Rice farming december 2017

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ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

PROFITABLE PRODUCTION STRATEGIES

Breeder unveils herbicide-resistant ROXY rice in California

DECEMBER 2017

Several summer storms challenged Mid-South rice

A gem of a variety New ‘Diamond’ lives up to expectations

RF1217 Layout_CF 11/13 template 11/1/17 4:00 PM Page 4

President Supply Chain Manager Irrigation Specialist Data Analyst

Senior Advisor

Rice farmers like Ross Hebert trust in RiceTec year after year, yield after yield.

Ross Hebert has grown RiceTec seed on his farm for over 15 years. He can always count on his RiceTec partner, Nicky Miller, to be there from start to ďŹ nish – making herbicide decisions, fertilizer recommendations and providing strip trials on the latest products.

By partnering with farmers for the long haul, we’ve become America’s most widely grown long-grain rice.

To ďŹ nd your local RiceTec representative, call • RiceTec.com

These statements are not a guarantee of performance, nor do they constitute a warranty of ďŹ tness for a particular use.

December 2017

COLUMNS

www.ricefarming.com

Vol. 52, No. 1

COVER STORY

4 From the Editor Cauliflower is nabbed for impersonating rice

5 USA Rice Update The Rice Foundation: Industry visionaries pave the way

DEPARTMENTS

A gem of a variety

21 Industry News Rice business scene

28 Specialist Speaking Crazy weather caused planting delays, lodged rice

22

New ‘Diamond’ lives up to expectations with strong yields and excellent grain quality.

ON THE COVER: Photos by Vicky Boyd Illustration by Ashley Kumpe

F E AT U R E S 6

Lower overall supplies, higher prices conspire to reduce demand for this year’s crop.

2017

RICE AWARDS Horizon Ag, Rice Farming and USA Rice are proud to bring you the recipients of the 2017 Rice Awards.

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

Exports still lag

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6

8

A host of challenges The 2017 rice season was anything but normal in Louisiana.

10

Tropical storm created numerous hurdles for the Texas rice industry.

2017 Rice Awards See page 13

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ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC

DECEMBER 2017

The big news: Harvey

New kid on the block Unique to the Mid-South, Missouri rice industry funds and directs studies at grower-owned research farm.

24 2018 Variety/Hybrid Roster 2018 Southern Soybean Varieties Check out different traits

Look for the Soybean South supplement following page 28 in the the Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas versions of Rice Farming .

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

10

12

24

Check out proven and new hybrid, and Clearfield and Provisia varietal releases for the upcoming season.

26 Scoring a ‘goal’ California Rice Experiment Station unveils herbicide-resistant ROXY rice.

26 DECEMBER 2017

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From The

Editor

Cauliflower is nabbed for impersonating rice What’s in a name? Everything, if you’re the Washington, D.C.-based USA Rice.

The organization has complained to the Food and Drug Administration that vegetable-based products that use “rice” in their name ­— such as Cauli Rice, Green Giant Riced Cauliflower, Trader Joe’s Rice Cauliflower and vegetable grower Apio’s Eat Smart Cauliflower Rice — are too confusing to the consumer.

“Vegetables that have gone through a ricer are still vegetables, just in a different form,” USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward said in a May statement. “Only rice is rice, and calling riced vegetables vegetables “rice” ‘rice’ is misleading Vicky Boyd and confusing to consumers.

Editor “We may be asking the FDA and other regulatory agencies to look at this.”

Promoters of the cauliflower products counter by saying consumers are smart enough to figure out their wares are not real rice but a vegetable-based wannabe.

They point to different beverages, such as soy milk, almond milk and even rice milk, as examples of how shoppers differentiate between real cow’s milk and similarly named products.

No so fast, says the National Milk Producers Federation, which is working to encourage the FDA to enforce the federal standard. It basically defines milk as a “lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows.”

The milk definition is among 300 standards of identity under the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act that the FDA is charged with enforcing. Take peanut butter, for example. It must contain at least 90 percent peanuts and no more than 55 percent fat. If the spread doesn’t meet the definition, such as some of the low-fat products, it must be called peanut spread or sandwich spread but not peanut butter. Even mayonnaise has a strict definition recently upheld by the FDA. There’s a simple solution to the beverage brouhaha: Just rename the milk wannabe products “soy drinks” or “almond beverages” as manufacturers in Canada and Europe have been required to do.

In the case of the vegetable-based imitation rice, the FDA may need to draft a standard of identity that defines rice as the seed of a monocot (grass) that belongs to either the genus Oxyza or Zizania. That covers conventional rice as well as wild rice, respectively.

The standard also would allow impersonators to be labeled cauliflower crumbles or Bits O Cauliflower — anything but rice.

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

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RICE FARMING

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DECEMBER 2017

EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor Vicky Boyd 209-505-3612 vlboyd@onegrower.com 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 847-559-7324 Production Manager Kathy Killingsworth 901-767-4020 kkillingsworth@onegrower.com For circulation changes or change of address, call 847-559-7578

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC Mike Lamensdorf President/treasurer Lia Guthrie Publisher/Vice President ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS — One Grower Publishing LLC also publishes COTTON FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH magazines.

RICE FARMING (ISSN 0194-0929) is published monthly January through May, and Decem ber, by One Grower Publishing LLC, 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654. Periodicals postage paid at Memphis, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OMEDA COMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 1388, NORTHBROOK, IL 60065-1388. Annual subscriptions are $25.00. International rates are $55.00 Canada/Mexico, $90.00 all other countries for AirSpeeded Delivery. (Surface delivery not available due to problems in reliability.) $5.00 single copy.

All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. RICE FARMING is a registered trademark of One Grower Publishing LLC, which reserves all rights granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in association with its registration. © Copyright 2017

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

RICEFARMING.COM

CHEMTECH Moving Rice Production Forward

F

or 15 years, the Clearfield® Production System for rice has been providing growers with a rice stewardship program that helps manage tough weeds and maximize yield potential. Now, from that same partnership that brought you the Clearfield Production System for rice, there’s a new way forward for rice production. Introducing the Provisia™ Rice System, the newest innovation in rice from BASF. Red rice has plagued rice production in the southern United States for decades. Because it is physiologically similar to commercially cultivated rice, herbicides that would control red rice would damage commercially cultivated rice. To achieve some level of red rice control, farmers manually rogued fields, water-seeded and rotated to other crops, such as soybeans and cotton.

In the 1990s, rice researchers at the LSU AgCenter discovered a mutation tolerant to imidazolinone chemistry — the active ingredient in BASF’s Pursuit® herbicide. BASF and LSU AgCenter formed a partnership to bring forward the Clearfield Production System for rice, which was launched in 2002.

“Clearfield is an amazing technology utilized on more than 14 million acres of rice here in the United States,” says Nick Fassler, Manager, Technical Marketing Group, BASF. “Newpath®, Clearpath® and Beyond® herbicides are ALS inhibitors that control red rice in varieties and hybrids containing the Clearfield trait. To maintain the sustainability of the Clearfield Production System in rice, stewardship guidelines require Clearfield rice to be rotated with soybeans and not planted in consecutive years.

“To help minimize emerging weed resistance and to allow rice farmers to plant more sustainable rice in a three-year rotation, BASF soon saw a need for an additional technology. Our plant

PHOTO BY SUNNY BOTTOMS/HORIZON AG

science group determined the ACCase technology, which is now Provisia™ herbicide, would be a good partner to use in rice because it is a different mode of action than the ALS inhibitor herbicides. During the selection process, the BASF group found an ideal ACCase herbicide-tolerant mutation in rice and successfully grew the cells into a rice plant in its lab.

“BASF worked with the LSU AgCenter rice-breeding team under the leadership of Dr. Steve Linscombe to incorporate the ACCase herbicide-tolerant Provisia trait into local germplasm to develop a variety that was a good agronomic fit for the entire Delta rice region.”

As a result, “BASF is strengthening and extending its rice portfolio, which already includes the Clearfield Production System for rice,” says Allison Romick, BASF Senior Market Manager, Crop Protection, North America. “The Provisia Rice System is composed of Horizon Ag’s PVL seed, and its first variety — PVL01 — carries the Provisia trait, which allows growers to safely apply BASF’s Provisia herbicide.”

Provisia technology, combined with the proven technology of Clearfield, gives growers rice-planting flexibility on more acres while rotating different herbicide modes of action — ALS, ACCase — for sustainable management of red rice, resistant rice types and annual grasses. The new Provisia technology offers rice growers a complete three-year rotation of Provisia rice, Clearfield rice and soybeans, and an optional fourth year of conventional rice, allowing them to sustainably grow more rice over more acres.

Additionally, the Provisia Rice System allows rice acres lost to weedy rice to come back into production at least two years sooner than traditional management recommendations.

Active Ingredient:

Quizalofop-P-ethyl (Group 1 [A], ACCase)

Formulation:

Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC)

Rainfast:

1 hour

Preharvest Interval:

Panicle Initiation (PI)

Max Annual Rate:

31 fl oz/A (split in two applications)

Application Interval:

10-14 days

Adjuvant:

Crop Oil Concentrate

Drift Management:

Avoid drift to grass crops

Rotation:

Minimum 120 days (except cotton, soybean and rice), Provisia Rice not allowed in following season

O

riginally, Clearfield technology changed the rice game in the United States by effectively controlling red rice and other challenging weeds (grasses, sedges, broad leaves, volunteer rice). With BASF’s commitment to bringing new technologies to the forefront for rice farmers, the Provisia™ Rice System extends the life of the Clearfield Production System for rice, giving growers an additional tool to control red rice, resistant weeds (weedy rice) and other annual grasses. Returning this power and control to rice growers allows them to grow sustainable rice to protect the future of the crop.

Farmers will have three unique BASF offers in the rice market: Provisia Rice System, the Clearfield Production System for rice and conventional rice. The Provisia Rice System is an excellent complement to the Clearfield Production System for rice, providing growers with multiple solutions to control red rice, weedy rice and other challenging annual grasses. By following responsible stewardship practices, rice farmers will realize these benefits:  The ability to have an additional rice rotation.  Clean fields so they can focus on other parts of their operations and lives.  Simplied farm management.

“The use of the Provisia Rice System followed by Clearfield Production System for rice helps to manage weedy rice types, which ensures uniform maturity of the crop and more uniform grain going to the mill,” says Donnarie Hales, BASF Product Manager. “When the Provisia Rice System is used in rotation with the Clearfield Production System for rice, growers can plant rice in a rice-rice-soybean rotation, increasing their options for rice production.”

How The Provisia Rice System Works First, plant PVL01 in fields that were planted to soybeans or conventional rice — not Clearfield rice — last year. Next, make note of these field observations from Horizon Ag.  The seeding rate will range from 50-70 pounds per acre. PVL01 tillers

JOHNNY SAICHUK

Provisia™ Herbicide Specifications

Grasses Controlled Postemergence Annual Grasses

Maximum Stage At Application (leaves)

Barnyardgrass

6

Corn, Volunteer

10

Crabgrass, Large

6

Crabgrass, Smooth

6

Goosegrass

6

Johnsongrass, Seedling

8

Junglerice

6

Panicum, Fall

6

Panicum, Texas

4

Red Rice

4

Shattercane

10

Signalgrass, Broadleaf

6

Sprangletop

6

Volunteer Rice

4

very well, and the lower seeding rates can be used with this variety as long as the seed is treated with a fungicide/insecticide seed treatment. The higher end of the seeding rate range is for heavy ground and non-optimal seeding conditions.  The nitrogen rate is 150-180 pounds nitrogen per acre (lbs N/A). PVL01 will require a little more fertilizer than other pure line varieties, approximately 20-30 lbs N/A more. Nitrogen should be applied in a two-way split with the bulk of the fertilizer applied preflood on dry ground and the remaining 46 lbs N/A applied three weeks after permanent flood establishment.  PVL01 is susceptible to blast and sheath blight, so scouting for fungicide timing is crucial.  More information on the ratoon potential of PVL01 will be available in 2018.

Achieve Efficient Weed Control In PVL01 Two applications of Provisia™ herbicide are needed for full-season grass control, including barnyardgrass. If broadleaf weeds are present, tankmix a broadleaf herbicide with Provisia herbicide in the first application. After making the second application of Provisia herbicide, growers put on the flood to prevent other grasses from germinating.

“We recommend starting off clean with Command® and Sharpen® herbicides for residual grass and broadleaf control or Prowl® herbicide as an early post treatment for residual grass control,” says Alvin Rhodes, BASF Senior Technical Service Representative for Mississippi, Louisiana and southeastern Texas. “The Provisia™ Rice System also requires two applications of Provisia herbicide because red rice will germinate through the season before permanent flood.

“The timing range is from 1-leaf rice up to panicle initiation. Ideal timing for the Provisia herbicide early post application is 1- to 2-leaf rice.

Applying a second pre-flood shot of Provisia herbicide at 4- to 5-leaf leaf rice — about two weeks after the first application — will take out any

red rice that has germinated later in that system.”

John Schultz, BASF Technical Service Representative for Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel, says, “It’s important to make both Provisia herbicide applications for two main reasons: 1) to manage any grass weeds that may have emerged after the first application and 2) to manage potential resistance development from grass weeds that may have been missed or did not get good coverage. The second application of Provisia herbicide is needed to ‘seal the deal.’”

Provisia herbicide can be applied by ground or air. A minimum of 10 gallons of water per acre (GPA) is recommended by ground and 5 GPA is recommended by air. Good, thorough coverage is required for efficient weed control.

Q & A With BASF Technical Service Representatives





Alvin Rhodes: Senior Technical Service Representative for Mississippi, Louisiana and southeastern Texas

Q A

John Schultz: Technical Service Representative for Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel

Can PVL01 — the Provisia rice variety — be planted in a field that was planted to Clearfield rice the year before?

Rhodes: No. Clearfield rice treated with Newpath®, Clearpath® or Beyond® herbicides has an 18-month rotation to any other rice — Provisia or conventional. PVL01 may be planted in a field following soybeans or conventional rice. The ideal field in which to plant Provisia rice would be one following soybeans where resistant red rice plants are present.

Q A

Does Provisia herbicide control sedges, such as nutsedge, rice flatsedge and smallflower umbrella sedge?

Schultz: Provisia herbicide controls red rice, weedy rice and other annual grasses. It does not control sedges. If sedge control is desired, include an appropriate tankmix partner such as Permit herbicide.

What is “weedy rice?”

Rhodes: Weedy rice is a term to describe rice that is resistant to ALS herbicides — such as Newpath, Clearpath or Beyond — outcrossed red rice, hybrid seed that has shattered and emerged or other off-type rice you don’t want in a commercial rice field.

Q A

VICKY BOYD

Q A

How long will it take to see results after Provisia herbicide is applied to a rice field?

Schultz: Similar to what we observe in the Clearfield Production System for rice, it will take 7 to 14 days to see the results of a Provisia herbicide application.

Q A

What herbicides should not be tankmixed with Provisia herbicide?

Rhodes: Do not tankmix Provisia herbicide with herbicides containing the active ingredients triclopyr or propanil. If necessary, these may be applied sequentially two to three days after the Provisia herbicide application. This allows Provisia herbicide to get into the plant and start working, allowing the best utility out of all the chemistries.

Q A

Why should the broadleaf tankmix partner be included in the first Provisia herbicide application and not the second one?

Rhodes: With ACCAse herbicides, such as Provisia herbicide, typically there is a chance for antagonism with some broadleaf herbicides.

Antagonism means a decrease in grass control, not a decrease in broadleaf control. That’s why it’s important to tankmix the broadleaf material in the first Provisia herbicide application. It’s also important to apply Provisia herbicide at 15.5 fluid ounces per acre to offset any antagonism concerns. And then apply Provisia herbicide alone at 15.5 fluid ounces per acre or Provisia herbicide with Permit® herbicide in the second application, so Provisia herbicide is at full strength to clean up any grasses that might be present as a result of antagonism (decrease in grass control), which may have occurred in the first application.

Q A

Why is Permit herbicide an acceptable tankmix partner in the second application?

Schultz: We have observed minimal antagonism between Provisia herbicide and Permit in the second application year after year in BASF research trials.

Q A

Does Provisia herbicide require an adjuvant?

Rhodes: Yes. A good crop oil concentrate (COC) at 1% volume/volume (v/v) or 1 pint per acre minimum is required.

A

t a time when the rice industry is looking for new technologies and innovations to come to market, BASF and Horizon Ag, two industry leaders, are once again coming together to bring forward solutions that improve profitability for U.S. rice producers.

“BASF looks forward to bringing key herbicide innovation to the table through this partnership and through the Provisia™ Rice System,” says Donnarie Hales, BASF Product Manager.

Horizon Ag General Manager Tim Walker says Horizon Ag also is pleased to partner with BASF to bring Provisia rice to market in 2018.

“Provisia is an important new technology that will enable rice growers to achieve better control of costly weeds that have the potential to impact yield and quality,” Walker says. “Horizon’s purpose is to help ensure the long-term viability of the U.S. rice industry. Strong partnerships with BASF, LSU

AgCenter and other breeding institutions, and the rice seed industry as a whole, allow us to deliver top-performing, high-quality rice seed to growers working to produce more rice at a higher profit level without jeopardizing the end-user.

“PVL01 — the first Provisia rice release — will be launched on approximately 100,000 acres of rice throughout the southern USA in 2018 and that number is expected to double in 2019. LSU AgCenter is developing new material in a rapid manner. We look forward to working closely with BASF, LSU AgCenter and our seed industry partners in the coming months as we get closer to the commercial launch of this technology.”

SUNNY BOTTOMS/HORIZON AG

BASF And Horizon Ag — A Strong Partnership

“PVL01 yields are very similar to CL111 in most regions, and the milling and cooking quality is exceptional. PVL01 also has the lowest chalk potential of the Horizon Ag varieties — even lower than CL172.

This exceptional quality is catching the attention of foreign buyers.”

Tim Walker General Manager, Horizon Ag

For more information on the Provisia Rice System, please contact your local BASF or Horizon Ag representative.

Always read and follow label directions. Provisia is a trademark and Beyond, Clearfield, Clearpath, Newpath, Prowl and Sharpen are registered trademarks of BASF. Permit is a registered trademark of Gowan Company. Command is registered trademark of FMC Corporation. © 2017 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved. APN 17-DIV-0007

USA Rice

Update

The Rice Foundation: Industry visionaries pave the way

M

By Betsy Ward President and CEO USA Rice

As part of the two-year program, members of the Rice Leadership Development Program spend a week in California learning about the state’s rice industry.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

ore than 30 years ago, a group of visionaries in the rice industry got together to create The Rice Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to ensuring the longterm sustainability and future competitiveness of the U.S. rice industry.

The way they set out to do this was clear: Membership would be open to all segments of the rice industry, and the foundation would identify issues important to the industry and fund research projects to address them. In 1989, the foundation added education and leadership development to its portfolio by launching the Rice Leadership Development Program.

The Rice Foundation has funded dozens of studies and greatly improved our understanding of rice from the groundbreaking nutrition research that helped secure the whole-grain designation for brown rice to cutting-edge grain quality studies. It also has underwritten the somewhat controversial look at arsenic in rice to the landmark research that helped launch the USA RiceDucks Unlimited Rice Stewardship program that has in turn netted tens of millions of dollars for rice farmers and conservation. As a result, The Rice Foundation has lived up to its founders’ ideals of always looking to the future.

With the retirement earlier this year of long-time director Chuck Wilson, the foundation is entering a new era.

The new director is no stranger to either The Rice Foundation or rice research. Dr. Steve Linscombe has spent more than three decades in rice research at Louisiana State University. In fact, some of his LSU scientists had projects funded by the foundation, and Steve is himself a graduate of the Rice Leadership Development Program.

As Steve and the board chart a course for the foundation’s next 30 years, I would sug-

gest the organization is even more relevant today than it was when it was founded.

More relevant today than ever From challenges to rice’s nutritional value in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans being rewritten in the next two years to the ever-increasing pressures being placed on farmers to produce more food with a smaller footprint, there is no end to research that needs to be undertaken.

The wonderful thing about The Rice Foundation is that it is a non-partisan organization. The different segments of the industry are represented, but all board members bring their experience and expertise to meetings. They leave their personal and business interests at the door. And by stepping back like this, they can have honest, and sometimes difficult, discussions looking at, “What is best for the industry here? What does the industry need?”

The Rice Foundation is funded by dues, contributions, a portion of Tariff Rate Quota funds from rice sales to Europe and support from research boards in five of the six rice-growing states. And several rice industry leaders have stepped up each year to fund costs associated with the leadership program. Without the support of American Commodity Co., RiceTec Inc., John Deere and Horizon Ag, this critical program would not exist.

Although needs pile up, resources grow thin.

USA Rice is backing The Rice Foundation’s efforts to expand the base of its support, and you will be hearing more about this in the coming months. In the meantime, I suggest you look around your operation and consider whether it is Rice Foundation-funded research that contributed to what you see.

From blackbird and red rice management to nitrogen application and inorganic arsenic mitigation, I think we all owe thanks to The Rice Foundation. I hope you will join me in supporting them even more than you have in the past.

You can learn more about The Rice Foundation at www.usarice.com/foundation.

DECEMBER 2017

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History suggests that a portion of acres not in rice this year will indeed be planted to the crop next year because of a lack of attractive alternatives.

COURTESY LSU AGCENTER

Exports still lag Lower overall supplies, higher prices conspire to reduce demand for this year’s crop.

By Kurt Guidry

A

fter struggling to find support for prices for most of 2016, the rice market has been able to enjoy moderate price increases to this point in 2017. Anytime the market experiences significant price shifts, it is generally a result of either a change to the supply or demand fundamentals of the market. In some cases, changes to both supply and demand can influence price movement.

The price strength experienced in 2017 has largely been associated with reduced rice acreage and overall rice supplies. Unfortunately, very little, if any, credit can be given to an improved demand situation for pushing prices to higher levels. As has been the case the past several years, uneven export demand continues to plague the rice market and limit upside price potential.

The 2017 U.S. rice crop was estimated to be 98 percent harvested as of Oct. 22. With the 2017 harvest essentially over, the focus will now turn to demand for the remainder of the marketing year.

Have prices hit a plateau?

Total supplies are expected to be much more manageable than in previous years with production expected to be down by 20 percent from 2016. Unfortunately, however, total rice use and demand is expected to be down nearly 11 percent as well.

While ending stocks are still expected to fall during the 2017/18 marketing year, the inability of demand to add to the momentum created by lower supplies has likely been the primary reason rice prices have stagnated over the last month.

Lower overall supplies and higher prices are likely the major culprits in the reduced demand figure. Through Oct. 19, total rice export shipments were down 33 percent from the previous year. While some of the rice export markets have performed well to start the marketing year, the uneven demand between rough and milled markets or between long-grain and medium-grain markets has continued to leave total rice exports at below the previous year’s levels.

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DECEMBER 2017

After struggling in the $16- to $17-per-barrel ($9.85 to $10.50 cwt) range for much of 2016, rice prices improved in the spring and early summer of 2017. Currently in Louisiana, rice prices have been reported about $20 per barrel for long grain ($12.35 cwt) and $21 per barrel for medium grain ($12.96 cwt).

Prices have seemed to stall at these levels as demand has been unable to sustain the positive upward momentum. Unless the market experiences a supply shock with lower production than originally anticipated, it is difficult to see much improvement from current levels.

While an additional 50 cents to $1 per barrel is not out of the question, the market will likely need a new outlook for supply or demand for this to happen.

2018 outlook depends on plantings Looking to price prospects for 2018, much of the outlook will depend on plantings. In particular, the outlook will likely hinge on the number of acres planted in Arkansas. Arkansas represented more than 60 percent of the total reduction in acres in 2017.

If most of those acres come back into production in 2018, it is difficult to see prices maintaining their current level. History would suggest that a portion of those acres will indeed come back into production next year.

This is particularly true given a lack of attractive alternative crops. With that assumption, prices for 2018 would be expected to fall back closer to levels experienced in 2016.

While improved demand could help the outlook for 2018, the inability of this market to establish consistent and sustained exports seems to limit the potential of being able to support prices with higher acreage and production in 2018.

Dr. Kurt Guidry is Southwest Region director and Extension economist with the Louisiana State University AgCenter in Crowley. He may be reached at KMGuidry@agcenter.lsu.edu.

RICEFARMING.COM

Broad-Spectrum Control Is A Game-Changer Mitch Wilson G&G Farms #2 Linn, Mississippi I grew up on a farm in Sunflower County and in the late 1980s married Michelle Gentry, whose father Jerry Gentry also was a farmer. I started helping him with their operation and began farming with my father-in-law full time in 1990. Today, we farm rice, soybeans and cotton at G&G Farms #2 in Linn, Mississippi.

We’ve had yield-destroying barnyardgrass for the past decade.

It consumed large areas of our fields, taking out other grasses and our rice crop. Our barnyardgrass is resistant to almost every herbicide that’s labeled for rice. We couldn’t kill it, and eventually it would come back. Mississippi State University Weed Specialist Jason Bond suggested a new herbicide plan where we kept a pre-emerge residual herbicide on the ground to keep any grass from coming up. This practice suppressed herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass, but it was an expensive program.

Putting Loyant Herbicide To The Test This past season, I participated in the Dow AgroSciences Field Forward program, which offered an opportunity to experience Loyant herbicide before it was commercially available. In addition to herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass, we also have to deal with sprangletop, broadleaf signalgrass, coffeebean, morningglory, pigweed, purple nutsedge and yellow nutsedge.

In our on-farm trial, we put Loyant under extreme pressure, and it did amazingly well on barnyardgrass, coffeebean and morningglory. We applied Roundup, Sharpen and Command herbicides at planting, followed by a pre-flood treatment of Loyant. There’s no doubt the broad-spectrum control in Loyant herbicide is a game-changer. And where we are battling herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass in our rice fields, I estimate we’re saving about $45 per acre.

Next year, I plan to test Loyant on land that was previously used for catfish production. This will make a great test plot because old catfish ponds are notorious for smartweed.

Experts On Speed Dial I always like to get a second opinion so I rely on our rice consultant Bill Killen, MSU’s Jason Bond, and retailers Chris Hardeman and Chuck Williamson. These people are the experts. Before I make a decision that involves a rice production practice, they are going to get phone calls.

• Has farmed rice, soybeans and cotton with his father-in- law near Linn, Mississippi, since 1990 • Participated in Dow AgroSciences Field Forward program in 2017 • Believes precision farming plays a big role in saving money and natural resources • Implements Pipe Planner and side-inlet irrigation where it’s economically feasible to do so • Installed a grain management system in one of their grain

bins to monitor grain temperature and moisture • Married to wife Michelle. Three daughters: Laura Ashley Stewart, Laken Winters and Erin Wilson • Enjoys hunting and spending time with the family

Recap: Achieving Broad-Spectrum Control

1. Herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass has plagued us for the past decade. We also have to deal with sprangletop, broadleaf signalgrass, coffeebean, morningglory, pigweed, purple nutsedge and yellow nutsedge.

2. In our on-farm trial, we put Loyant herbicide under extreme pressure, and it did amazingly well on barnyardgrass, coffeebean and morningglory.

3. We applied Roundup, Sharpen and Command herbicides at planting, followed by a pre-flood treatment of Loyant.

4. Where we are battling herbicide-resistant barnyardgrass in our rice fields, I estimate we’re saving about $45 per acre.

Sponsored By

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t

Mid-day rains affected flowering throughout much of Southwest Louisiana, causing blanked grain.

DR. DUSTIN HARRELL, LSU AGCENTER

A host of challenges The 2017 rice season was anything but normal in Louisiana.

By Dustin Harrell

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efore the beginning of each production season, rice farmers and consultants can feel the excitement and electricity in the air. They are eager to begin the year with the possibility of achieving that elusive high-quality and record-yielding rice crop that will turn things around.

They hope for a year that will go down in the record books, to be remembered for many years. They have hope that maybe this will be that year. Well, as it turns out, 2017 was not that type of year in Louisiana. Excessive rainfall, high winds, Tropical Storm Cindy, Hurricane Harvey and rampant sheath blight made sure of that.

The poor growing conditions and flooding from the 2016 season caused much of the certified seed planted in 2017 to have a lower-than-normal germination rate, much of it below 80 percent. This was identified by the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Seed Certification Program. Due to low seed availability and the abundance of low germination seed, an emergency ruling by LDAF allowed this seed to be planted in 2017 with adjustments made to seeding rates.

The season in Southwest Louisiana began earlier than normal in 2017. This was due to a mild winter and a warmer-than-normal spring. The first rice was planted on Feb. 14. In South Louisiana, about one-third of the rice crop was planted before March 10, and close to 85 percent of the planting was completed by the last week in March.

The warm and dry weather conditions early were ideal, and it seemed like every grain of rice planted came up regardless of the low germination issue. In many cases, rice stands were thicker than normal.

The Louisiana Rice Survey conducted by Extension agents in each parish indicated that there was approximately 391,071 acres of rice planted in 2017. The most widely planted varieties and hybrids were CL111 (24.8 percent), CL153 (12.7 percent), Cheniere (11 percent), Mermentau (10 percent), CLXL745 (9.8 percent), Jupiter (5.9 percent), XP753 (5.5 percent) and CL151 (4.7 percent). Approximately 61 percent of the crop was planted to a Clearfield variety or hybrid.

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RICEFARMING.COM

Rain, rain, go away Large, sporadic rainfall events occurred during the last couple days of April and into the first few days of May. Rainfall totals exceeded 20 inches in many places, and flash flooding and backwater flooding ensued. Hail damage also occurred in places causing severe damage.

It was estimated that approximately 4,000 acres were completely lost due to the weather. Many more acres of rice lost yield potential due to the stress associated with flooding, high water, and continuous overcast and poor growing conditions that followed.

The overcast conditions caused many plant stress symptoms from flooding, herbicide or other stressors to remain longer than normal. The average rainfall for Crowley during the months of April, May and June is 4, 5.2 and 7 inches, respectively.

In 2017 at the Rice Research Station, where we were fortunate to not get any of the excessive rainfall totals, we did receive 5.7, 9.9 and 9.3 inches during April, May and June, respectively. This illustrates that rainfall was well above normal for 2017.

Rice in Northeast Louisiana, where planting generally begins in earnest in early April, also saw frequent and excessive rainfall.

While no flooding losses were reported, producers were fighting continuously wet soils, which limited their ability in many cases to use ground rigs to apply herbicides and nitrogen fertilizer on dry ground. In many instances, fertilizer nitrogen was spoon fed using three split applications.

When rice began heading and flowering, mid-day rains affected pollination across Southwest Louisiana. This caused localized regions on the panicle to be sterile, which also reduced grain yield potential in the south.

Tropical Storm Cindy blew through Southwest Louisiana in late June. While Cindy did not drop large rainfall totals, winds from the storm caused problems with pollination and physical damage to the grain that many refer to as grain bruising. Sheath blight pressure was also high late in the season mostly due to the consistent overcast, humid and warm conditions. Fields with thick stands that were heavily fertilized had the greatest disease pressure.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas in late August, then went back into the Gulf of Mexico and made landfall a second time near the Texas-Louisiana state line. This all occurred during the last third of the rice harvest season.

The slow-moving hurricane dropped massive amounts of water in Texas and the western rice-producing parishes in Louisiana including Cameron, Calcasieu and Jefferson Davis. Several thousand acres of rice was unharvestable due to flooding. Economic losses also occurred due to lodged grain, sprouted grain, TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

BRUCE SCHULTZ/LSU AGCENTER

Blackbirds feeding on planted rice seed is an annual problem, especially south of Interstate 10. The bird repellent seed treatment AV-1011, which was registered in 2016, was widely used in 2017 south of I-10. As a result, or possibly it was a coincidence, black bird predation seemed to shift much higher north of I-10 on farms near Oberlin, Elton, Mamou and Ville Platte.

The early third of the season in South Louisiana was ideal.

Soils were dry enough to allow ground rigs to apply herbicides and pre-flood fertilizer. Rice growth and development was progressing faster than normal and, as early planted rice neared greenring, it seemed as if the potential was there for a better-than-average year. That was until the rains began.

Adam Habetz, who farms near Vinton, Louisiana, near the TexasLouisiana state line, examines panicles of rice, which had started to sprout after being wet — but not flooded — from Hurricane Harvey’s heavy rainfall.

and flooding of the ratoon rice crop. Remnants of the storm also had a negative effect on rice in the northeastern part of the state by delaying harvest.

Highly variable yields Rice yields in 2017 were highly variable, which was probably due to the inconsistent weather conditions across the rice growing regions in the southern part of the state. All in all, rice yields in Southwest Louisiana were below expectations. However, the rice harvested in the northern part of the state, which was not delayed due to rainfall, was actually above average. Estimating a statewide yield average may be a bit premature as I am writing this, but I would estimate that Louisiana probably averaged about 6,650 pounds per acre (41 barrels or 148 bushels per acre).

The 2017 season was fraught with tropical storms, hurricanes, flooding, hail, wind and disease. It was anything but normal.

Perhaps 2018 will be the bumper crop year we are all looking for.

Perhaps not. I would just be happy with normal.

Dr. Dustin Harrell is a Louisiana State University AgCenter agronomist and Extension rice specialist at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station in Crowley, Louisiana. He may be reached at dharrell@agcenter.lsu.edu.

DECEMBER 2017

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NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

Weekly rainfall totals from Tropical Storm Harvey as of Aug. 30.

The big news: Harvey Hurricane created numerous hurdles for the Texas rice industry.

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he big story for Texas rice in 2017 was Harvey, which dumped 34 trillion gallons of water over Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana from Sunday, Aug. 27, to Thursday, Aug. 31 — just five days.

We received more than 50 inches of rain at the Beaumont Center, which is almost our average annual rainfall. The amount of rain from Harvey in our area would fill Lake Tahoe, a water body that is 191 square miles in area with an average depth of about 1,000 feet.

Harvey made landfall as a hurricane. Even though it was downgraded to a tropical storm, it still continued to dump rain over the Coastal Bend for several days.

By M.O. Way

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About 80 percent of our main crop was harvested before Harvey, but a good portion of our ratoon crop was heading and went underwater for a few days, so our ratoon crop was severely affected. Prior to Harvey, our main crop yields and quality were outstanding. However, I do not have reliable main or ratoon crop yields at this time.

After Harvey, widespread mosquito spraying occurred using C-130 cargo planes. A low rate of Dibrom (naled) was used to control mosquitoes to prevent possible Zika and West Nile outbreaks. Initially, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Texas Department of Agriculture were going to decertify our 2017 organic RICEFARMING.COM

M.O. WAY

The “lakes” on each side of Aggie Drive, the road leading to the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center just outside of Beaumont, are actually fields of soybeans on the left and rice on the right.

rice crop exposed to spraying. Fortunately, the agencies waived the ruling, exempting our organic rice crop. In addition, the land on which organic rice was growing and exposed to aerial spraying will retain organic certification. Thanks to USDA and TDA for a common-sense approach to avert this catastrophe!

The Food and Drug Administration was concerned about possible contaminates, such as pesticides, solvents, diesel/gasoline, microorganisms, heavy metals etc., that may have “adulterated” our rice crop during flooding. After some frantic phone calls and conversations — including those made by Dwight Roberts and the U.S. Rice Producers Association — FDA encouraged our rice farmers to continue harvesting their crop after Harvey.

FDA would not make a “blanket” ruling but responded on a case-by case-basis. Thus, samples of rice from individual fields were and are being analyzed by the State Chemist at College Station. To my knowledge, no samples have yet exceeded any of the threshold levels for contaminates.

In addition to the direct loss of the Texas rice crop, farmers lost heavy equipment, vehicles, tools etc. due to Harvey. Some rice storage bins were damaged, and I know of two aerial applicators who lost all their planes and associated vehicles worth millions of dollars — a truly devastating storm to our Texas rice industry.

2017 in a nutshell Here’s a quick wrap-up of the Texas 2017 rice season outside of Harvey.  About 170,000 acres of planted rice  About 50 percent planted to hybrids  About 70 percent ratooned (this estimate may be a bit high)  About 10 percent of planted acreage is organic TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

I have been in this business for more than 30 years, and 2017 was the most challenging research-wise.

And I think the same goes for my farmer/crop consultant colleagues.  Five most popular varieties: XL723, Presidio, CLXL745, CL153 and XL753  Preliminary average main crop yields before Harvey were about 7,900 pounds per acre (includes all varieties)  Kernel smut continues to be problematic  No rice delphacids found so far  High populations of black-faced leafhopper found on maturing rice, but weren’t a problem  Fall armyworm problems were particularly damaging to organic rice I have been in this business for more than 30 years, and 2017 was the most challenging research-wise. And I think the same goes for my farmer/crop consultant colleagues.

In addition, we lost some really good folks in 2017 — Ray Stoesser, David Stelzel and Tyler Menard. RIP good friends, and we will carry on your vision and efforts to make Texas rice sustainable, healthy and profitable.

Dr. M.O. Way is a professor of entomology at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Beaumont, Texas. He may be reached at moway@aesrg.tamu.edu.

DECEMBER 2017

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New kid on the block Unique to the Mid-South, Missouri rice growers own and manage their research farm.

By Michael Aide

COURTESY MISSOURI RICE RESEARCH & MERCHANDISING COUNCIL

Editor’s note: Rice Farming magazine is celebrating 50 years of publishing in 2017. We would be remiss if we didn’t include an article about Missouri rice production. View histories of the other rice-producing states in our February 2017 issue online at www.ricefarming.com/digital-issue/.

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eorge Begley Jr. first grew rice near Dudley, Missouri, in Stoddard County in 1910. Missouri rice production began in earnest in the 1960s. By the 1980s, rice production had reached 80,000 to 100,000 acres.

Currently, Missouri rice plantings run between 160,000 to 200,000-plus acres, depending on weather and market influences. Missouri rice production is completely located in southeastern Missouri, with the counties bordering Arkansas — Butler, Dunklin and Pemiscot — having the greatest acreage. The Missouri rice production area represents the northern-most portion of the U.S. rice belt.

The total 2015 value of Missouri rice production was $185,000 million.

On Oct. 3, 1984, the articles of incorporation for the Missouri Rice Research and Merchandising Council were filed and signed

by Davis Minton (Dexter), Larry Riley (Bernie) and M.O. “Sonny” Martin (Bernie). The first council Board of Directors consisted of the three signers and Danny Sentell (Qulin), Bill Turner (Qulin), Bruce Yarbro (Poplar Bluff), George Norwood (Poplar Bluff), Jack Vancil (Campbell), Fred Tanner (Bernie), Mike Armour (Naylor) and Bill Buck (Wardell).

Establishing the Rice Research Farm Almost immediately, the council started discussing the possibility of a research farm dedicated to producer-desired and producer-directed research and marketing. The Missouri Rice Research Farm was established in the mid-1980s with the acquisition of 30 acres plus 10 leased acres.

New council members included B.J. Campbell, Richard Burnett, Andy Clark and Gary Murphy. Subsequently, the Rice Research Farm acquired an additional 75 acres, and the entire complex was land graded and established for flood irrigation. A machine complex and office were installed, as were the access roads, communications and field machinery.

Dr. Paul Tracy, a University Missouri agronomist, was the first farm manager. Dr. Donn Beighley was the rice breeder until he retired in 2016, with Dr. Christian DeGuzman replacing him in developing new varieties.

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Missouri’s rice producers invested in a research facility when they purchased 30 acres and leased another 10 acres for the Missouri Rice Research Farm near Malden in the mid-1980s. They subsequently enlarged the facility when they purchased 75 more acres.

In 1997, the council became one of the founding members of the U.S. Rice Producers Association.

The uniqueness of the Missouri Rice Research Farm is that it is completely owned and operated by the council. It is our understanding that no other major research facility in the central United States is farmer owned and managed.

Thus, all rice research is farmer supported, farmer directed and farmer evaluated on farmer-owned property. The University of Missouri Fisher Delta Research Center and Southeast Missouri State University have been longtime research partners.

The council supervises rice merchandising and branding. It joined with Opaa Food Management, a school lunch service provider, enabling Missouri rice as a key component of school lunch and breakfast programs across Missouri and five other states.

The council also works with the Missouri Legislature to support September as rice month.

In addition, the council supports the growing of rice at the St. Louis Science Center, which has more than 1 million visitors annually, and other marketing programs across the state. Council members also are active in supporting trade missions to Cuba and other markets around the world.

Dr. Michael T. Aide is chairman of the Department of Agriculture, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Cirardeau, Missouri. He may be reached at mtaide@semo.edu.

RICEFARMING.COM

2017

RICE AWARDS Horizon Ag, Rice Farming and USA Rice are proud to bring you the recipients of the 2017 Rice Awards.

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

Christian Richard RICE FARMER OF THE YEAR AWARD

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hristian Richard was born into a part of the world where rice is grown with passion and celebrated with pageantry and admiration for its life-sustaining qualities. Everything his family did involved agriculture and, specifically, rice.

As a very young boy, Richard spent countless hours sitting between his grandfather and great uncle in the cab of a pickup truck while the men smoked cigars and spoke in Cajun French about life in general and what they planned to do on the rice farm each day. When he was 11 years old, his grandfather put him on a tractor and told him it was time to go to work.

“I was nervous and excited,” Richard says. “Everyone would pass by the field to see what I was doing. I was fascinated with growing rice and quickly gained a deep respect for it.”

He later married Julie Baker, whose family also has deep roots in rice. The young couple established Richard Farms — a sixth-generation family legacy — where today they grow rice, soybeans and crawfish and raise their three children: Katherine, Saul and Landry.

PHOTOS BY BRENT LEBLANC

tionists to improve his farm’s water-use efficiency. Richard has installed underground irrigation and grade-stabilization structures to NRCS specifications and has seen a significant reduction in water use while the field yields show continuous improvements.

He has implemented a tailwater recovery system on one of his farms that will store about 4 million gallons of water. This system allows him to recycle water that comes off of his fields as well as neighboring fields, pump it into his reservoir and hold it until needed for irrigation.

Richard was elected as a supervisor for the Vermilion Soil and Water Conservation District in 2008. Serving in this capacity has allowed him to promote conservation programs and practices that help his farm, as well as others, become more sustainable, protect natural resources and comply with Environmental Protection Agency requirements.

In 2014, Richard installed a grain management system in his grain bins, which allows constant monitoring of grain temperature and moisture. He can access the system from his smartphone to get updated readings.

A weather station outside the bins allows Richard to run the heaters only when weather conditions indicate they’re needed. The system promotes consistent grain quality and moisture content and provides a snapshot of conditions within each bin.

Richard also works closely with the Louisiana State University AgCenter and other universities on tailwater recovery systems and agritourism projects and participates in the LSU AgCenter rice verification and soybean verification programs.

He understands the importance of advocacy and tries to spread the agricultural industry’s message of sustainability and stewardship to as many people as possible.

“As farmers, we have a lot of exposure, and people are always critiquing us,” The Richard family, from left: son Saul, wife Julie, daughter Katherine, Christian and Richard says. “We need to be involved — son Landry be proactive, not reactive in telling the In spite of his young age, Richard has accomplished a great story of what we do. deal during his career as a south Louisiana rice producer. He “Rice is close to my heart, and it’s where our families uses technology, sustainability, and other conservation procome from. I often think back to the days sitting in the truck grams and practices to bring his crop to harvest in the most between my grandfather and great uncle listening to their efficient manner possible. conversations. Farming rice is what I have always done and it Richard has precision leveled 95 percent of the land he defines who I am and the heritage of my family.” farms according to Natural Resources Conservation Service It is with great pleasure that we congratulate Christian recommendations and works closely with agency conservaRichard as the 2017 Rice Farmer of the Year.

Christian Richard Kaplan, Louisiana

• B.S. Agricultural Business, University of Louisiana at Lafayette • Member, USA Rice Sustainability Committee • Member, USA Rice Communications Committee • Past president, Louisiana Rice Growers and Vermilion Parish Rice Growers • Vice-chairman, Louisiana Rice Promotion Board, 2008-present • Elected board member, Vermilion Soil and Water Conservation District, 2008-present • LSU AgCenter Leadership Class, 2008-2010 • USA Rice Leadership Development Program graduate, 2007 • Past executive committee, past secretary, Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau Federation • Vermilion Parish Rice Advisory Committee, 8 years • Certified Louisiana Master Farmer graduate • 2017 Field to Market Farmer Spotlight honoree • 2014 National Outstanding Young Farmer • 2013 Cotton & Rice Conference, Rice Farmer of the Year • 2011 Outstanding Louisiana Master Farmer • Kaplan Food Bank contributor and volunteer • Member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church • City of Kaplan Citizen of the Month, October 2017 • Married to wife Julie. Daughter: Katherine, 7; Sons: Saul, 5, and Landry, 3

Dr. Xueyan Sha RICE INDUSTRY AWARD

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PHOTOS BY VICKY BOYD

r. Xueyan Sha was born and raised in a small vilvarieties as the greatest accomplishments in my career because lage near Shanghai, China, where rice means evof the numerous challenges I faced,” Sha says. “These included erything: A means to alleviate constant hunger a lack of ready-to-use germplasm, strict quality specifications, and provide hope for prosperity. subtle and difficult-to-measure important attributes, and proHe started his rice breeding career at Louisiana State Uniducing a package with reasonable yield potential and disease versity AgCenter’s H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station in resistance.”

2000 as a post-doctoral/specialty rice breeder working with In 2012, Sha took over the medium-grain rice-breeding Dr. Steve Linscombe, director and senior rice breeder. program at the University of Arkansas. By drawing on the Sha quickly learned and was given more responsibilities, successful approaches and elite germplasm from peer breedincluding medium-grain rice breeding in 2002, conventioning programs, an accelerated and comprehensive rice breeding al long-grain rice breedprogram has been esing in 2005 and hybrid tablished, Sha says. The rice breeding in 2009. In program includes me2012, Sha accepted the dium grain, semidwarf medium-grain rice breedlong grain, hybrid rice, er position at the Univerand Clearfield rice with sity of Arkansas Division an expanded population of Agriculture’s Rice Resize at all levels. search & Extension CenSince joining the ter near Stuttgart.

University of Arkansas, During his tenure at Sha has dramatically the LSU AgCenter, Sha expanded the existing released or co-released 20 medium-grain breeding long-grain, medium-grain program, which led to and aromatic rice vathe fast-track release of rieties, including JupiTitan — the first Arkanter, Jazzman, Jazzman-2 Dr. Xueyan Sha recently released Titan, a medium-grain rice variety. sas medium-grain variand Della-2. His mediety in more than a decade. um-grain rice breeding efforts also led to the subsequent reTo better serve Arkansas rice producers, Sha’s breeding lease of Neptune and Caffey in collaboration with Drs. Linsprogram has been operating at maximum efficiency by streamcombe and Brooks Blanche. lining operational procedures, maximizing mechanical oper“All of these varieties released or co-released by Sha played a ation and adopting cutting-edge technologies, such as GPS, critical role in maintaining a healthy Southern medium-grain automated harvesting data collection and marker-assisted serice industry either by keeping up with hybrid rice on yield lection. potential; satisfying major end users, such as Kellogg’s with “Nothing is more satisfactory than seeing your varieties approved quality specifications; or retaining traditional export help rice growers — especially when things are going well — markets, such as Turkey, and opening up potential new marwhether in Kevin Berken’s medium-grain fields near the Gulf kets, such as Taiwan and South Korea,” Linscombe says.

Coast or on Louis Ahrent’s farm in northeast Arkansas or in While working with aromatic rice varieties, Sha developed one of Jimmy Hoppe’s aromatic rice fields near Lake Charles, and implemented a novel hybridization and selection process Louisiana,” Sha says. involving different crossing combinations, development of Drs. Linscombe and Jarrod Hardke, rice Extension agronopre-breeding lines and marker-assisted selection of cooking mist, U of A Division of Agriculture Rice Research & Extenquality attributes. This led to the release of the first U.S.-desion Center, say, “Dr. Sha is an exceptional scientist who has veloped, tropical Japonica Jasmine-type variety, Jazzman, in contributed immensely to the U.S. rice industry. Because of 2008. Two years later, Jazzman-2, which has a much stronhis hard work ethic, diligence and dedication, Sha will release ger aroma, was released to meet the demands of aromatic rice many more important varieties during his career.” production.

It is a great honor to congratulate Dr. Xueyan Sha as the “I consider the development of Jazzman and Jazzman-2 recipient of the 2017 Rice Industry Award.

Dr. Xueyan Sha Stuttgart, Arkansas

• B.S., Agronomy, Nanjing Agricultural University, China, P.R.; M.S., Plant Genetics and Breeding, Nanjing Agricultural University, China, P.R.; Ph.D., Plant Pathology with a minor in Agronomy, Louisiana State University • Associate Professor, Rice Research and Extension Center, Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas, 2012-present • F. Avalon Daggett Endowed Professor in Rice Research, Rice Research Station, LSU AgCenter, 2010-2012 • Associate Professor (tenured), Rice Research Station, LSU AgCenter, 2008-2012 • Inducted into LSU AgCenter Patent & PVP Club, 2007 • Distinguished Research & Education Team Award, 31st Rice Technical Working Group, 2006 • Tipton Research Team Award, LSU AgCenter, 2003 • Active member in the Crop Science Society of America, Agronomy Society of America, Rice Technical Working Group and the USDA Rice Crop Germplasm Committee • Married to wife Xue Jin. Two children: Rebecca, 29; and Devin, 17

Chuck Wilson RICE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

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PHOTOS BY VICKY BOYD

huck Wilson developed a strong work ethic farming gram, become personal friends with them, have a small impact alongside his father, O.W., and his brother, Richard, on their lives and make this industry stronger and more comon their rice and soybean operation near DeWitt, petitive has been a blessing,” he says.

Arkansas. Today, one of his fondest memories is Former and current class members also are appreciative of learning to drive a 1936 Allis Chalmers tractor when he was Wilson’s hard work and dedication. Here is what some of them seven years old. have to say.

“I have always felt a job worth doing is a job worth doing Texas state comptroller Glen Hegar says, “When I think of well,” Wilson says. “On our farm, if we did not do it well the an individual who has energy, passion, drive, people skills and first time, my dad made sure we did it again and again until it a down-to-earth personality, Chuck Wilson comes to mind. was done right.”

From him, we can all learn how to be better leaders, and even Soon after graduating from the University of Arkansas at more importantly, how to be better individuals.” Hegar also Monticello, Wilson went to work for the Rice Council as an continues to work with his family’s agricultural related business Arkansas and Mississippi field representative. After Mississippi and remains a partner in their farming operation. formed its own Rice Council, California rice farmer and Wilson took central and northagricultural journalist Robyn ern Arkansas and the Missouri Rominger says, “Chuck is highBootheel until Missouri estably respected throughout the rice lished its own Rice Council. industry and is very professionIn addition to carrying out al and courteous to everyone.” these fulltime responsibilities, Jim Whitaker, who farms Wilson helped out on the famrice in Arkansas, says, “When I ily farm whenever he could — entered the program, I had no especially during planting and idea how much of a friend and harvest seasons. mentor Chuck would become “Working on the farm alin my life. There are two things lowed me to stay in contact I hold high: character and work with what was going on in the ethic. Chuck has these two real world of agriculture, which traits and many more.” helped me do my job better,” he Arkansas rice farmer Robert Chuck Wilson and his wife, Cheryl. says.

Petter says, “Chuck has mainIn 1989, the Rice Council set tained a lifetime commitment up The Rice Foundation, which administers the Rice Leaderto promoting rice in our community, the state of Arkansas, all ship Development Program. And although Wilson has faithof the other rice-producing states, our country and around the fully served the U.S. rice industry in many different capacities, world.” perhaps he is best known for managing this outstanding proMarvin Cochran, a rice farmer from Avon, Mississippi, says gram since 1992. Throughout his career, more than 180 rice Wilson always remained unbiased among the various segments farmers and industry representatives have graduated from it. of the industry.

“The goal of the leadership program is to develop a base of “He promotes all aspects of the U.S. rice industry from seed young, knowledgeable individuals, who are well versed on all to dinner plate,” he says. aspects of the U.S. rice industry and also have a desire to be “I have always believed an industry is only as strong as its leaders,” he says. leadership,” Wilson says. “Thanks to this outstanding program In 1999, the program expanded to two years of training infunded by grants from John Deere Co., RiceTec and American stead of one. In 2009, Wilson says an International Leadership Commodity Co. to The Rice Foundation, the U.S. rice industry Session was added because 50 percent of U.S. rice production is in a positive position to be vibrant, competitive and profitable is exported, and the program needed to increase emphasis in while providing a safe, nutritious and sustainable product not this area. only for the United States but for the world.”

“To have the privilege and honor to work with the elite men It is with great respect we congratulate Chuck Wilson as the and women in the U.S. rice industry who go through the prorecipient of the 2017 Rice Lifetime Achievement Award.

Chuck Wilson DeWitt, Arkansas

• B.S., Business with a minor in Economics, University of Arkansas at Monticello • Graduated from the Institute for Organization Management, University of Notre Dame • Director, The Rice Foundation, 2003 • Director, Arkansas Rice Council field services • Manager, Rice Leaadership Development Program, 1992-2017 • Served on Senator Blanche Lincoln’s (D-AR) Farm Advisory Committee, 2009-2011 • Past industry stakeholder member of RiceCAP — a project funded by a grant from USDA and designed to use genetics to help alleviate sheath blight and poor milling yields, 2004-2009 • 2006 Rice Industry Award • Member and deacon of the First Baptist Church in DeWitt, Arkansas • Married to wife Cheryl. Son Jason (wife Jodie); granddaughter Kamdyn, 2. Daughter Ashley Wilson Nichols (Adam); grandson Luke, 4; granddaughter Ava-Clair, 1

Horizon Ag would like to recognize past Rice Awards recipients.

2017

RICE AWARDS

1992

Dennis Leonards, Crowley, La.

Nolen Canon, Tunica, Miss.

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

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

1995

2007

1993

Jacko Garrett Jr., Danbury, Texas 1994

Duane Gaither, Walnut Ridge, Ark.

H

orizon Ag is proud to once again sponsor the Rice Farming Rice Awards and welcome the industry to beautiful San Antonio for the 2017 USA Rice Outlook Conference.

Th is is always one of my favorite times, as we gather together as a rice industry family to contemplate the challenges and successes of the previous season and look ahead with excitement at the opportunity for another productive year.

We know there will be obstacles and trials that will test us in 2018, but after working closely with U.S. rice farmers for over 20 years, I have complete faith in their tenacity and their determination to aggressively tackle each challenge head on while producing high-yielding, high-quality crops that help feed our country and the world. Standing with them will be the individuals and organizations who are devoted to their success — companies like Horizon Ag that are committed to advancing the way you grow rice.

With this year’s awards, we look forward to once again acknowledging individuals who have truly made a difference because of their hard work, persistence and devotion. Those recognized for their outstanding achievements will receive:  The Rice Industry Award, which honors a person who has proven to be innovative in his or her role in this industry.  The Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes a person who has dedicated his or her life to the viability of the U.S. rice industry.  The Rice Farmer of the Year Award, which is given to a farmer who has shown determination, innovation or dedication to growing the crop.

The 2017 Rice Industry Award winners can stand proudly with the award winners who have gone before them and, on behalf of Horizon Ag, we sincerely congratulate each one.

Finally, we appreciate the rice farmers who continue to allow Horizon Ag to be successful by trusting in and supporting our brand and offerings. At the end of the day, Horizon Ag partners with farmers to ensure they have the tools and technology on hand to be more successful all season, every season. Because when rice farmers succeed, our industry succeeds with them.

George Washington is quoted as saying, “The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.” We look forward to celebrating those triumphs at the 2017 USA Rice Outlook Conference and to a bright future for the U.S. rice industry.

Tim Walker Horizon Ag General Manager

©2017 Horizon Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

2006

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. 2000

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 2001

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. 2002

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. 2003

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.

2004

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. 2010

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. 2011

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 2012

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.

2013

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. 2014

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.

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.

2015

2005

2016

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.

Rice Farmer of the Year: Jerry Hoskyn, Stuttgart, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Keith Fontenot, Ville Platte, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Jimmy Hoppe, Fenton, La. Rice Farmer of the Year: Richard Fontenot, Ville Platte, La. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Steve Linscombe, Crowley, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Gary Sebree, Stuttgart, Ark.

Industry News Kurt Guidry named head of LSU AgCenter SW Region Kurt Guidry, a professor of agricultural economics with the Louisiana State University AgCenter, has been named regional director for the AgCenter Southwest Region. The appointment was effective Oct. 1.

Guidry, who will be based at the H. Rouse Caffrey Rice Research Dr. Kurt Center in Crowley, reGuidry places Steve Linscombe, who retired Sept. 30, according to a university news release.

The Southwest Region includes 14 parishes and three research stations.

Guidry has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, a master’s degree in agricultural economics from LSU and a doctorate in agricultural economics from Oklahoma State University.

He started his career with the AgCenter in 1993 as a county agent in St. Landry Parish. Guidry left to pursue his doctorate in 1994 and returned to the AgCenter in 1997.

EPA registers Loyant herbicide The Environmental Protection Agency has registered Loyant with Rinskor active herbicide from Dow AgroSciences for use on rice. Registrations for Mid-South states are pending. Registration in California is still a few years out.

Loyant controls a broad array of grasses, broadleaves and sedges.

Among those are barnyardgrass, junglerice, yellow and rice flatsedges, alligatorweed, purple ammannia, eclipta, ducksalad, hemp sesbania, broadleaf signal grass, jointvetch species, horseweed, amaranth species and ragweed. It provides suppression of sprangletop.

The herbicide also controls many of the weeds resistant to ALS, propanil, quinclorac, fenoxaprop and cyhalofop herbicides.

A few of the weeds on which the product is weak are Texasweed, fall panicum and many of the morningglory family, although it does control pitted morningglory.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

UC weed scientist Albert Fischer honored for contributions Dr. Albert Fischer, a University of California, Davis, weed ecophysiologist, was honored with the Marlin Brandon California Rice Industry Award at the recent California Rice Experiment Station Rice Field Day in Biggs.

The award, named after the late Dr. Marlin Brandon, Rice Experiment Station director, recognizes individuals from various segments of the state’s rice industry University of California Cooperative Exwho have made distinguished contribu- tension farm adviser Whitney Brim-Detions. Presented by the Cooperative Rice Forest (right) presents the Marlin BranResearch Foundation since 1963, the don California Rice Industry Award to Dr. award has honored 53 individuals.

Albert Fischer.

In making the presentation, UC Cooperative Extension farm adviser Whitney Brim-DeForest described Fischer’s extensive research into weeds that have plagued California rice producers.

He was one of the first to identify herbicide-resistant weeds and develop programs to manage them. In addition, Fischer did much of the work that led to the registration of Butte herbicide, a benzobicyclon from Gowan Co. Brim-DeForest credited Fischer with starting her down a career of weed science in 2009. Fischer was Brim-DeForest’s main professor as she worked on her master’s and doctor’s degrees. She also worked in Fischer’s laboratory.

Loyant has a broad application window from two-leaf rice up to booting, Hunter Perry, Dow AgroSciences field scientist, told Rice Farming in a previous interview.

For an early post-emerge application, he says growers may want to tankmix the herbicide with a residual herbicide since Loyant activity is primarily foliar.

Dow AgroSciences researchers also have examined its compatibility with Clearfield varieties and Clearfield hybrids and found good tolerance to the new herbicide.

Currently, no herbicide, including Loyant, is labeled for tankmixing with Provisia herbicide for use with the Provisia Rice System.

Loyant’s active ingredient, Rinskor, belongs to the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee’s Group O, which includes several synthetic auxins. But the Dow herbicide binds differently than other Group O rice herbicides, such as 2,4D and triclopyr, to auxin receptors in the plant, Perry says.

Rinskor Active is Dow AgroScience’s brand name for florpyrauxifen-benzyl, the active ingredient in Loyant.

As with all herbicides, Perry says stew-

ardship will be key to prolonging Loyant’s utility for the rice industry.

Valent launches sustainability division Walnut Creek, California-based Valent USA has created the Sustainable Solutions Business Unit, which will support the industry in adopting and integrating sustainable production practices for crop protection, productivity, and yield enhancement products and technologies.

Ron Maitoza, the newly appointed director for the unit, will lead a team of 10 specialists from across the country.

The new business unit is among the latest commitments to sustainability made

by Valent and its parent company, Tokyo, Japan-based Sumitomo Chemical, following a global endorsement of the United Nations sustainable development goals made by both companies.

Continued on page 30 DECEMBER 2017

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A gem of a variety New ‘Diamond’ lives up to expectations with strong yields and excellent grain quality.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

A

fter the first year of commercial production, the Diamond variety has proven to be a gem with average statewide yields topping nearly all conventional varieties in University of Arkansas and Mississippi Sate University field trials.

“All of our growers are really happy with it,” says Dr. Jarrod Hardke, rice Extension agronomist at the University of Arkansas Rice Research and Extension Center in Stuttgart.

Dr. Bobby Golden, a rice Extension agronomist with Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, says he’s heard similar sentiments from his growers.

“In farmers’ fields this year, the early reports are that Diamond yields are excellent,” he says. “In my trials, I’ve had it top out at 203 bushels per acre.

“It looks to be a really strong conventional variety on par with Rex for Mississippi. I don’t have any milling data in from this year yet. But from everything I’m hearing in

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Mississippi, across the board the milling quality has been good.”

Nevertheless, at least one grower who planted Diamond had some blast issues and recommends putting it in fields without a blast history and where you can maintain water.

“I had mixed emotions about it,” says Korey Randleman, who farms in Greene County, Arkansas, along the St. Francis River. “I liked it all year long until the very end. I had three fields. Two fields were exceptional, and one field was my very worst.”

Even with what he described as a Cadillac fungicide treatment on all three fields, Randleman says the one on sandy ground had bad blast.

“I gave it every opportunity to do something great,” he says. “In places it did, in places it didn’t. But I know that as a producer, in the field that didn’t do well, I probably shouldn’t have planted it there. I’d tell other growers, ‘Just plant it where you don’t have a history of blast problems.’”

RICEFARMING.COM

VICKY BOYD

Good yield potential An upright architecture Named after the Arkansas state gem, the Diamond long-grain Diamond is susceptible to most rice diseases, except false variety is from the program of Dr. Karen Moldenhauer, a Uni- smut, to which it is very susceptible, according to University of versity of Arkansas rice breeder at the Rice Research and Exten- Arkansas ratings. sion Center in Stuttgart.

“My main overall concern is false smut, which we don’t have a Diamond has the parentage of Francis and Roy J but with bet- lot of,” Hardke says. “We only get a minimum suppression from ter yield potential and improved straw strength, Hardke says. fungicides, so we strongly caution people from planting it in LaKast, another University of Arkansas release, had significant fields with a history of false smut.” lodging this season whereas Diamond did not.

Depending on the year and growing environment, Diamond Moldenhauer attributes Diamond’s standability to its Roy J may have awns, something that surprised some Mississippi producers this season, Golden says. parentage.

The new variety also has an upright architecture, which is dif“Diamond can lodge, but it’s not bad for lodging,” Moldenhauer said. “But it’s not Roy J, which only lodges under extreme ferent than more robust Mississippi varieties, such as Rex or Thad.

“It’s a little more erect, a little more upconditions like strong winds and rain.” right,” he says. “It’s not a big, bushy type This was the first year Diamond was variety that our growers are used to.” available for commercial production, occupying about 100,000 acres or 10 percent That led some growers to be skeptical of Arkansas’ rice acreage, Hardke says. of Diamond’s yield potential until they In 2016, Diamond was only grown for put the combine in the field. Golden says seed production. The new variety has exthey were pleasantly surprised. cellent grain quality with low chalk. It also “I’ve not had a single grower who has typical Southern long-grain cooking said, ‘Why did you tell me to plant Diamond?’” he says. “But I’ve had more quality and average overall milling yields. phone calls from growers who said, ‘DiIn three years of data from Arkansas amond did very well on my farm.’ It’s Rice Performance Trials and Producer good to hear another conventional variety Rice Evaluation Program on-farm trials, that performs as well as Rex and Thad in Diamond had an average milling yield Mississippi to aid conventional producers of 55-69 (head rice/total rice). During by spreading out risk.” those three years, its grain yield ranged Moldenhauer says the upright architecbetween 193 bushels and 209 bushels per ture dates back to her days as a graduacre, with a mean of 200 bushels per acre. ate student in Iowa where the new highBy comparison, LaKast had average University of Arkansas rice breeder Karen est-yielding corn hybrids had upright milling yields of 55-70 and a mean grain Moldenhauer discusses her program’s releasleaves. An upright architecture increasyield of 189 bushels per acre. es during the 2017 Rice Expo in Stuttgart. es light penetration into the canopy and Diamond and LaKast are two of 11 University of Arkansas recommended long-grain cultivars for 2018. photosynthesis, which can boost yield potential. In rice, more upright plants also allow for better air movement and theoretiFertility recommendations cally less disease, she says.

University of Arkansas Extension recommends a single preflood nitrogen application of 130 pounds per acre. For growers Another promising line But Moldenhauer isn’t stopping at Diamond. She has another going with a two-way split, Extension recommends 105 pounds promising line in trials that could be released commercially N pre-flood, followed by 45 pounds mid-season.

Early nitrogen applications should be increased by 30 pounds as soon as 2021, providing everything goes well between now N per acre for clay soils and by 20 pounds N per acre for fields and then.

2017 was the first year the experimental variety was in statewhere rice follows rice.

Like many other Arkansas varieties, Diamond tends to be tall- wide ARPT trials, and it topped 200 bushels per acre across the er than varieties with semi-drawf lineage. Nevertheless, Hardke board. She had it at Stuttgart and Pine Tree in 2016. says, it does stand pretty well.

“I think what really caught our eye with this variety is it has “But like anything, you can overfertilize it,” he says. fairly good yield stability over all locations,” she says. “This is Golden says Diamond’s good straw strength is attractive to the first line I’ve had that yielded above 200 in all locations, even Mississippi producers as well.

Pine Tree.”

“So far for us, it doesn’t tend to lodge as bad as LaKast, and The experimental line has Roy J as the mother and a mix of that’s good because even if the yield is good, growers don’t like genetics, including Katy, Newbonnet, Wells and LaGrue, on the anything that tends to go down over here,” he says. father’s side.

Golden had Diamond in his variety-by-nitrogen trials, where Breeder head rows are planned for 2018. If the experimental he applied nitrogen at various rates up to 240 units per acre. Even line continues to perform as it has, a foundation seed block is then, Diamond didn’t go down. planned for 2019, with seed grower production in 2020.

On the slightly heavier Mississippi soils, he says 180 pounds Even if the new line falters along the way, Moldenhauer says actual N should maximize yield potential. she can use it in a future cross, so her time hasn’t been wasted.

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

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Variety/Hybrid

2018 Roster Review these proven and new releases for the upcoming season

H

arvest may still be fresh on your mind, but it’s already time to start thinking about what to plant in 2018. We’ve made it easier with these charts to help you review how selected Clearfield and Provisia varieties and/or hybrids performed in Mid-South trials during 2017. Consider each field individually along with your goals when deciding what to plant for 2018. The following charts and information were provided by Horizon Ag LLC and RiceTec.

2018 Horizon Ag Varieties

Web Resources

NEW PVL01 • First Provisia herbicide tolerant variety • Outstanding seedling vigor • Exceptional tillering • Superior grain quality and milling

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

• Lodging resistance CL163 • Excellent yield potential and seedling vigor • Outstanding grain quality and milling • Exceptional cooking quality — extra-high amylose content compared to current long-grain varieties • Ideal for parboil, canning, food services or package rice • Susceptible to blast; not recommended for fields with a history of blast or water issues

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

CL111 • Earliest maturity of any Clearfield variety • Excellent vigor with high yield potential • Outstanding grain quality and milling • Exceptional ratoon crop performance • Kellogg’s preferred long grain

CL172 • Yield potential between CL111 and CL151 • Outstanding grain quality and milling • Superb cooking quality • Blast resistance • Lodging resistance

disease pressure • Susceptible to blast; not recommended for fields with a history of blast or water issues

CL272 • Medium-grain variety • Comparable to Jupiter with better blast package • Very good milling and cooking quality • Lodging resistance

CL153 • Exceptional seedling vigor • Yield potential equivalent to CL151 • Outstanding grain quality and milling • Blast resistance

CL151 • Exceptional yield potential • Uses nitrogen efficiently — manage nitrogen input to reduce lodging and

Clearfield and Provisia Varieties Disease Ratings

Variety

Sheath Blight

Blast*

Straight Head

Characteristics / Suggested Management Practices

Bacterial Panicle Blight*

Narrow Brown Leaf Spot*

Kernel Smut

False Smut

Lodging

Height (inches)2

Maturity (days to 50% heading)3

Suggested Seeding Rate (lb seed/A)4

Suggested Nitrogen Rate (lb N/A)5

PVL01

MS

S

—

S

MR

—

S

—

35

89

50-70

150-180

CL111

VS

MS

S

VS

S

S

S

MS

39

77

60-70

120-160

CL151

S

VS

VS

VS

S

S

S

S

41

81

55-65

90-150

CL153

S

MS

MS

MS

MS

S

S

MR

42

81

60-70

120-160

CL163

VS

S

MR

MS

R

MS

—

MS

41

83

60-70

120-160

1

1

CL172

MS

MS

MS

MS

S

MS

S

MR

38

79

65-80

120-160

CL272

S

MS

MS

VS

S

MS

MS

MR

39

82

60-70

120-160

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

1 These varieties have genetic markers for Pita, which confers resistance to the following blast races: IA45, IB1, IB49, IB54, IB45, IH1, IG1, IC17, IE1.

2 Height will vary with plant density and environmental conditions.

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

4 Optimum drill seeded planting rate is only for fungicide-treated seed. If using non-treated seed, the seeding rate should be increased by a minimum of 10 lbs/A. 5 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 N-STaR program is recommended where applicable

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Disease Characteristics 5

Agronomic Characteristics / Suggested Management Practices

Clearfield Long-Grain Hybrids 2016 Yield Advantage

2

XP760

XP753

XL723

RT7311 CL

Gemini 214 CL

CLXP4534

Clearfield XL745

Clearfield XL729

RiceTec Hybrids

Conventional Long-Grain Hybrids

20% - 94%

21% - 93%

24% - 95%

31% - 100%

32% - 100%

24% - 93%

32% - 98%

544

630

348

44

39

655

347

154

Milling Average 3

58/70

58/71

52/71

56/71

54/71

59/70

56/71

58/70

Maturity Group

Early

Early

Very Early

Early

Early

Early

Early

Early

83

81

76

86

79

82

82

87

(Adv.-wins-n)

Days to 50% Head Days to Grain Maturity

25% - 97%

112

109

105

116

109

111

109

117

Stress Tolerance

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Pubescence

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Height (inches)

42-44

42-44

37-39

44-48

42-44

42-44

42-44

44-48

Standability

Average

Average

Excellent

Above Avg

Above Avg

Average

Above Avg

Above Avg

Grain Retention

Below Avg

Average

Above Avg

Above Avg

Above Avg

Below Avg

Above Avg

Above Avg

Ratoon Potential 4

Above Avg

Average

Above Avg

Average

Average

Above Avg

Above Avg

Average

Total N (lbs of N)

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

Preflood

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

Late Boot

30

30

30

30

30

30

30

30

Blast 6

R

R

R

R

R

R

R

R

Sheath Blight

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

Straighthead

MR

MS

MS

MS

MS

MR

MS

MS

Kernel Smut

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

False Smut

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

Stem Rot

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

Bacterial Panicle Blight

MR

MR

MS

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

Narrow Brown Leaf Spot

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

RiceTec hybrid 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. 2 Performance based on replicated head-to-head comparisons (vs. CL151 for CL hybrids and Cheniere for conventional) in RiceTec and university trials (%advantage, % wins, # of comparisons) 3 Milling averages taken from head-to-head comparisons in field trials and planting date trials; very early and medium-late hybrids may be disadvantaged due to single harvest date. 4 Ratoon potential on full-season hybrids may be reduced if harvest is delayed due to later plantings. 5 R=Resistant, MR=Moderately Resistant, MS=Moderately Susceptible, S=Susceptible, VS=Very Susceptible. Although RiceTec hybrids normally do not require fungicide treatment, fields should be scouted closely for disease and treated with fungicides when necessary. Consider field history and environmental conditions when making fungicide descisions. Apply preventive applications of fungicides if justified by field history for kernel smut, false smut and/or Cercospora. 6 RiceTec hybrids have shown field resistance to common strains of rice blast fungus. Susceptibility to unusual strains of the rice blast fungus, which have been rare in the field to date, have been documented in nursery trials.

1

RiceTec Conventional Hybrids XP753 • Highest yielding conventional rice seed available • Consistent in any environment • Improved grain retention • Excellent ratoon potential • Superior disease resistance XP760 • Improved yield over XL723 • Superior milling yield • Improved grain retention • Superior disease resistance XL723 • Excellent performance since 2005 • Ideal for straighthead prone soils • Superior milling yield • Excellent ratoon potential • Superior disease resistance TWITTER: TWITTER: @RICEFARMING @RICEFARMING

RiceTec Clearfield Hybrids Clearfield XP4534 • Very early maturity • Short stature and excellent lodging resistance • Superior grain retention • Superior disease resistance Clearfield XL745 • Most widely grown long-grain rice in the United States • Superior performance across all environments • Superior milling yields • Excellent ratoon potential • Superior disease resistance Clearfield XL729 • Proven performance • Best performance on clay soils • Excellent ratoon potential

• Best straighthead tolerance of Clearfield lineup • Superior disease resistance RT7311 CL • Highest yielding Clearfield hybrid in trials in 2016 and 2017 • 11% yield advantage over Clearfield XL745 in 2016 • Excellent lodging resistance • Early maturity • Superior disease resistance Gemini 214 CL • 5% yield advantage over Clearfield XL745 in 2016 • 5 days later than Clearfield XL745 • Improved milling yield • Superior disease resistance

DECEMBER DECEMBER 2017 2017

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PHOTO BY VICKY BOYD

California Rice Experiment Station Director Kent McKenzie discusses the evolution of ROXY rice, which is resistant to oxyfluorfen herbicide, at this summer’s Rice Field Day.

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Scoring a goal California Rice Experiment Station unveils herbicide-resistant ROXY rice.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

B

reeders at the California Rice Experiment Station near Biggs recently unveiled ROXY rice—a line of medium-grain resistant to oxyfluorfen herbicide.

Three years into development, Rice Experiment Station director Dr. Kent McKenzie, who’s leading the project, says he’s pleased with the success so far.

But he says several challenges remain, such as finding a registrant who wants to partner with the RES to bring an herbicide to market and registering oxyfluorfen for rice.

“Developing the variety is not the problem,” McKenzie says, adding he wouldn’t venture to guess when the first ROXY rice would become commercially available to growers.

Currently, oxyfluorfen — marketed under several brand names including GoalTender and Goal 2XL— is not registered for use in rice in the United States.

But it is labeled for weed control on a broad array of crops, including soybeans, corn, cotton, tree fruit, grapes and nuts. A PPO inhibitor, the herbicide controls a wide variety of grasses and broadleaf weeds.

To date, no rice weeds have confirmed resistance to PPOs, McKenzie says.

The rice herbicide Shark, or carfentrazone-ethyl, also is a PPO. There is “some indication” that smallflower umbrella sedge may be growing more tolerant to the product, says Dr. Kassim Al-Khatib, a University of California, Davis, weed science professor.

McKenzie says they chose to work with oxyfluorfen because it is an off-patent material already used on a number of crops excluding rice. As an off-patent material, the herbicide is relatively inexpensive.

He envisions growers being able to apply the material to ground that’s already been prepared for planting, possibly just behind a roller. Then growers would flood fields and have seed flown into the water, just like they do today.

When asked about expected water hold times, McKenzie says he didn’t know since the research is still in the early stages.

ROXY rice, which stands for “resistant to oxyfluorfen,” was developed using traditional induced mutagenesis. This technique has been widely used in

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breeding numerous crops, including the first California semi-dwarf, Calrose 76, as well as M-401, Clearfield and Provisia lines. Varieties developed using this technique are not considered genetically modified organisms or GMOs. The ROXY project began in 2014 when Rice Experiment Station breeders generated mutations and screened 20 to 30 acres for the resistance trait by spraying plants with oxyfluorfen.

“Yes, this was really spray and pray, and we prayed a lot,” McKenzie says.

That summer, they identified 29 plants that showed resistance to Goal 2XL. Those were eventually winnowed down to nine with oxyfluorfen resistance.

McKenzie describes the herbicide-resistance trait as recessive. That means if ROXY rice outcrossed with red rice, the resistance would not be transferred to the progeny in theory, he says.

During 2015, the breeders began purifying the line and transferring the trait to another variety. They chose M-206 because of its natural tolerance to oxyfluorfen.

In addition, the researchers looked at different oxyfluorfen rates and application timings to see how the rice would respond and to confirm resistance.

Also in 2015, they conducted their first collaborative field test with Jim Cook, director of research and technology at Colusa Farm Supply.

Much like the development of other California varieties, the ROXY group relied on the Hawaii nursery to increase seed during the winter.

During 2016, the researchers conducted tests akin to genetic fingerprinting to determine where the mutation occurred within the rice DNA. At the same time, they filed a provisional patent on the herbicide-resistance trait.

Through different crosses and backcrosses, the breeders now have a line referred to as Y3000. This winter, Y3000 will be sent to the Hawaii nursery for seed increase, so researchers will have more material in 2018 to include in the statewide rice nursery program.

The three-year ROXY special project was underwritten by the grower-funded California Rice Research Board.

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Specialists

Speaking

A pleasant surprise DR. JARROD HARDKE

ARKANSAS Asst. Professor/Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service jhardke@uaex.edu The rice planting season in 2017 went at a near-record pace, lagging behind only 2012. Planted acres were expected to be 25 percent less than in 2016. The positive early season conditions had growers feeling upbeat about the year to come. However, some were wisely concerned about having it all planted at once waiting on “one bad weather event.”

Well, they were right about that as massive amounts of rainfall flooded hundreds of thousands of crop acres in northern Arkansas around May 1. Early predictions were that the state could lose close to 200,000 acres of rice as a result of the flooding.

Over the next several weeks, conditions were extremely favorable as additional rainfall failed to materialize, allowing fields to emerge from flooding faster than expected. Cooler-than-normal temperatures also helped to increase rice survival in fields submerged for weeks. The subsequent number of lost acreage was finally estimated at only about 100,000 acres.

Aside from one week in July where temperatures began to soar, overall daytime and nighttime temperatures remained mild and rainfall was frequent. However, the number of levees lost due to flooding and difficulties with nitrogen fertilization and weed management did not create an overly positive attitude toward the crop outcome. It was expected to be an improvement on the extremely disappointing results of 2016, but how much better?

As it turned out, the low temperatures and adequate rainfall combined with low disease pressure were just what the doctor ordered. Temperatures were reminiscent of 2013-2014, and it turns

out a great many of the yield results would mirror those years as well. This is important because those two seasons hold the state average yield record for Arkansas at 168 bushels per acre.

The state average yield estimate, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is 163 bushels per acre for 2017 on approximately 1.1 million acres. However, all signs point to the state average yield increasing with additional surveys as the yield reports this year have been overwhelmingly positive.

A final state average yield that challenges the records set in 2013-2014 would not be surprising. Milling yields and overall grain quality were also much improved over 2016, creating a positive attitude as harvest concludes for 2017. Arkansas rice growers will feel considerably better this winter than last and may actually look forward to the 2018 season.

Crazy weather caused planting delays, lodged rice DR. BRUCE LINQUIST CALIFORNIA UCCE Rice Specialist balinquist@ucdavis.edu

The 2017 cropping season has been a crazy one. Although 2017 started out promising with record rainfall during the winter, the rains persisted into the spring, delaying seedbed preparation and planting. Many growers had to take shortcuts to get their fields planted in a timely manner. These shortcuts included doing field operations when soil was wetter than optimal, skipping some operations and planting shorter-season varieties.

Planting was typically delayed by one to two weeks relative to a more typical year. In addition, late rains prevented a lot of acreage from getting planted so acreage was down and estimat-

Lodged rice was a common sight this fall in Northern California’s riceproduction area.

KENT MCKENZIE, CALIFORNIA RICE EXPERIMENT STATION

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DECEMBER 2017

RICEFARMING.COM

Specialists

2017 proved ‘uneventful’ for Missouri rice SAM ATWELL

MISSOURI Agronomy Specialist atwells@missouri.edu Ninety-five-plus percent of Missouri’s 160,000 acres of rice are out of the field.

Driving from Blytheville to Poplar Bluff today, I saw only two small fields of unharvested rice. So the long dry period has allowed for a good, fast, clean harvest.

Farmers are reporting the Missouri rice crop yields are good, but official results are still out. 2017 was an uneventful year. We started with well-prepared soils from the previous dry fall. Similar to last year, we had frequent timely rains during the spring to activate early pre-emergence herbicides and got a good uniform seed emergence.

ed to be 462,000 acres — much lower than the 520,000-550,000 acres in a typical year.

After lingering rains came a hotter-than-average summer.

Late planting and warm weather appears to have shortened the time from planting to harvest by about a week. In addition, armyworms were a problem for the second year in a row, and there were higher-than-normal incidences of stem rot.

At time of writing, harvest is about 50 percent complete. In general, there is a lot of lodged rice and many are reporting that rice yields are down about 10 percent.

Mild weather aids grain fill, yields DR. BOBBY GOLDEN

MISSISSIPPI Extension Rice Specialist bgolden@drec.msstate.edu Acreage reductions were the norm for most of the Mid-South rice growing region in 2017, a trend that Mississippi did not escape. After rebounding in 2016 to 196,000 acres, ending rice acreage in Mississippi during 2017 was 114,500 acres — estimated to be the lowest since 1977, when it hit 111,000 acres.

Once again, Bolivar County led with the most acreage dedicated to rice in the state, with Tunica County coming in second.

This year, there was only a 145-acre difference between Bolivar and Tunica counties. Again in 2017, most of the rice acreage was cultivated north of Highway 82, with rice seeded in about 16 of TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

Speaking This all helped get our increased row-rice acreage off to a good start, and frequent rains made it easier for some and a challenge for others until early July. Most folks got their preflood fertilizer on in good shape and flooded up for the season.

We had our normal spots of insects and diseases but overall a good season even on row rice.

I followed up on about 20 furrow-irrigated fields, and all but two looked really good all season except for a couple fields that had issues with uneven water flow and weed control. Much of our furrow-irrigated rice was planted on soil extremes, gumbo clays to coarse sand.

Eliminating levees, which reduces land preparation, labor, fuel and other inputs, has made the system very attractive. My main concern for the future is understanding that it may not always be as easy to water as it was in 2016 and 2017.

The long dry fall has allowed for few ruts and lots of land preparation for 2018. Perhaps we already have a leg up on next season. And new technology offers changes and the never-ending need for continued research.

So I’m looking forward to finishing 2017 and wrapping up research results and looking toward 2018.

the 19 Delta counties. Planting progressed at a blistering pace, with 80 percent of the state’s crop sown in April.

This planting pace exceeded the three-, five- and 10-year historical average, resulting in most areas of the state being planted on time. The first three weeks of May were met with rain and resulted in the remainder of the rice crop sown between the last week of May and second week of June.

The consistent rain received over the Delta area of Mississippi during early May hampered levee construction on much of the early planted rice, and in some cases, levees were not able to be pulled and the fields were converted to row rice. The continual wet weather delayed nitrogen fertilization on the earliest planted fields but aided in allowing residual herbicides to remain active.

In general, insect and disease pressures were average to below average during most of the year, with the exception of rice water weevil. In many areas, rice water weevil numbers were great and yield limiting. Jeff Gore, Mississippi State University entomologist, showed water weevil numbers at levels ranging from five to 30 per soil core, with the bulk of samples hovering around 15 to 20 during 2017. MSU data suggest one weevil per core could reduce yield by 1 bushel per acre.

One of the greatest attributes of the 2017 growing season was the mild temperatures observed throughout the Mid-South during the traditional “dog days of summer.” Our rice field day was held on Aug. 2, and temperatures never peaked above 90 degrees.

During the time frame when most of the rice was flowering, daytime temperatures hovered around 90 degrees with nighttime temperatures less than 72 degrees. These lower-than-normal temperatures resulted in excellent pollination and grain fill for most of Mississippi’s rice crop. State average yields are expected to be greater in 2017 than in previous years and should carry over excitement for increased rice acres in Mississippi in 2018.

DECEMBER 2017

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Industry News Continued from page 21

Direct-to-grower seed retailer launched The newly formed Local Seed Co. says it plans to offer direct-to-grower seeds delivered to the farm beginning with the 2018 season.

Local Seed Co. is the result of majority investments in Dulaney Seed, based in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and T.A. Seeds, located in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. Local Seed Co. will maintain operations at both locations, with capital improvements and expansions planned in the near future.

Currently, its offerings include corn, soybean, wheat, rice, cotton and cover crop seed.

For the 2018 season, it will sell to farmers in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. The company plans STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION 1. Publication Title: Rice Farming 2. Publication Number: 0194-0929 3. Filing Date: 9/15/17 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: 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654 Contact Person: Kathy Killingsworth (901-767-4020) 9. Publisher: Lia Guthrie, 7100 Black Bart Trail, Redwood Valley, CA 95470 Editor: Vicky L. Boyd, 280-B West Rumble Road, Modesto, CA 95350 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 2017 15.a. Total Number of Copies (net press run): (Average No. Copies each Issue During Preceding 12 Months – 7,799) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date – 7,578) 15.b.(1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months 4,008) (No. Copies of Single Issue Nearest to Filing Date – 3,894) 15.c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months - 4,008) (No. Copies of Single Issue Nearest to Filing Date – 3,894) 15.d.(1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months – 3,533) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date – 3,472) 15.d.(4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months – 79) (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 – 3,612) (No Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date – 3,472) 15.f. Total Distribution: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -7,620) (No Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date – 7,366) 15.g. Copies Not Distributed: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months - 179) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date - 212) 15.h. Total: (Average No. copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months – 7,799) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date – 7,578) 15.i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months - 52.6%) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date – 52.9%) 18. I certify that all information furnished above is true and complete.

Lia Guthrie, Publisher

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DECEMBER 2017

Officials of Farmers Rice Milling cut the ribbon on the recently completed 55,000-squarefoot plant expansion.

Farmers Rice Milling celebrates 100 years More than 400 people turned out to help Farmers Rice Milling Co. of Lake Charles, Louisiana, celebrate its 100-year anniversary, Oct. 11.

As part of the festivities, mill officials cut the ribbon on the recently completed 55,000-square-plant foot expansion. The $13.4 million project, begun in 2013, modernized the rice mill and boosted processing speed and volume.

Originally established by the Powell Group in 1917, the facility was designed to mill rice raised by another affiliate, Farmers Land and Canal Co. The original mill sat on the banks of the main irrigation canal and used the same steam engine that drove the irrigation pump.

Once the crop was harvested, the engine belts were reversed and the entire rice mill powered.

Today, the company buys about $120 million annually of locally grown rice. to expand into Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina and South Carolina in 2019.

Steve Linscombe named director of Rice Foundation, rice leadership program USA Rice named Dr. Steve Linscombe as the new director of the Rice Foundation and the Rice Leadership Development Program. Linscombe, who spent 35 years at the Louisiana State University AgCenter, retired Sept. 30. A rice breeder for much of that time, he has 33 varieties to his credit.

Linscombe started with USA Rice Oct. 1.

In his new role, he will work with the Foundation’s board to identify and support research projects that ultimately ensure the long-term sustainability and future competitiveness of U.S. rice. He also will manage the Foundation’s education

Steve Linscombe

programs, including the Rice Leadership Development Program.

Linscombe fills the position formerly held by Chuck Wilson, who retired Sept.

30 after 40 years with USA Rice.

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A ‘game changer’ Mild weather could prompt redbanded stink bug buildup, surprising growers

■ Target spot outbreak in trial sheds light on disease’s complexity

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February 2017

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Future Driven.

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Staying ahead in today’s rice industry requires looking beyond next season. That’s why you need forward-looking partnerships that provide you with high-quality, high-performance varieties and innovative technologies so that you can be successful season after season.

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