The smell of success University of Arkansas breeding program releases new jasmine-type long grain. 16 17Rice Awards: Since 1992, the Rice Farmer of the Year, Rice Industry Award and Rice Lifetime Achievement Award recognize deserving leaders within the rice industry. Nomination form on page 5.Please send completed form & supporting materials to: Carroll Smith 7201 Eastern Ave., Germantown, TN 38138 Scan/Email: csmith@onegrower.comDeadline: June 30, 2021 The Rice Farmer of the Year, Rice Industry Award and Rice Lifetime Achievement Award recognize those rice leaders who have demonstrated dedication, determination and innovation to the industry. We need your help to identify candidates who are worthy of these prestigious awards. Please take time to consider which industry members in your area should be recipients of these honors and mail or scan/email this form and supporting materials. Categories: Please check the box of the appropriate award category: qRice Farmer of the Year Award• Must farm at least 200 acres. • A farmer who has successfully achieved goals in his/her farming operation, rice industry association, community leadership/development, innovative production practices and/or environmental stewardship. q Rice Industry Award • Has been in the rice industry for more than five years. • A researcher, Extension person, government/association leader, etc… who has demonstrated commitment to the rice industry through innovative practices, industry association, community leadership/development. q Rice Lifetime Achievement Award • Has been in the rice industry for more than 10 years. • An industry leader who has provided great contributions to the rice industry through industry associations, community leadership/development, innovative practices/projects that have advanced the industry. Nominee’s name Nominee’s address Nominee’s phone number/email address Nominee’s rice acreage (if applicable) Number of years involved in the rice industry (if applicable) In addition to completing this form, on a separate piece of paper, please describe the nominee in terms of the following guidelines: Dedication to farming and/or agriculture and the rice industry, local community and education. Determinationto succeed and overcome hurdles that have emerged while trying to reach goals. Innovationto identify new and better ways for the industry to become more profitable, manage risk, achieve a higher level of efficiency. It also is helpful to send letters of recommendation for the nominee from other individuals in the rice industry who are familiar with his/her accomplishments. A panel of judges from across the Rice Belt will select the recipients of the 2021 Rice Awards. Your name Your profession Your address Your phone number/email address Your signature Date If you are submitting more than one nomination form, please make a copy before you fill out the form. Nomination forms can be downloaded or submitted online at www.ricefarming.com. The award recipients will be honored at the USA Rice Outlook Conference, Dec. 5-7 in New Orleans, Louisiana, where an official presentation will be made at the awards luncheon. They also will be featured in a special salute sponsored by Horizon Ag, USA Rice and Rice Farming magazine in the December 2021 issue. 2021 Rice Awards Nomination Form Include supporting materials to elaborate on your nomination

in such high numbers that finding a place to dispose of them is problematic. Crawfish producers in parts of Vermilion and Jefferson Davis parishes have found the situation so severe that fishing had to be stopped and ponds drained early in the crawfish season. Laboratory and field trials are examining potential controls that can eliminate the snails without adverse effects on crawfish growth and development.

Expansion into rice and crawfish ponds from natural bodies such as the Vermilion and Mermentau rivers was facilitated by the 2016 flood. Following detection of this expansion, LSU AgCenter scientists initiated an invasive species monitoring program across nine southwest Louisiana parishes.

This program aims to identify the snails’ current distribution as well as determine the rates of expansion and modes of introduction into new ponds. Currently, apple snails are using the Vermilion River, Bayou Carlin and Delcambre Canal to extend populations north from Vermilion Bay into rice fields in eastern Vermilion, Lafayette and Acadia parishes.

Other apple snail populations are moving from Lake Arthur and the Mermentau Basin into Jefferson Davis Parish and western Vermilion Parish (Figure 1).

Much of the region is not infested, but further range expansion is anticipated. Introduction onto new farms is likely to continue because many farmers use surface water connected to these major waterways as their primary irrigation source.

While some introductions are unavoidable, farmers are being encouraged to prevent accidental transportation of the snails to new areas by checking equipment for egg masses before moving between ponds and by stocking ponds with crawfish only from sources known to be noninfested with apple snails.

People are encouraged to contact their local AgCenter Extension offices if they believe they have observed apple snails in new areas in southwest Louisiana.

Health risks associated with apple snails

While many adventurous Louisianans may be wondering how to best prepare the snails for dinner, people considering consuming these mollusks should exercise caution. The snails are edible when thoroughly cooked and properly cleaned by removing all intestinal material.

However, raw or undercooked snails can contain rat lungworm, a parasite that can cause potentially fatal eosinophilic meningitis. Other health risks are associated with the pink egg masses. The hot pink color serves as a warning to alert potential predators that the eggs are toxic.

The eggs contain a protein neurotoxin called PcPV2, which has been shown to be lethal to mice and can cause irritation of the skin and eyes in humans. Destruction of the eggs should be done using an implement to knock egg masses into the water, where they are prevented from hatching. Skin exposed to apple snail eggs should be washed immediately. 

Figure 1. Estimated distribution of apple snails in rice and crawfish production regions of southwest Louisiana as of 2019. Map based on monitoring of 47 rice and crawfish sites in addition to detections provided by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Blake Wilson is an assistant professor at the Sugar Research Station in St. Gabriel. Julian Lucero is a graduate student in the Department of Entomology, and Mark Shirley is a crawfish specialist and marine Extension agent in the Southwest Region for the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant.

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