turn to Clincher SF herbicide for grass control or Grasp SC or Grasp Xtra herbicides for broadleaf control. RebelEX herbicide is a very good compound – a broad-spectrum premix of Clincher SF and Grasp SC.

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DOW Diamond, Clincher, Grasp, RebelEX and Rinskor are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Clincher SF, Grasp SC, Grasp Xtra and RebelEX are not registered for sale or use in all states.

Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state.

Rinskor active has not yet received regulatory approvals; approvals are pending. The information presented here is not an offer for sale. Always read and follow label directions. ©2015 Dow AgroSciences LLC

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t

New varieties look promising Rice breeders continue to bring outstanding options to the marketplace.

By Carroll Smith

O

ne facet of production of which the U.S. rice industry is most proud is the work done by its rice breeders.

They are always looking for the “next big thing” to help provide another tool for U.S. rice producers to be more competitive in the world market.

Following are descriptions of some of their latest releases as well as a sneak peek of what U.S. rice breeders have waiting in the wings.

Louisiana State University AgCenter has officially released long grain variety CL153 and medium grain CL272 as foundation seed, which means the varieties will primarily be in seed increase in 2016. Dr. Steve Linscombe, senior rice breeder, H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station, says the varieties should be available for extensive commercial production in 2017.

“CL151 is our highest yielding variety in Louisiana,” Linscombe says. “But it is more susceptible to blast than we would like to see, and we did have a considerable blast problem in 2012.

In selecting CL153, we observed a variety with the yield potential of CL151 that had a little better grain quality. In yield tests across the Southern rice-growing region, this variety appears to be very similar in yield potential to CL151 and has less chalk. CL153 has a grain approaching 7 millimeters, which, in all things considered, is a better characteristic.”

Another attribute of CL153 is its very good blast resistance, especially in Louisiana. The variety has a maturity of 86 days to 50 percent heading, which is almost identical to CL151, and plant height of about 38 inches, very similar to 151.

“We can’t really get a real good handle on lodging until we get it out in producers’ fields,” Linscombe says. “But everything I’ve seen to this point leads me to believe that it’s going to be more resistant to lodging than CL151. We’re rating CL153 susceptible to sheath blight and moderately susceptible to narrow brown leaf spot and bacterial panicle blight. For a long grain variety, it’s pretty good all the way around for diseases.”

New medium grain The yield potential of medium grain CL272 is very similar to CL271 and Jupiter and is moderately susceptible to blast, Linscombe says. CL272’s plant height and maturity is also very similar to CL271.

“Primarily CL272 has a grain appearance superiority over

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RES Releases Two Varieties to California Seed Growers The California Rice Experiment Station in Biggs has released a Calrose medium grain and a short grain that out-yielded their current commercial counterparts in statewide trials.

M209, an early maturing medium grain from director of plant breeding Virgilio “Butz” Andaya’s program, yielded 9,680 pounds per acre over five years in University of California Cooperative Extension statewide tests.

In addition to a 6 percent yield advantage over M205, the new variety also heads about two days earlier, has slightly larger kernels, a wider area of adoption, and similar seedling vigor and lodging scores.

One of its weaknesses is a slightly lower milling score compared to M205 and M206 when harvested at very low or high grain moisture levels.

M209 is positioned as a replacement or alternative to the popular M205 and M202 Calrose-type medium grains.

Calmochi-203, an early maturing waxy short grain, comes from Stanley Omar Samonte, short grain and premium quality project leader.

It is a high-yielding, semi-dwarf, early maturing variety with significantly higher yields than Calmochi-101. In fact, Calmochi-203 had higher yields in all 38 statewide test locations from 2010 to 2014, averaging 9,650 pounds per acre compared with 7,590 pounds per acre for Calmochi-101. The newcomer also had higher head rice percentages, larger grain size dimensions and lower viscosity than Calmoche-101.

Calmochi-203 has similar seedling vigor to Calmochi-101 but requires one more day to heading and 11 more days to maturity. Calmochi-203 also had slightly more lodging and blanking.

The two new varieties come on the heels of A302, an early maturing aromatic long grain the RES released in 2014.

A302, from the breeding program of Farman Jodari, long grain project leader, is designed to replace A301.

The new release has better seedling vigor, better milling, is nine days earlier and yields 1,800 pounds per acre more than A301. – Vicky Boyd Information provided by the Rice Experiment Station in Biggs, Calif.

These varieties are protected by (Plant Variety Protection and utility patents) and for California production only.

CL271,” he explains. “In some cases, CL271 tends to ‘tombstone,” or be more opaque. This new variety does not show that characteristic. It’s translucent.”

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DR. STEVE LINSCOMBE/LSU AGCENTER

After observing CL153 in yield tests across the Southern rice-growing region, Dr. Steve Linscombe says this variety appears to be very similar in yield potential to CL151 and has less chalk.

Coming soon In 2009, LSU AgCenter diversified its rice breeding endeavors by establishing a hybrid program. To secure male sterile lines required for hybrid breeding, Linscombe traveled to China to set up a cooperative working relationship with a rice research academy.

“They allowed us to bring some of their male sterile lines back to the United States,” he says. “That’s what our hybrid program is based on today. At this point, we hope to begin talking about a commercial hybrid in two to three years. We are conducting yield tests and taking our time to make sure we have identified the right hybrid with good quality characteristics.

“Hybrid seed production is much different than pure line seed production,” Linscombe says. “We can’t produce enough hybrid seed on the research station, which requires us to have seed production done by producers.

“We also are putting a lot of effort into the Provisia variety and should have something that fits from an agronomical and quality standpoint that producers want to grow fairly soon,” he adds. “If everything works out, there could be limited commercial production of Provisia in 2017.”

Arkansas offerings Dr. Karen Moldenhauer, Arkansas rice industry chair in variety development, is working on a new long grain experimental line, 13AR1084, which has been in the Arkansas Performance Trials for three years and will be available to seed growers in 2016.

“With 13AR1084, we are seeing the next yield bump,” Moldenhauer says. “In 2013, it yielded 203 bushels per acre. The next highest yielder as a pure line was Roy J with 189 bushels per acre and the RiceTec line that – XL753 – yielded 223 bushels per Twitter: @RiceFarming

acre. This experimental line was right in the middle. In 2014, 13AR1084 yielded 206 bushels per acre; Roy J and LaKast came in at 193 bushels per acre; and XL753 yielded 246 bushels per acre. This year, 13AR1084 was 187; Roy J and LaKast were 168; and XL753 was 246. The three-year average was 199 bushels per acre for 13AR1084; Roy J was 183; LaKast was 180; and XL753 was 227.”

Moldenhauer describes 13AR1084 as a little earlier than Roy J at 84 days to heading. It’s one of the taller varieties, but the straw on 13AR1084 is not quite as stiff as that of Roy J. She says it will mill similarly to what LaKast has milled in the past and has typical U.S. long grain cooking qualities.

“This variety is fairly low in chalk,” Moldenhauer says. “It has the same chalk rating in 2014 as we had for Roy J, which is fine. We don’t have all of our quality data back yet for 2015.

13AR1084 is a little over 7 millimeters in length, which is fairly similar to Roy J as well.”

A new semi-dwarf Clearfield line coming out of the Arkansas breeding program is CL172. This variety is described as an excellent miller with very low chalk and excellent grain quality. It also has very stiff straw and blast resistance and kernel size is a little over 7 millimeters in length.

“We rated it a ‘1’ like Roy J for straw strength,” Moldenhauer says. “CL172 can handle a little extra fertilizer.”

In the medium grain arena, Arkansas rice breeder Dr. Xueyan Sha is working with 13AR1021, a semi-dwarf medium grain that has done well for the past three years in statewide trials. This variety has some blast resistance, high yield potential, typical U.S. medium grain quality and fairly low chalk. Sha is currently working with Kellogg Co. to determine if 13AR1021 will meet the food company’s product needs.

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

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Outlook is not ducky California’s lingering drought impacts overwintering waterfowl by reducing flooded rice acreage.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

C

alifornia’s 4-year-old drought not only has meant irrigation curtailments and planting reductions for rice producers, it also has reduced the amount of water available to flood fields after harvest for waterfowl.

Winter-flooded rice fields play a significant role in providing habitat for overwintering birds, said Paul Buttner, manager of environmental affairs for the Sacramento-based California Rice Commission. In fact, Northern California rice fields provide enough forage for about half of the ducks using the Central Valley during the winter. That doesn’t count the myriad other birds that frequent rice fields.

Food for thought Depending on the location, rice left after harvest provides up to 60 percent of the food energy for overwintering ducks and geese in the northern Sacramento Valley, said Mark Biddlecomb, director of Ducks Unlimited’s Western Regional Office in Rancho Corcova, Calif. That energy is needed to fuel the long migration north in the spring and to hatch larger egg clutches and tend larger broods.

Although a reduction in winter-flooded acreage won’t cause widespread starvation, it could result in skinnier birds with less energy for the migration north and smaller broods, he said.

“If we continue down this trend of drought after drought after drought, it could become a dire situation,” Biddlecomb said. “We have 4 million to 6 million birds that winter in the Central Valley.”

He said it’s not like the birds can fly to another state for better forage because most of the West also is in a drought.

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Rice acreage is down In 2015, California’s rice producers planted about 410,000 acres, down significantly from the 562,000 acres planted just two seasons before in 2013. During the 2015-16 winter, growers are expected to flood about 100,000 acres, Buttner said. But he stressed those figures are purely an educated guess and are not based on hard data.

The amount of water available for post-harvesting flooding varied by water district. “(The districts) were all affected pretty significantly this year, but some more so than others,” Buttner said.

During a normal water year, rice producers in the state typically flood 250,000 to 300,000 acres.

Heading into the 2014-15 winter, waterfowl experts were concerned that the lingering drought would reduce winter-flooded rice fields to about 100,000 acres, concentrating birds and possibly increasing the incidence of diseases, such as avian botulism.

But that didn’t happen.

“Certainly, if we didn’t have the wide-scale rain events (in December), the birds would have been more concentrated on fewer acres,” Buttner said. “But the significant rain we had in December kind of bailed us out. It provided large-scale flooding of ground, and the birds were able to expand.”

Those same concerns remain heading into the 2015-16 winter, but the predicted El Niño could change the situation, depending on where in the state heavy rains fall, Biddlecomb said.

“Last year in December, we had some really big storms that helped flood up some fields and alleviate some of the pressure,” he said. “If we don’t get those rains this winter, it’s going to be really tough on the birds.”

RICEFARMING.COM

PHOTO BY LESLIE MORRIS PHOTOGRAPHY

California’s Central Valley is winter home to 4 million to 6 million ducks and geese, many of which frequent flooded rice fields.

Cuban trip offers glimpse of trade, research opportunities

By Randy Veach, President

Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation Arkansas Farm Bureau President Randy Veach, a cotton, soybean, rice and corn farmer from Manila, was among the business leaders who joined Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on a trade mission to Cuba. Below is a brief discussion by Veach of his time in Cuba: We’ve had a productive first two days in Cuba. It is clear that we must move forward to normalize trade relations with Cuba.

Gov. Hutchinson gave a great speech our first day here and declared that we should be looking ahead with Cuba and not looking in the rearview mirror. It is clear, too, that Cuba wants to attract foreign investment.

Since we arrived, the Cuban government announced a program to “guarantee” the value of investments made in the country.

We’ve had some productive meetings in

Missouri seeks applicants for value-added ag grants The Missouri Agriculture and Small Business Development Authority is accepting applications for value-added agriculture grants through Dec. 28. Among past grant recipients was one that looked at new uses for raw rice.

The maximum individual grant is $200,000. Applicants are required to provide a 10 percent cash match toward expenses, which do not include operating expenses, salaries or capital improvements. The grants are funded by contributions made to MASBDA through the purchase of tax credits.

Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, and applications will be scored based on their economic development potential for the agriculture industry, credibility and merit, probability of near-term commercialization and practical application of project results, source and level of matching funds, and the likelihood of a project’s near-term success.

For more information on the program and complete guidelines, visit http://agriculture. mo.gov or contact MASBDA at masbda@ mda.mo.gov or 573-751-2129.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

which I have participated, including ones with the ministry of foreign trade and investment for North America; the director of trade for poultry, beef and pork; and the ministry of foreign affairs counselor. Randy Along with Donald Veach Bobbit from the University of Arkansas, Mark Cochran, UA vice president of agriculture, and Wes Ward, our secretary of agriculture, I was able to tour Cuba’s agriculture college. We met with animal science professors and discussed their poultry research; dairy research; and duck, geese and pork research. Then we met with professors doing research on rice, feed grains and soybeans. There is a great

opportunity to exchange ideas on agricultural research.

When we met with Alejandro Mustelier Jamora, the “main man” for Alimport, the import-export company run by the Cuban government, we had industry leaders from Tyson, Simmons Foods, Riceland, Keith Smith Co. and the timber industry.

Alejandro said we had the highest quality rice in the world and liked our poultry. But because of the embargo — everyone in Cuba calls it the blockade — they don’t have open access to those products. But they want it.

From what I’ve seen in Havana, the living conditions are poor, with little opportunity for families to better their lifestyle. We went into a grocery store that was only 60 percent stocked. That’s why they’re eager to encourage foreign investors to partner with them.

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RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

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R ice Feder ation

Update

A well-deserved halo Industry’s sustainable practices put it in a good environmental light.

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By Betsy Ward President and CEO USA Rice Federation

“We immediately checked grower practices and found that America’s rice farmers were ‘hitting it out of the park’ on sustainability already.” ­– Betsy Ward

12 RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

he concept of “sustainability” has exploded into the national consciousness over the past 15 years. It is a word that is ubiquitous but a concept that can prove difficult to define. There is no doubt, however, that sustainability is a concept that is here to stay and one that the rice industry can and should embrace wholeheartedly.

And embrace it we have.

While you have been using sustainable practices on your farms for generations, USA Rice created a Sustainability Task Force only in 2009. The purpose was, and remains, to be proactive on this issue and help guide and position the U.S. rice industry so you receive credit for the good work you already do.

The RCPP is a U.S. Department of Agriculture program administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service to find, encourage, and reward unique and valuable conservation projects.

Knowing full well that what’s good for rice is good for ducks, and vice versa, USA Rice partnered with Ducks Unlimited to create project proposals designed to enhance water conservation and wildlife habitat. In other words, to shine that halo a little more.

Our first project, “Sustaining the Future of Rice,” was the only national project seriously considered in the first wave of RCPP projects and was rice-specific. It was funded early this year to the tune of $10 million.

The industry’s halo The task force also would identify new opportunities to expand and enhance our industry’s sustainability practices and reputation – our environmental halo, if you will.

A halo that proves vital for consumers, policymakers and lawmakers.

We immediately checked grower practices and found that America’s rice farmers were “hitting it out of the park” on sustainability already. We learned and demonstrated that over the last 20 years, America’s rice farmers have significantly increased yields while reducing land use by 35 percent, energy use by 38 percent and water use by 53 percent.

And it was all done naturally through hard work, ingenuity and innovation, and not with the help of genetically modified organisms. (We don’t believe there is anything wrong with GMOs; however, most consumers don’t agree so not using GMOs further enhances the halo.)

The newest sustainability development for the U.S. rice industry is part of the 2014 Farm Bill, and it’s one you may be familiar with and should take advantage of. It’s the creation of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, designed to establish new public-private partnerships to further the conservation, restoration and sustainability of our natural resources.

The project workhorse The Environmental Quality Incentives Program will be the workhorse of our project, which kicked off the implementation phase. EQIP sign-ups in the South for our project recently closed, and applications were through the roof.

Enrollment will open to Texas and California growers later this winter, and Conservation Stewardship Partnership signups will take place later in 2016.

I’m happy to report that the newest piece of our sustainability halo — a proposal we’ve been ushering through the process with DU, the “Prairie Conservation Reservoir Project,” has cleared several initial hurdles.

We’ve partnered with the Lower Colorado River Authority to propose building a small reservoir in Eagle Lake, Texas, that would supply about 50,000 acres of local rice with irrigation water. We’ve requested another $10 million for the project. While we believe it is quite worthy, competition for these limited federal resources is fierce.

We expect NRCS to announce funded projects sometime next month.

We will of course keep you updated on the progress of this and our other projects designed to enhance that environmental halo you can proudly wear.

RICEFARMING.COM

2015 Rice Awards

Horizon Ag, Rice Farming magazine and the USA Rice Federation are proud to bring you the recipients of the 2015 Rice Awards.

The program highlights three honorees for their contributions to the success of the rice industry through the Rice Farmer of the Year, the Rice Industry Award and the Rice Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jerry Hoskyn

RICE FARMER OF THE YEAR

O

ne of nine children, Jerry Hoskyn was raised on Mr. Jerry when I was very young and would go to the coffee a small farm north of Stuttgart, Ark., where his shop with my dad, who was a farmer. The farmers there would father, Charles, grew rice, soybeans and oats. present their problems to Jerry, and, after a little thought, you When he left home to attend Arkansas State knew he had the answer when he would reach for a napkin to University, he had no plans to return to the farm. However, draw it on. His advice has helped me in my consulting years, after graduating and working for a few years, Hoskyn admits and I feel honored to pass his advice on to the young men who that the Arkansas Grand Prairie began calling him back. are coming along to take my place.”

Because his father did not have enough land at that time to Hoskyn also is known as an innovative producer who emallow Jerry to be involved with the operation, Hoskyn attribraces technology and strives to reach efficiencies through imbutes his fi rst farming opportunity to “divine intervention.” proved farming practices.

“One summer, a friend of mine from college who was conArea rice farmer Jay Coker points out that much of the ducting research work asked me to introduce him to some 4,000 acres of rice, soybeans, corn and wheat that Jerry and farmers,” Hoskyn says. his two sons, Stephen “We happened to go and Stuart, farm uses by one of the neighbors surface water irrigation and during our visit and management pracwith him, the farmer tices to conserve undertold me he was going ground aquifers, reduce to retire from farming erosion and avoid the and wanted someone to loss of topsoil. farm his land. He said “My dad built reshe would provide the ervoirs, which we later inputs if I would put drained and built one the crop in and harbig one,” he says. “We vest it on a percentage mostly use surface waarrangement. So that’s ter and have a tailwater how I started farming. system that allows us to I always thought the recycle the water when Lord must have put us it rains or runs off the Jerry and Donna Hoskyn at their home in Stuttgart, Ark. together.” field. We have two big As the years went pumps that we use to by, Jerry bought more equipment and began to increase his pick it up. The Arkansas Grand Prairie is in the critical water acreage. Now, he laughingly admits that he has spent 48 years area so there is not a lot of water in the Alluvial and Sparta doing what he had told his father he would never do. aquifers. We store water and try not to run our wells very often In addition to running a successful farming operation, to avoid reducing the water level in the aquifers. Since one of Hoskyn has made an impact on many of the people with the farms is a big holding area for waterfowl, we also flood whom he has worked. many of the fields in the winter for ducks.”

Keith Glover, president and CEO of Producers Rice Mill Hoskyn also has some advice for today’s young farmers Inc., says, “Jerry Hoskyn is recognized as not only one of the who are beginning their careers. “First, if you have some extra best rice farmers in the United States, but he also has a long money in your pocket when prices are high and want to buy history of benefitting all rice farmers in the areas of rice resomething, pay for it. Second, ask questions and learn to listen search, farm policy and rice marketing. For 34 years, Jerry has to others. If a farmer has been around for a long time, there’s been elected by his farming peers to serve as a director on the a reason that he has survived. And third, get involved on all board of Producers Rice Mill Inc., a 2,500 farmer-owned rice levels. One vote in the state capital or on the federal level can marketing cooperative.” change your life forever.”

Mark Maier, a consultant with Jimmy Sanders Inc. in StuttCongratulations to Jerry Hoskyn — mentor, innovative gart, notes that the Arkansas rice farmer “has been a customer, farmer, champion of rice research and marketing, and the counselor, mentor and a great friend of mine all my life. I met 2015 Rice Farmer of the Year.

Jerry Hoskyn Stuttgart, Arkansas

• B.S., Agribusiness, Arkansas State University • Board member of USA Rice Farmers • Served on Producers Rice Mill Inc. board of directors for 35 years.

Served as vice chairman since 1990 before being elected as chairman in 2014 • Board member of Arkansas Rice Farmers • Member of the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board Chairman, 1993-95 and 2007-09 • Past board member of Arkansas County Farm Bureau • 1979 Arkansas County Farm Family of the Year • 1978 Stuttgart Duck Calling Contest committee chairman • Very active in the First Baptist Church, Stuttgart, Ark. • Married to wife, Donna. Four children: Charles (wife, Margaret); Cathelene (husband, Terry); Stephen (wife, Elizabeth); and Stuart (wife, Lee Ann) • Nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren

Keith Fontenot

RICE INDUSTRY AWARD

A

man described as wearing many hats and going above and beyond to ensure his stakeholders are well informed and productive hails from Eunice, La., deep in the heart of Cajun country. Keith Fontenot’s family also had a farm in the Iota area where his father raised beef cattle and baled hay.

“I always liked agriculture and anything agriculture related,” he says. “After receiving a degree in vo-ag education from LSU, I soon moved to Ville Platte in Evangeline Parish where I fi rst worked as an assistant county agent, then as an associate county agent for 17 years.”

At the start of his Extension career and for 14 years, Fontenot jointly supervised the Evangeline Parish 4-H Youth Program with his home economist co-worker. The 4-H’ers under Fontenot’s supervision achieved many different awards on a district, state and national level. Th is youth development program has produced many of Evangeline Parish’s civic and agricultural leaders and businessmen, as well as several Extension agent careers.

Fontenot’s current primary responsibilities as agricultural county agent are rice, agronomic crops, horticulture and beef cattle. More than 48,000 acres of rice were grown in Evangeline Parish in 2014, with most rice producers using educational materials and methods provided by the LSU AgCenter’s Extension Service. As a result of educational programs, such as the annual rice and soybean producers meeting, a parish rice field tour and email updates, average per-acre rice production in Evangeline Parish has risen 36.9 percent from 55.6 hundredweight in 1997 to 76.14 cwt in 2014.

Producers also gained knowledge to increase yields by enhancing weed, disease and insect control knowledge and observing these applied best management practices through the Louisiana Rice Research Verification Program. Fontenot implemented this program in Evangeline Parish 16 years ago in cooperation with Dr. Johnny Saichuk, who was the LSU AgCenter rice specialist at that time.

“While working with the verification program, I thought it was important to involve farmers from all areas of the parish,” Fontenot says. “By spreading out the trials, we can reach more people. The program also is designed to help the younger producers who are getting their feet on the ground to understand what it takes to produce a good rice crop.

“I was fortunate to be in the backyard of the Rice Research Station in Crowley where some of the world’s leading rice researchers and scientists served as mentors for me. For example, Dr. Steve Linscombe and Dr. Johnny Saichuk both taught me so much about rice and contributed to my developing a deep interest in this crop.”

Keith Fontenot and Louisiana rice farmer Jeffery Sylvester When asked what he has enjoyed most about his career in Extension, Fontenot paused and took a moment to reflect.

“What I enjoyed most when working with the youth was seeing the students excel in the areas in which I worked with them,” he says. “When I began working with adults in agriculture, it made me feel good to know that I had helped by answering their questions about different issues. Many of them came back to me to say that my advice had made a difference in the way their gardens or their crops turned out. Th at makes me feel appreciated.”

Speaking on behalf of the Evangeline Rice Growers Association, president Jeffery Sylvester, says, “Another valuable quality Keith offers is that he is always available and willing to work. If he is out of the office or even on leave, you can always catch him on his cell phone. He has always been willing to work with growers no matter the time of day or day of the week. Whether it was a one-on-one problem in the field or as a member of a larger group at a meeting, Keith has never made me feel as though I was bothering him but rather felt he always enjoyed what he was doing.”

Dr. Steve Linscombe, director and breeder at the Rice Research Station in Crowley, remarks, “Mr. Keith Fontenot has an excellent reputation among his producer clientele, his co-workers and the people of the community in general. He is the epitome of what a rice Extension agent should be. Keith is hardworking, dedicated, knowledgeable, and most importantly, has an earnest desire to see the rice industry he serves prosper well into the future.”

On this note, it is a pleasure to name Keith Fontenot as the recipient of the 2015 Rice Industry Award.

Keith Fontenot Ville Platte, La.

• B.S., Vocational Agriculture Education, Louisiana State University • Member of Evangeline Parish Rice Growers Association and Louisiana Rice Growers Association • Member of Evangeline Parish Cattleman’s Association • Member of LAE4-HA, Epsilon Sigma Phi, Louisiana County Agents Association, American Forage and Grassland Council, FSA Committee, NRCS Committee and Quality Deer Management Association • LSU AgCenter’s 2012 Distinguished Service Award • Floyd S. Edmiston 2010 Award for Excellence in planning, conducting and evaluating statewide Extension education programs • Received the LCAAA 4-H Agents team award and several service awards • Member of First Baptist Church, Pine Prairie, La. • Married to wife, Vickie. Two children: Natalie (husband, Jake) and Justin (wife, Elizabeth) • Four grandchildren: Amber, 15; Layla Grace, 5; Emmitt, 2; and Harper Lynn, 2

Jimmy Hoppe

RICE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

M

ention the name Jimmy Hoppe anywhere in research and is a long-time off-station research cooperator the U. S. rice world, and people will instantwith the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station. Research scily recognize him as a long-time, effective and entists from the Rice Station have conducted studies on vaselfless leader who has positively impacted the riety development, disease control, weed control and several rice industry since he was a young rice farmer in southwest other disciplines on his farm for the past 21 consecutive years.

Louisiana.

He values sharing research fi ndings and continues to host rice A third-generation rice producer, Hoppe grew up on a rice research field tours on his farm for other rice producers. farm that his father, Carl, purchased in 1944.

On a personal note, Louisiana rice farmer Kevin Berken “I’ve spent my whole life right here doing all the tasks on says, “When I returned to farming in the mid-1990s and dethe farm that were necessary,” he says. “I always enjoyed the cided to become involved in the rice industry, I was greeted work and being outdoors. After my eighth grade year, my Dad with much wisdom and insight by Jimmy Hoppe. He became let me have some second an unknowing mentor crop. I farmed that rice for me in my formative on my own and made a time in the Jeff Davis little money. The next Parish Rice Growers year he increased my reand the Louisiana Rice sponsibility to 35 acres.

Promotion Board.”

“While attending the Dr. Steve Linscombe, University of Southsenior rice breeder at western Louisiana in the H. Rouse Caffey Lafayette, I married my Rice Research Station, high school sweetheart, says, “I have known Mr. Brenda. We came back Hoppe since shortly to the farm after fi nishafter I assumed the poing college, and she has sition of rice specialist always supported me in with the LSU AgCenter whatever I was doing. in 1982. He was one of “Th rough the years, the fi rst producers that I typically farmed rice I was introduced to, and soybeans. In 1991, Brenda and Jimmy Hoppe package and distribute bags of the popular and I knew from that with the encouragement aromatic rice that is grown on Hoppe Farms. initial meeting that of Bill Dishman from Mr. Hoppe was a dediTexas during a soybean meeting in St. Louis, I started growcated advocate of U.S. rice in general and the Louisiana rice ing specialty rice – Jasmine 85 at that time.” industry specifically.

Although Hoppe retired in 2012, his young tenant still When asked what he thinks will help keep the U.S. rice ingrows aromatic rice that Hoppe sells by mail order and in spedustry viable, Hoppe is quick to say, “technology,” particularly cialty shops. At Christmas, he sells custom bags of aromatic as it relates to variety development. rice that people give as gifts to family, friends and customers.

“Clearfield technology has been one of the biggest improve“I typically sell about 10,000 bags of rice at Christmas, and ments in the rice industry form a producer’s standpoint,” he Brenda helps me package it during the holidays,” Hoppe says. says. “The varieties that have come out of that program have As a state FFA officer in high school, Jimmy began learning certainly met customer acceptance. Provisia rice will help the the value of service and honing his leadership skills, which he industry tremendously, too, and the development of Jazzman has used in state and national agricultural organizations for and Jazzman 2 has increased our ability to compete with the the past 50 years. His farming philosophy includes a commitTh ai Jasmine that is being imported.” ment to using sustainable practices with the goal of making the For his many years as a successful and innovative rice farmer most efficient use of resources and using management practicwho has always given selflessly to the U.S. rice industry, it is a es to enhance the environmental benefits of rice production. great honor to congratulate Jimmy Hoppe as the recipient of Hoppe has always been on the cutting edge of agricultural the 2015 Rice Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jimmy Hoppe Fenton, La.

• B.S., Vocational Agriculture Education, University of Southwestern Louisiana • State Secretary of Louisiana FFA and recipient of the State Foundation State Star Farmer Award • Member of USA Rice Farmers • Member of Jeff Davis and Louisiana Rice Growers Associations • Member of Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation • President of Louisiana Rice Council for over 20 years • Chairman of USA Rice Council 2000-2002 • 1991 International Rice Festival Rice Farmer of the Year • 1994 Rice Foundation Rice Grower Leadership Achievement Award • 1999 Rice Farming Rice Farmer of the Year • 2007 International Rice Festival Honoree • 2015 Louisiana Hall of Agricultural Distinction • Married to wife, Brenda. Two children: Steven (wife, Jeannie) and Caryl. Three grandchildren: Miranda, 15; Nicole, 12; and Brandon, 10

2015 Rice Awards W

ith the many challenges facing the U.S. rice industry today, it is an honor to recognize professionals who are stepping forward to champion our industry. Horizon Ag is proud to stand with these leaders, offering high-quality rice varieties, support, education and encouragement, as we work together to advance the interests of U.S. rice farmers and build a brighter future.

While it is difficult to formally recognize in any given year the many professionals who strive for the improvement of U.S. rice production, those exemplifying a high level of service and contributions are singled out for special recognition by their peers.

The Rice Industry Award honors the person who has proven to be innovative in his or her role in this industry. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the person who has dedicated his or her life to the viability of the U.S. rice industry. The Rice Farmer of the Year Award honors a producer who has shown determination, innovation or dedication to growing the crop. We received many outstanding nominations, and naming three individuals most deserving of these distinguished awards was a challenge. Please take a moment to review the accomplishments of each of these recipients that set them apart as leaders in the U.S. rice industry.

Horizon Ag is committed to supporting rice variety yields, quality and profitability, helping secure the future of rice farmers. Growers have learned to depend on Horizon Ag Clearfield® varieties in the field to stabilize weed control costs and maximize production. Mills, exporters and end users of U.S. rice know they can depend on Horizon Ag varieties for excellent quality. As the leading provider of Clearfield rice seed and more than a decade of success bringing outstanding products to market, we are very proud to honor the 2015 award winners.

For more information on Horizon products, please contact your local seed retailer or visit www.horizonseed.com.

Tim Walker General Manager, Horizon Ag

Horizon Ag would like to recognize past Rice Awards recipients.

1992

Nolen Canon, Tunica, Miss.

1995

2006

1993

Jacko Garrett Jr., Danbury, Texas

1994

Duane Gaither, Walnut Ridge, Ark.

1996

Leroy & Chris Isbell, England, Ark.

1997

Charles Berry, Tunica, Miss.

John Denison, Iowa, La. Paul Haidusek, Devers, Texas Errol Lounsberry, Vermilion Parish, La. Charley Mathews Jr., Marysville, Calif.

Patrick Mullen, Des Arc, Ark. Fred Tanner, Bernie, Mo.

1998

Tommy Andrus, Moorhead, Miss.

Don Bransford, Colusa, Calif.

Larry Devillier Jr., Winnie, Texas Dennis Robison, Poplar Bluff, Mo. Gary Sebree, Stuttgart, Ark. Linda Zaunbrecher, Gueydon, La.

1999

Ken Collins, Biggs, Calif.

James “Jimmy” Hoppe, Fenton, La. Charles Parker Johnson, Neelyville, Mo. Abbott Myers, Dundee, Miss.

Lowell George “L.G.” Raun Jr., El Campo, Texas Martin Walt Jr., Dumas, Ark.

Rice Farmer of the Year: Gibb Steele, Hollandale, Miss.

Rice Industry Award: Chuck Wilson, DeWitt, Ark. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: John Denison, Iowa, La.

2007

Rice Farmer of the Year: Clarence Berken, Lake Arthur, La. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Joe Street, Stoneville, Miss.

Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Steve Linscombe, Crowley, La.

2008

Rice Farmer of the Year: Milton LaMalfa, Richvale, Calif.

Rice Industry Award: John Cummings, Fort Collins, Colo.

Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Martin Ahrent, Corning, Ark.

2009

Rice Farmer of the Year: Curtis Berry, Robinsonville, Miss.

Rice Industry Award: John E. Broussard Jr., Fairfax, Va. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Carl Wayne Brothers, Stuttgart, Ark.

2000

2010

2001

2011

2002

2012

2003

2013

2004

2014

John B. Alter, DeWitt, Ark. R. Ernest Girouard Jr., Kaplan, La. Bill Griffith, Boyle, Miss.

Ken Minton, Dexter, Mo. Michael Rue, Marysville, Calif.

J.D. “Des” Woods, Katy, Texas Rice Farmer of the Year: Larry and Candice Davis, Bolivar County, Miss.

Rice Industry Award: Jack Williams, UC Cooperative Extension Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: David LaCour, Vermilion Parish, La. Rice Farmer of the Year: Tommy Ray Oliver, Stuttgart, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Howard Cormier, LSU AgCenter, Abbeville, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Leland L. Carle, Stuttgart, Ark. Rice Farmer of the Year: David Monroe Smith Jr., Jonesboro, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Johnny Saichuk, LSU AgCenter, Crowley, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Lundberg Brothers, Richvale, Calif.

Clearfield® is a registered trademark of BASF Corporation. ©2015 Horizon Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

2005

Rice Farmer of the Year: John Greer, Jonesboro, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Charles “Eddie” Eskew, Jennings, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Donald Bransford, Colusa, Calif.

Dennis Leonards, Crowley, La.

Rice Farmer of the Year: Dane Hebert, Maurice, La. Rice Industry Award: Dr. M.O. “Mo” Way, Texas A&M, Beaumont, Texas Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Joseph Musick, LSU AgCenter, Crowley, La.

Rice Farmer of the Year: Greg, C.J. and Jeff Durand, St. Martinville, La. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Richard J. Norman, Fayetteville, Ark. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Elaine T. Champagne, New Orleans, La. Rice Farmer of the Year: Mark Wimpy, Jonesboro, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Rick Cartwright, Little Rock, Ark. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Jacko Garrett Jr., Danbury, Texas Rice Farmer of the Year: Jim Whitaker, McGehee, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Donald Groth, Rayne, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Jim Erdman, Colusa, Calif.

Rice Farmer of the Year: Joe Aguzzi, Cleveland, Miss.

Rice Industry Award: Dr. Eric Webster, Baton Rouge, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Elton Kennedy, Mer Rouge, La. Rice Farmer of the Year: Fred Zaunbrecher, Duson, La. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Kent McKenzie, Biggs, Calif.

Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Marvin Baden, Stuttgart, Ark.

A rollercoaster ride Weaker demand and lower prices replace bullish start to marketing year.

By Kurt Guidry

T

PHOTO BY LIA GUTHRIE

he rice market is starting to feel similar to a roller- why are prices beginning to stagnate and move lower? First, with coaster ride with highs and lows. After starting at harvest essentially over, the market is more confident in the size extremely low levels in June and July, prices made a of the 2015 crop, and some of the risk premium that built up in sustained move higher over the next couple of months. the market has started to leave.

Momentum from lower acreage and lower production along with Second, and probably more importantly, is that while demand a strong start in export demand for the 2015-16 marketing year has been undeniably stronger, it has been spotty. A couple of helped push prices higher. large rough rice sales to Venezuela early in the marketing year and a However, now that harvest is over, large milled rice sale to Iraq early prices have seemed to reach a momentary plateau and have started to created the quick start to the year. fall in some markets.

However, there hasn’t been enough Lower acreage, lower yield and of a continuation of those large rough strong export demand pushed prices rice and milled rice sales to keep the higher during the first two months positive momentum in the market going. Once the market secured enough of the marketing year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reduced rice to fill that early business, the inability to follow that up with additionthe estimated 2015 rice acreage by al large sales reduced the pressure to roughly 300,000 acres from the initial projection released in the plantmove prices higher. ing intentions report.

Market situation repeats In addition, adverse weather conditions throughout much of the growing This market currently finds itself season have lowered yield expectain the same situation it has been for tions for most of the rice producing the past several yields and that is being dependent on demand to provide states. Current USDA projections a price spark. The market is undoubtshow average rice yields across the edly in a better position with the lowUnited States down 3.5 percent from er acreage and production and should 2014, with individual state yields down from slightly more than 2 per- The 2015-16 marketing year got off to a strong help minimize downside price risk. cent to more than 7 percent.

However, unless more consistent destart. Through Oct. 22, total rice exports were up mand can be found, it is difficult to In fact, many market analysts be- more than 80 percent from the previous year. lieve that yields are actually down see the incentive for the market to closer to 10 to 15 percent. The yield reductions coupled with low- push prices significantly higher. er acreage means total rice production for 2015 is more than 15 Prices seemed to momentarily top out in the $20- to $21-perpercent lower than 2014. This significant reduction in total rice barrel ($12.35 to $12.96 per hundredweight) range and in some supplies was one of the major reasons the market experienced cases have fallen back to the $19-per-barrel ($11.73 cwt) range. If more consistent demand can start to materialize, I think there is the price strength during August and September. a chance for this market to regain some momentum.

Strong exports start marketing year I think there is a chance for prices to move to the $21- to The other reason that prices improved is that export demand for $22-per-barrel ($12.96 to $13.58 cwt) range and perhaps even to the 2015-16 marketing year started off very strong. Through Oct. the $23-per-barrel ($14.20 cwt) range. This would be particular22, total rice exports were up more than 80 percent from the previ- ly true for higher-milling and higher-quality rice. However, this ous year. Long grain rough rice exports were up more than 70 per- will not happen without an infusion of sustained demand into cent while long grain milled exports were up more than 40 percent. the market.

Large increases in medium grain exports also were seen. This strong start to the marketing year coupled with the lower produc- Dr. Kurt Guidry is an agricultural economist with Louisiana tion estimates created the price strength that has been experienced. State University’s AgCenter. Contact Guidry at KMGuidry@ So with the improving supply and demand picture for rice, agcenter.lsu.edu.

Twitter: @RiceFarming

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

21

R ice Producers

Forum

A dream come true Direct-farmer marketing pays off with a rough rice shipment to Mexico.

I

f we begin with the premise that rice producers today have lost most of the assistance they used to receive from Washington, then marketing their harvests takes on an even greater importance.

Pricing the crop is pretty much it; there are

By Dwight Roberts not a lot of chances to make money past that President and CEO point of sale.

U.S. Rice Producers Despite grower protests (“I only grow the Association stuff”), marketing has always been important.

It has led to the formation of cooperatives, pools, growing contracts and farmers building processing plants — a wide variety of methods to optimize return on land and labor.

The parallel dream of selling direct to buyers has been a largely unattainable goal for decades. Selling rice at the farmers’ market only works if it is a short drive from the farm. Selling rice in any form for export takes specialized knowledge and a lot of money.

But the world changed in 2010. A very hot summer caused much of the rice crop to have distinctly low quality and milling yield. The largest export buyers of U.S. rice are Mexico and the Central American Free Trade Agreement countries.

They tend to buy rough rice for processing in their own mills The MV UBC Saiki loads with 20,000 tons of rough rice from since they can’t grow the port of Lake Charles, La., for shipment to Mexico. enough at home.

So those mills — intentionally or not — started receiving the low-quality rice from the 2010 harvest. It took a while, but they started to complain. As a result, several countries turned to rough rice from Brazil or milled rice from Vietnam or Uruguay, threatening the nearly 100 percent market share enjoyed by the United States.

This story should be familiar to everyone in the rice business. Attempts were made to offer identity preserved rough rice to our customers, but nothing worked smoothly be-

22 RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

cause the “old” system resulted in the lowest cost.

A serendipitous deal Purely by accident, the Louisiana Independent Rice Producers Association made a deal to use a failed facility in Lacassine that had been financed by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture.

Selling shares and raising money from sources including hurricane recovery, LIRPA built a modern rail-loading facility. Buyers in Mexico envisioned the new facility as the source of the kind of rice they wanted to buy, and slowly the tonnage put through the facility benefited farmers.

Proving that they could originate and ship rice of the same variety, the farmer group was in a position to take advantage of another anomaly.

A New York group decided to build a grain export elevator at the port of Lake Charles. This would be the first new export facility built in many years, and at first rice was not included in the list of products to be handled at the elevator.

Working with contacts the group had made marketing the rail facility in Mexico, it was determined that loading a full vessel from the new elevator was doable. To make a long story short, the MV UBC Saiki sailed on Oct. 5 bound for Veracruz loaded with 20,000 tons of rough rice for the largest mill in Mexico.

The 41 growers who provided the rough rice for this sale received prices about 10 percent above the bid level prior to the sale announcement. There is no guarantee that this business will be repeated or grow, but so far both buyers and sellers are very pleased.

The high quality rice that was shipped was exactly what the buyer had been trying to purchase, freight costs were lower from Lake Charles than from New Orleans, and the price was better than the market had been willing to pay. Direct-farmer marketing was, in fact, the “dream come true.”

The mere presence of farmers’ access to an alternate facility to export either by rail or sea influences the market.

RICEFARMING.COM

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Sponsored by BASF

A Look Back to Inform Your Look Ahead 2015 — Wet Spring Woes Looking back at the 2015 growing season, the year proved to be particularly challenging for rice farmers due to an exceptionally wet spring.

From Missouri down to Louisiana, and even over in Texas, the rainy conditions prevented many growers from getting out into their fields to plant their seed.

“2015 brought one of the lower amounts of acres planted,” said Nick Fassler, Product Manager with BASF. “Even in Arkansas, there were over 250,000 acres where rice did not get planted.”

Moist weather can provide favorable conditions for sheath blight, which is a major disease for rice.

Once it infects a plant, both yield and grain qualities are reduced as the infection prevents the flow of water and nutrients to the grain. Grain may develop only partially or not at all, and poorly developed grain usually breaks up during milling, reducing its quality.

BASF Technical Service Representative Alvin Rhodes advised growers to continue to prepare for and monitor sheath blight in the years ahead. “Sheath blight can cause up to 35 percent yield loss to rice if uncontrolled,” Rhodes said.

The wet spring also brought an onslaught of weeds. Barnyard grass, for example, thrives in moist soils and competes with plants for space and nutrients. It removes high levels of potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen from the soil, which threatens the success of the crop.

Growers also saw red rice, which similarly appears in wet environments and if present in harvested rice, causes dockage at the mill.

Grow Smart™ in 2016 Knowing the challenges growers faced this season, how do you best prepare for what lies ahead in 2016?

BASF aims to help growers do that with Grow Smart. Bringing together expert agronomic advice, best practices, insights and inputs, Grow Smart works with farmers to help improve their business and protect their investments.

Planning As someone who knows the advantages of Grow Smart firsthand, Fassler said the best action any rice grower can take for 2016 is to plan ahead. “Budgets are going to be tight for growers again in 2016, so a planned approach and spend is important. That will help growers ensure that every dollar spent is a good dollar, and they’ll have a clean field and the best rice possible.”

Fassler recommends that growers evaluate their budget from top to bottom as they plan their approach.

crop technology developed with traditional plant-breeding techniques, can give growers the power to control barnyard grass, red rice and other tough weeds with simplicity and convenience. Compared with conventional rice, Clearfield Production System for rice farmland has greater value due to cleaner fields. Fields where Clearfield Production System for rice is planted also stay cleaner longer, meaning growers spend less time scouting.

And what about the sheath blight that Rhodes said growers should continue to prepare for and monitor? BASF introduced Sercadis ™ fungicide as a tool for rice growers to protect their crops from sheath blight. “Not only can Sercadis fungicide control sheath blight, it can be an excellent resistance management tool,” said Rhodes. Sercadis fungicide provides preventive and postinfection disease control with longer lasting residual for rice. In a 2013 research trial, rice treated with Sercadis fungicide yielded 30.6 bu/A more than untreated rice and reduced sheath blight by 70 percent.

Action

Here’s to a Smart and Profitable 2016

When deciding what kind of rice seed to purchase, Fassler said it’s common for growers to consider a lower-cost, conventional seed, but that might cause more budget problems down the line.

Clearfield® Production System for rice, a nongenetically modified

Growers — you still have plenty of time to formulate your plan for 2016. If you’re interested in learning more about how Grow Smart or any BASF products can help you achieve great results in 2016, visit: agproducts.basf.us.

Always read and follow label directions.

Grow Smart and Sercadis are trademarks of BASF. Clearfield is a registered trademark of BASF. © 2015 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved. 15-AWC-0005-rfa-001

Specialists Speaking

Let’s breathe a collective sigh of relief that the trying 2015 season is over DR. BOBBY GOLDEN MISSISSIPPI Extension Rice Specialist bgolden@drec.msstate.edu

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency certified approximately 144,000 acres of rice in Mississippi during the 2015 growing season, about 30 percent less than the 187,000 acres recorded for 2014 but still more than the 2013 acreage, which was the lowest in recent history.

Once again Bolivar County led with the most rice acreage, followed by Tunica County in second. Again in 2015, most of the rice acreage was north of Highway 82, with rice seeded in approximately 16 of the 19 Delta counties.

Yield estimates are lower than the previous two years, with USDA suggesting 7,100 pounds per acre. I feel like yields will be off by at least 10 percent when all the bushels are finally counted.

SAM ATWELL

MISSOURI Agronomy Specialist atwells@missouri.edu The 2015 Missouri rice crop started late and remained late until we were blessed with a perfect harvest season.

It started very cold and wet in early April and remained that way until mid-May, except for a couple days here and there.

So only a few farmers planted 5 percent by April 20, with only 25 percent by May 5, followed by 65 percent on May 15, 80 percent on May 30 and the remaining 20 percent scattered up to late June.

Missouri growers planted about 184,000 acres of rice with 180,000 acres harvested. This is down from 225,000 acres in 2014. Weather, price and production costs contributed to the reduced acres. Some growers were more conservative this year and chose conventional varieties over hybrids and Clearfield, and lowered fertilizer rates along with weed control programs. And it was noticeable in some cases.

Weed control is one of those tasks that they evaluate at harvest and begin planning for the next season. I noticed that for the most part, Missouri rice farmers did a good job controlling our ample supply of weeds in 2015.

However, we had a few more spots with sprangletop, barnyard grass, red rice and sedge escapes than in past years. Flat, umbrella and yellow nut sedge seem to be on the increase. It may be because of less competition due to the low seeding

24 RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

Planting progress occurred in chunks for most of the state and at a much more rapid pace than in 2014, when record April rainfall delayed planting in many areas. This year as of April 15, only 30 percent of the total rice crop was planted; however, by May 19, 93 percent was in the ground.

This planting pace exceeded the three-, five- and 10-year historical average, resulting in most areas of the state being planted on time. The exception was in the far northwest corner, where rainfall delayed planting on many farms into early to mid-June.

It seems year after year that herbicide drift calls start picking up shortly after rice emergence. 2015 drift issues were much like 2014, with the lion’s share of calls centered around paraquat and pre-emergence soybean herbicide tankmix partners.

On a positive note, we fielded relatively few glyphosate calls in 2015. Most of the fields that experienced some form of drift made a turnaround and were not a complete loss; however, yield was influenced, especially in fields that received glyphosate drift. Off-target herbicide drift is a perpetual problem in the rates of rice we are planting these days. Most growers try to start clean and stay clean.

One very positive note was our low irrigation pumping cost this year due to almost weekly rainfall until late July. With our already ample groundwater supply furnished by our Ozark Karst system to the north and west and the Mississippi River influence to the east, Missouri is blessed with a good low-cost replenished groundwater supply. Missouri growers irrigate 97 percent from wells and 3 percent from streams.

Missouri growers chose more conventional varieties in 2015 than in the past, with about 45 percent hybrids and 50 percent Clearfield. Of that, 95 percent was long grain and 5 percent medium grain. Our yields were average this year, perhaps down a bit from the past couple high-yielding years. These data are not official — they’re from a few consultants and myself.

I have a lot of respect for American growers who blend together very complex choices to produce high-quality economic crops. For example, growers must choose their rice production system and then build a weed and fertility control program that will work well in that system. Row- or furrow-irrigated rice is on the increase in Missouri, with about 10 percent planted in 2015. Growers feel more comfortable when they start ahead and stay ahead. 2015 was not an easy year to do that.

I want to say thanks to our independent and dealer/distributor supply consultants, Missouri Rice Research Council, the university systems and Missouri rice producers’ checkoff dollars that help all of us to partner in making Missouri a productive rice state and player in the world market.

RICEFARMING.COM

SPECIALISTS SPEAKING

PHOTO BY BRUCE SCHULTZ/LSU AGCENTER

Delta. In 2015, the Mississippi Rice Promotion Board sponsored Ben Lawrence, a doctoral candidate, to help address the issue with more detailed research on drift and drift management.

Insect pest issues in 2015 were fairly average as far as rice water weevil and armyworm. Rice stink bugs were a different story with heavy pressure in the first 10 to 20 percent of the crop that headed. Many calls from seasoned rice producers suggested it was the worst pressure they had experienced. As more rice headed, the pressure dissipated to a more manageable level.

The greatest concern in 2015 and one that definitely contributed to reduced yields was excessive heat coinciding with rice flowering and pollination. Stoneville weather data collected throughout the growing season showed that between July 11-30, daily air temperatures never fell below 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

A two-day break in the heat occurred, and from Aug. 2-12 temperatures were never below 94 degrees.

Much of the early planted rice headed in this period and experienced some degree of heat-induced sterility. Great weather allowed for probably the most timely and uninterrupted harvest I have ever experienced.

Although Louisiana growers had good weather during harvest and for the ratoon crop, they blame a wet spring for lower firstcrop yields.

One of the frequent calls I received was, “How long can seedling rice stay submerged before dying?”

Obviously, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer, but we felt confident that in most situations seedlings could survive for eight to 10 days. In many cases, rice had germinated but not emerged when the rains started again, and the result was a lot of less-than-adequate stands, which had to be replanted.

Another problem with the early season rainfall was with pre-

DR. DUSTIN HARRELL LOUISIANA Extension Rice Specialist dharrell@agcenter.lsu.edu

2015 may go down as one of the most challenging seasons ever in Louisiana.

Many farmers will tell you that when it comes to farming, every year is unique.

We can all recall memorable cropping years in the past. In 2013 and 2014, we were blessed with favorable weather, low incidence of diseases, and as a result we had excellent yields. 2012 can be remembered as the year blast was so devastating to us here in Louisiana.

So what will the 2015 season be remembered for? When I asked that of many farmers, they told me that this year will go down as one of the most agronomically challenging seasons they ever witnessed in their careers. That is really saying something when many of them that I spoke to had been farming for 30-plus years!

Why was it so challenging? The simple answer is rain. Rainfall started prior to planting and did not consistently slow down until well after midseason. At the Rice Research Station, for example, the average rainfall during the entire rice season (from March 1-Aug. 31) is about 26 inches. This year during just the first three months of the rice-growing season (March 1-June 1), we received 26 inches.

The frequent rainfall caused many early season problems.

First and foremost was stand establishment. There was a very short window where the soil was dry enough to plant, which occurred during the last full week in March. Most producers in south Louisiana scrambled to plant as much as they could during this brief window.

Then the frequent rainfall started soon afterward, causing many of the newly emerged seedlings to become submerged.

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RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

25

flood nitrogen (N) fertilization. Pre-flood N fertilizer always should be applied on dry ground, and then the field flooded as quickly as possible to maximize fertilizer efficiency. This means that most of the time if the ground is wet, it is best to wait a few days for it to dry before applying pre-flood N. However, the ground never dried in 2015. The final result was that a lot of N fertilizer was applied on wet or muddy ground.

Another somewhat unique question frequently asked in 2015 was, “How long is too long to wait before applying pre-flood N?” That is another question that does not have definitive answer at this point and probably deserves more research.

What we do know is that rice begins to take up N rapidly once vegetative growth begins. We also know that the best time to apply any fertilizer to a crop is just before it needs the nutrient. The wet soil conditions also caused a lot of problems for mid-season N applications. This was because airplanes, in many cases, could not use the muddy grass strips to take off or land and therefore, had to use paved air strips.

Disease and pest pressure was slightly lower than normal in 2015. The lone exception was blast. In Louisiana, we saw an early occurrence and a very high leaf blast incidence in the medium-grain variety Jupiter. The blast pressure was so great that many producers made two fungicide applications for the disease.

As fast as the rains started during the 2015 season, they ended just as quickly. The last quarter of the season was basically dry, and the day and nighttime temperatures neared and sometimes exceeded what we would like to see during flowering and grain fill.

If you couple that with the excessively cloudy weather that came with the rain during the first two-thirds of the season, the final result suggests a lower-than-normal yield. The state average yield has not been determined yet, but it is expected to be about 6 to 10 percent lower than the record or near-record yields of 2013 and 2014, respectively. Not too bad considering it was one of the most challenging seasons ever.

The ratoon crop in south Louisiana is well underway as I write this, and to tell the truth, it looks excellent. If official yield records were kept on the ratoon crop, I bet we would break them this year. Ratoon yields may give our overall yield a boost when all is said and done this year.

DR. M.O. “MO” WAY TEXAS Rice Research Entomologist moway@aesrg.tamu.edu

Texas rice farmers suffered through a very challenging year in 2015. In my 32 years working at the Beaumont Center, I consider 2015 the most difficult year for our Texas rice farmers to plant their crop.

The Beaumont Center received almost 30 inches of rain during the months of March, April and May. Because of this unusually wet, cool spring, rice planting was delayed, prolonged or abandoned.

In addition, many farmers had to replant because of standing water in fields — and we all know replanting can lead to major

26 RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

PHOTO BY CLIFF MOCK

Specialists Speaking

“Hopperburn” to ratoon rice refers to bronzing of foliage symptomatic of planthopper damage.

problems later in the season. In fact, many farmers who typically produce two crops of rice had to settle for only one.

In “normal” years, about 60 percent of Texas rice acreage is ratooned — this year I estimate only 30 percent was. So yields and acreage were down in 2015. Speaking of acreage, farmers along the Lower Colorado River were denied water again in 2015 while farmers along the Brazos River cut back rice production about two-thirds due to water restrictions; thus, Texas rice acreage in 2015 was only 103,000, according to the Texas Rice Crop Survey. However, maybe our farmers in these areas will receive water in 2016 because of our wet year in 2015.

XL753, Presidio, CLXL745, CL152 and CL151 were the top five varieties in terms of planted acreage in the state this season.

Again, due to less-than-ideal weather, grass weed control was problematic. Fields were wet or conditions were windy when herbicides should have been applied, so grasses got a head start on the crop, forcing farmers to apply more herbicides than normal.

We had a relatively bad disease year, too. I saw fields east of Houston with severe brown spot. West of Houston, many fields suffered from kernel smut. In one field, 11 percent kernel smut was found. Following a wet, cool spring, it turned dry and hot in July, which resulted in excessive panicle blight in some fields.

As far as insect pest problems, rice water weevil populations and damage were higher than normal. More importantly, late in the season I was alerted to and observed extensive “hopperburn” to ratoon rice in several counties west and southwest of Houston.

We found a combination of leafhoppers and planthoppers attacking this rice, which was in heading to soft dough stages of development.

We collected specimens and sent them to a leafhopper/ planthopper specialist in Maryland (U.S. Department of Agriculture facility) for identification. We are waiting for the results. I am particularly concerned about the planthoppers, which are related to leafhoppers. Both have piercing-sucking mouthparts, enabling them to suck juices from vascular tissue in the foliage. Both also excrete honeydew upon which a black sooty mold grows. This is the first time I have observed planthoppers attacking rice, although I have collected them before RICEFARMING.COM

SPECIALISTS SPEAKING in light trap samples. I thank Wade and Cliff Mock for alerting me to the planthopper problem in Brazoria County. Some planthoppers native to Central America not only cause “hopperburn” from direct feeding but also transmit a virus that can cause stunting and sometimes kill affected rice. I will keep you updated on this issue.

DR. JARROD HARDKE

ARKANSAS Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas, Cooperative Extension Service jhardke@uaex.edu If I had told growers in January that they should plant their rice in May to achieve the best yields and that mid-April would be terrible, I’d have been laughed out of every room. But I would’ve been right. Against long-term trends that say “the earlier we plant rice, the higher the yields,” rice yields actually improved the later we planted.

Early April rice was down about 10 percent from 2014, and then it got worse. Growers saw mid-April planted rice yields bottom out. Once we hit the last few days of April into May, yields improved, in some cases dramatically.

Some blamed yield woes on issues with nitrogen (N) applications. While we did once again have difficulty getting preflood N applied to dry ground, this wasn’t our main problem, but it didn’t help. With a low commodity price driving producers to limit inputs, additional issues were created by reductions in seeding rates, seed treatments, fertilizers and herbicide applications.

Ultimately the planting date appeared to be the single greatest yield-limiting factor for 2015. Planting date effects on yield are well known, but 2015 didn’t fit any previous mold. In the majority of fields, there were few blanks, and heads were generally short with relatively few panicle branches and grain positions.

This suggests the problems weren’t during heading but instead during grain formation back at midseason in June when conditions were cloudy, rainy and overcast with strange cold snaps mixed in.

On a positive note, disease pressure was fairly light. Blast reports arrived early but tapered off as conditions turned hot and dry.

The change in conditions was also well timed to keep sheath blight low in the canopy and help avoid sprays to manage that disease.

Rice stink bug numbers continued the slight downturn observed in 2014, and one treatment was sufficient in most cases. A complaint during harvest was reports of “pecky” rice resulting in lower grades.

Knowing that stink bug numbers were relatively low and that the fields in question had been scouted and sprayed, more investigation was needed.

As it turns out, a number of fields in the north did have damaged rice, but it was not likely due to stink bugs but rather the sum total of stink bugs, disease and wet weather that caused the damage in question.

In early spring, Arkansas was predicted to flirt with record rice acreage on the back of favorable prices compared to alternatives. The steady decline of rice prices combined with planting delays prevented that from becoming a reality.

Once the season began (or tried to), cold weather and regular rainfall prevented much early progress except in isolated areas of central and southern Arkansas. Unfortunately, this continued through most of April, and a large percentage of the state’s rice was planted in a 14-day window around the last week of April and the first week of May. When the dust settled, Arkansas growers still planted almost 1.3 million acres, with an additional 300,000 acres listed as prevented planting. The current state average yield forecast for Arkansas in 2015 is 164 bushels per acre compared to the record of 168 bushels per acre in 2013 and 2014. The more likely outcome is an average yield between 155-160 bushels per acre.

That would represent a 5 to 7 percent decline in average yield compared to 2014. Not exactly the hand we were hoping to be dealt in 2015, and most are just relieved that this one is over.

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Variety/Hybrid

2016 Roster Outstanding lineup is ushered into the upcoming growing season.

T

he fall and winter are prime decision-making times for farmers across the country. One of the most important choices that rice producers will make involves variety or hybrid selection. The following is a list of Clearfield and hybrid offerings for 2016. Consider each of your fields individually and decide on your goals when making variety and/or hybrid choices for the upcoming season. The following charts and characteristic information were provided by Horizon Ag LLC and RiceTec.

Horizon Ag LLC 2016 Clearfield Varieties CL111

• Earliest maturity of any Clearfield variety • Excellent vigor with high yield potential • Outstanding grain quality and milling • Ideal for early planting and to stagger harvest timing • Kellogg’s preferred long grain

CL151

• Highest-yielding inbred variety on the market • Susceptible to blast: not recommended for fields with a history of blast or water issues • Uses N very efficiently. The NSt*R program is recommended where available and may help reduce nitrogen input costs, improve disease control and minimize lodging.

CL152 • • • •

Superior lodging resistance Good grain quality and milling Good seedling vigor and tillering Identity-preserved loads have received premium for their preferred quality

CL163

• Excellent yield potential • Extremely high grain quality and milling • Exceptional cooking quality ◦ Extra-high amylose content compared to current long grain varieties

28 RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

Web Resources

XL723

For more information about Horizon Ag Clearfield varieties, please visit www.horizonseed.com.

• Workhorse conventional hybrid released in 2005 • Best option for straighthead-prone fields • Excellent choice for ratoon production • Superior milling yield

For more information about RiceTec hybrids, please visit www.ricetec.com.

RiceTec 2016 CLEARFIELD Hybrids CLEARFIELD XL 4534

◦ Ideal for parboil, canning, foodservice or package rice • Susceptible to blast: not recommended for fields with a history of blast or water issues

CL271

• Semi-dwarf Clearfield medium grain • Improved agronomics over CL261, including blast resistance • Excellent yield potential

RiceTec 2016 Traditional Hybrids XL753

• Highest-yielding hybrid available • Winner of the Mississippi State University and University of Arkansas 2013 and 2014 yield trials • Excellent disease tolerance

XL760

• Similar yield to XL753 • Good milling yield • Great disease package

• • • •

Highest-yielding Clearfield available Very early maturity Excellent lodging resistance Superior grain retention

CLEARFIELD XL 745

• “4 x 4” of the Clearfield lineup • Most widely grown long-grain rice in the United States • Above-average milling yields • Superior performance across all soil types • Improved grain retention

CLEARFIELD XL 729 • • • •

Workhorse Clearfield hybrid Best performance on clay soils Excellent ratoon potential Great disease package

CLEARFIELD XP 756

• Similar yield potential to CLEARFIELD XL 729 • Later maturity to help spread out harvest • Improved grain retention • Best available disease package RICEFARMING.COM

2016 Clearfield Disease Ratings Variety

Sheath Blight

Blast *

Straighthead

Bacterial Panicle Blight *

Narrow Brown Leaf Spot *

Kernel Smut

False Smut

Lodging

CL111

VS

MS

S

VS

S

S

S

MS

CL151

S

VS

VS

VS

S

S

S

S

CL152

S

S

-

MR

MR

VS

S

MR

CL163

S

VS

MR

MR

MS

-

-

MS

CL271

S

MR

-

MS

MR

-

-

-

VS=Very Susceptible S=Susceptible MS=Moderately Susceptible * Reactions may differ due to variability of strains among pathogens.

MR=Moderately Resistant

R=Resistant

Clearfield Variety Characteristics and Suggested Management Practices Variety

Height1 (inches)

Maturity2 ­— Emergence to 50% heading (days)

Suggested Seeding Rate3 (lb seed/A)

Suggested Nitrogen Rate4 (lb N/A)

CL111

39

77

60-70

120-160

CL151

39

81

50-65

90-150

CL152

39

83

50-65

120-160

CL163

41

89

50-65

120-160

CL271

38

89

50-70

120-160

1

Height will vary with plant density and environmental conditions.

2

Maturity varies with geographical region and environmental conditions in a given year.

3

Optimal seeding rate varies depending on soil characteristics, seedbed condition and environmental conditions at time of planting.

Optimal nitrogen rate varies from field to field. The high end should be reserved for heavy clay soils and fields where rice is followed by rice. Using the high end of the nitrogen and seeding rate recommendations may increase the incidence of disease. Please scout and treat the Clearfield varieties accordingly. The NSt*R program is recommended where applicable and has been shown to decrease incidence of disease and lodging. Please contact your local Cooperative Extension office for more information.

4

RiceTec Disease Reaction1 Product

Blast2

Characteristics

Sheath Blight

Straighthead

Kernel Smut

False Smut

Stem Rot

Bacterial Narrow Panicle Brown Blight Leaf Spot

Standability Height

Maturity

Grain Retention

CLEARFIELD Long Grain CLEARFIELD XP756

R

MR

MS

MS

MS

S

MR

MR

Average

45-47

Medium Late

Above Average

CLEARFIELD XL745

R

MS

MR

MS

MS

S

MR

MR

Average

43-44

Early

Average

CLEARFIELD XL729

R

MS

MR

MS

MS

S

MS

MR

Above Average

42-44

Early

Below Average

CLEARFIELD XL4534

R

MS

MS

MS

MS

S

S

MR

Excellent

37-39

Very Early

Above Average

XL753

R

MS

MS

MS

MS

S

MS

MR

Above Average

42-44

Early

Above Average

XL723

R

MS

MR

MS

MS

S

MS

MR

Average

42-44

Early

Below Average

XL760

R

MS

MS

MS

MS

S

-

MR

Average

45-47

Early

Above Average

Standard Long Grain

1 RiceTec hybrid disease ratings and characteristics are determined from data collected from specific RiceTec and/or university field trials and are not a guarantee of performance, nor do they constitute a warranty of fitness for a particular use. R = Resistant; MR = Moderately Resistant; MS = Moderately Susceptible; S = Susceptible; VS = Very Susceptible 2 RiceTec hybrids have shown field resistance to common strains of rice blast fungus. Possible susceptibilty to unusual strains of the rice blast fungus, which have been thus far rare on one hybrid in the field to date, is being analyzed under controlled conditions in the laboratory and greenhouse.

Although RiceTec hybrids typically do not require fungicide treatment, fields should be scouted closely for diseases and treated with fungicides when necessary. Consider field history and environmental conditions when making fungicide decisions. Apply preventative applications of fungicide if justified by field history for kernel smut, false smut and/or narrow brown leaf spot.

Twitter: @RiceFarming

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

29

Industry News

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has awarded the University of Arkansas a $75,000 Conservation Innovation Grant to study the benefits of winter cover crops for rice.

The funds will be used by the university’s Healthy Soils, Happy Rice effort to demonstrate how winter cover crops can improve soil health and lower nitrogen fertilizer needs in rice production.

The nationwide CIG program falls under NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and recipients must provide non-federal matching funds of at least 50 percent of the project cost. Of the matching funds, at least 25 percent must be from cash contributions, while the remainder may be in-kind.

Vicky Boyd named new Rice Farming editor

One Grower Publishing has hired Vicky Boyd as editor of Rice Farming and Soybean South publications. She also will STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION 1. Publication Title: Rice Farming 2. Publication Number: 0194-­‐0929 3. Filing Date: 9/3/15 4. Issue Frequency: Jan -­‐ May & Dec 5. Number of Issues: 6x/year 6. Annual Susbcription Price: Free to qualified subscribers 7&8. Mailing Address of Known Office/Headquarters: 1010 June Rd., Memphis, TN 38119 Contact Person: Kathy Killingsworth (901-­‐767-­‐4020) 9. Publisher: Lia Guthrie, 7100 Black Bart Trail, Redwood Valley, CA 95470 Editor: Carroll Smith, 1010 June Rd., Ste. 102, Memphis, TN 38119 10. Owners: Cornelia Guthrie, 7100 Black Bart Trail, Redwood Valley, CA 95470 Dr. David Scott Guthrie,Sr., 7100 Black Bart Trail, Redwood Valley, CA 95470 Morris Ike Lamensdorf, 17 S. Third St., Rolling Fork, MS 39159 Mary Jane Lamensdorf, 17 S. Third St., Rolling Fork, MS 39159 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees and Other Security Holders Owning/Holding 1% or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: May 2015 15.a. Total Number of Copies (net press run): (Average No. Copies each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 9,340) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 9,117) 15.b.(1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 5,547) (No. Copies of Single Issue Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 5,089) 15.c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 5,547) (No. Copies of Single Issue Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 5,089) 15.d.(1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 3,493) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 3,920) 15.d.(4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 75) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 0) 15.e. Total Nonrequested Distribution: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 3,568) (No Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 3,920) 15.f. Total Distribution: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 9,115) (No Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 9,009) 15.g. Copies Not Distributed: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 225) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 108) 15.h. Total: (Average No. copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 9,340) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 9,117) 15.i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 60.9%) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 56.5%) 18. I certify that all information furnished above is true and complete.

Lia Guthrie, Publisher

30 RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2015

be the managing editor of Cotton Farming magazine.

“We are thrilled to have Vicky back on board as Rice Farming editor and assume responsibilities for Soybean South. Vicky is well known in the rice industry and is a veteran agricultural journalist,” said Lia Guthrie, publisher and vice president of One Grower Publishing. She will be based in Modesto, Calif.

Former Rice Farming and Soybean South editor Carroll Smith is now editor of Cotton Farming magazine. She also serves as associate publisher of One Grower Publishing and special projects manager.

“We are very fortunate to have someone of Carroll’s experience and pedigree to fill the shoes of Tommy Horton, who recently retired,” Guthrie said. “With these additions, One Grower is well positioned to continue to provide the quality editorial that our readers are accustomed to.”

Boyd can be reached at vlboyd@one grower.com or 209-505-3612.

RTWG to meet in Galveston

The 36th annual Rice Technical Working Group will meet March 1-4, 2016, in Galveston, Texas, continuing its tradition of convening every other year to exchange information and review research and Extension outreach. The group also will develop proposals for future work.

In addition to rice researchers from Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, interna-

tional attendees are expected from various rice-producing countries.

Topics include breeding, genetics and cytogenetics; economics and marketing; plant protection; processing, storage and quality; rice culture; and rice weed control and growth regulation.

The Distinguished Rice Research and Education Award will be given to one individual and one team to recognize achievements that advance the science, motivate progress and promise technical advances in the rice industry. Distinguished Service Awards recognize outstanding long-term service to the industry.

The event will be held at the Moody Gardens Hotel Spa and Convention Center. Registration and information are available at http://www.rtwg.net.

For more information, contact Lee Tarpley, Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant physiologist in Beaumont and program chair, at 409-752-2741 or Ltarpley@tamu. edu.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LSU AGCENTER

NRCS awards UA grant to help Healthy Soils, Happy Rice effort

County agents in each parish compile statistics on various aspects of rice acreage.

LSU AgCenter compiles state rice statistics

Want to know how Louisiana’s rice acreage breaks down as to variety, hybrids, planting methods, conservation practices, ratoon or grain types this season? Want to know how this year compares to previous year’s crop breakdowns?

There’s not an app for that information quite yet. But Louisiana State University’s AgCenter has compiled all of that data, broken down into several classifications, on its website, http://bit.ly/1M9ZGEy. The Louisiana Rice Acreage by Variety

By Parish survey is conducted annually by county agents in each rice-producing parish. They draw from communications with local Farm Service Agency offices, seed dealers and farmers in their parishes.

RICEFARMING.COM

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RF1215 Layout_CF 11/13 template 11/10/15 10:09 AM Page 32

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