Rice Farming

In the mid-1990s, Delaplaine, Ark.-area rice producer Terry Gray was in a quandary. With about half the 1,500 acres of rice in the family farm’s northeast Arkansas operation on a zero-grade continuous rice system, Gray needed a way to eliminate ruts and the resulting red rice problem on the leveled acreage.

“We have lots of land on the river bottom that overflows, so about seven to eight years ago we were forced to look at alternatives,” Gray says. “Soybeans were not a good option, so we went to a zero-grade continuous rice type system.

“In continuous rice, your biggest enemy is going to be red rice. The key to no red rice is no ruts, and the key to no ruts is draining. Therefore, the key to no red rice becomes draining.”

He found his answer two years ago in an early draining system based on recent University of Arkansas research. The study shows the state’s rice growers typically can drain fields earlier than once thought without a risk to yield or quality. By draining about two weeks earlier, the field had plenty of time to dry out, thus reducing rutting at harvest.

Drain two weeks earlier
Paul Counce, a plant physiologist at UA’s Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart, has examined various irrigation cut-off and drainage timings to help growers fine-tune their pre-harvest planning strategies. Counce’s research has repeatedly shown under various conditions and locations that growers can cut irrigations two weeks after 50 percent heading and drain fields a week later without affecting yield or quality.

The conclusive research is beginning to change the way growers in Arkansas and other regions plan for harvest. It also may result in more fine-tuned recommendations on drainage timing from the Extension Service there. The earlier timing is especially beneficial for growers in unique situations, such as Gray’s, where rutting is a factor, or where water is in short supply, poor quality or from deep wells where pumping costs are especially high.

While decades of research have suggested farmers might be able to drain fields earlier than the traditional timing, growers have been reluctant to change for fear of sacrificing grain yield and milling quality.

Now Counce believes he can confidently recommend growers drain as early as two weeks after 50 percent heading. Similar results in a recent study at the Texas A&M experiment station in Beaumont confirm the finding also stands for other regions.

“I believe the farmer can follow our draining guidelines and decrease water use, decrease costs and decrease rutting in the field,” Counce says.

He defines 50 percent heading as the time at which half of the panicles that will emerge from the sheath at the flag leaf have fully emerged.

“There’s an element of judgment and an element of experience in this,” he says.

Save on pumping, nix rutted fields
Gray for the last two years has drained his fields at two weeks after 50 percent heading and has taken no hit on yield or quality, while greatly reducing the rutting and red rice problems in his fields. Because he initially had trouble determining 50 percent heading, he simplified the drainage timing to correspond with one week after 100 percent heading. Now with some experience under his belt, he feels more comfortable basing the drainage timing on 50 percent heading.

He now drains all his rice acreage based on the 14 days after 50-percent heading recommendation. He estimates the cost savings at about $30 per acre just by eliminating ruts, and another $5 per acre in irrigation pumping savings.

“We can save money in pumping, we can harvest on dry ground, which is more economical, we can save water and we get all these benefits at a cost of exactly zero,” Gray says. “You don’t have to buy any high-tech machinery, fancy gadgets or hire anybody to help you.”

Counce is working to establish a drainage timing system based on rice plant growth stages that will help make draining recommendations and determinations more uniform and easier to predict.

“We want to be able to give [growers] a growth stage when it’s safe to drain and then they’ll be able to drain with complete confidence,” he says.

Soybeans benefit, too
A recently completed economic study at the University of Arkansas showed that rice growers can save up to $23 per acre in pumping costs alone by cutting irrigations and draining rice fields earlier without sacrificing yield and quality. At issue is whether to drain the field or let the water evaporate. In addition, according to study co-author Michael Popp, growers on a rice/soybean rotation can increase farm returns significantly through alternative uses of saved irrigation water.

Depending on rainfall, prices and shut-off timing, growers can boost dryland soybean returns by an average of $150 per acre by using late-season irrigation water available from early drained rice, Popp says. The four termination and drainage timings in his study varied by an average of $45 to $80 on that level of return. But based on historic weather patterns, Popp determined that those returns could go as high as $300 per acre.

“Since research shows that there is no risk to yield and quality in rice with early water shut off, why not apply that water to dryland soybean production,” Popp says. “The potential returns are large with very little potential for a down side.”

For questions or comments, contact Rice Farming editor Vicky Boyd at (209) 571-0414 or vlboyd@att.net.

Hotlinks:

For more information on research related to growth stages in rice, log on to http://www.uaex.edu/nerec/RTWG.htm.

For details on the economic study at the University of Arkansas, Department of
Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, write Michael Popp at mpopp@uark.edu
or visit http://www.aragriculture.org/News/farmmgmt/default.asp.

The early bird catches the savings Draining earlier than once thought reduces pumping costs, rutted fields
By Marni Katz
In the mid-1990s, Delaplaine, Ark.-area rice producer Terry Gray was in a quandary. With about half the 1,500 acres of rice in the family farm’s northeast Arkansas operation on a zero-grade continuous rice system, Gray needed a way to eliminate ruts and the resulting red rice problem on the leveled acreage. “We have lots of land on the river bottom that overflows, so about seven to eight years ago we were forced to look at alternatives,” Gray says. “Soybeans were not a good option, so we went to a zero-grade continuous rice type system. “In continuous rice, your biggest enemy is going to be red rice. The key to no red rice is no ruts, and the key to no ruts is draining. Therefore, the key to no red rice becomes draining.” He found his answer two years ago in an early draining system based on recent University of Arkansas research. The study shows the state’s rice growers typically can drain fields earlier than once thought without a risk to yield or quality. By draining about two weeks earlier, the field had plenty of time to dry out, thus reducing rutting at harvest. Drain two weeks earlier Paul Counce, a plant physiologist at UA’s Rice Research and Extension Center near Stuttgart, has examined various irrigation cut-off and drainage timings to help growers fine-tune their pre-harvest planning strategies. Counce’s research has repeatedly shown under various conditions and locations that growers can cut irrigations two weeks after 50 percent heading and drain fields a week later without affecting yield or quality. The conclusive research is beginning to change the way growers in Arkansas and other regions plan for harvest. It also may result in more fine-tuned recommendations on drainage timing from the Extension Service there. The earlier timing is especially beneficial for growers in unique situations, such as Gray’s, where rutting is a factor, or where water is in short supply, poor quality or from deep wells where pumping costs are especially high. While decades of research have suggested farmers might be able to drain fields earlier than the traditional timing, growers have been reluctant to change for fear of sacrificing grain yield and milling quality. Now Counce believes he can confidently recommend growers drain as early as two weeks after 50 percent heading. Similar results in a recent study at the Texas A&M experiment station in Beaumont confirm the finding also stands for other regions. “I believe the farmer can follow our draining guidelines and decrease water use, decrease costs and decrease rutting in the field,” Counce says. He defines 50 percent heading as the time at which half of the panicles that will emerge from the sheath at the flag leaf have fully emerged. “There’s an element of judgment and an element of experience in this,” he says. Save on pumping, nix rutted fields Gray for the last two years has drained his fields at two weeks after 50 percent heading and has taken no hit on yield or quality, while greatly reducing the rutting and red rice problems in his fields. Because he initially had trouble determining 50 percent heading, he simplified the drainage timing to correspond with one week after 100 percent heading. Now with some experience under his belt, he feels more comfortable basing the drainage timing on 50 percent heading. He now drains all his rice acreage based on the 14 days after 50-percent heading recommendation. He estimates the cost savings at about $30 per acre just by eliminating ruts, and another $5 per acre in irrigation pumping savings. “We can save money in pumping, we can harvest on dry ground, which is more economical, we can save water and we get all these benefits at a cost of exactly zero,” Gray says. “You don’t have to buy any high-tech machinery, fancy gadgets or hire anybody to help you.” Counce is working to establish a drainage timing system based on rice plant growth stages that will help make draining recommendations and determinations more uniform and easier to predict. “We want to be able to give [growers] a growth stage when it’s safe to drain and then they’ll be able to drain with complete confidence,” he says. Soybeans benefit, too A recently completed economic study at the University of Arkansas showed that rice growers can save up to $23 per acre in pumping costs alone by cutting irrigations and draining rice fields earlier without sacrificing yield and quality. At issue is whether to drain the field or let the water evaporate. In addition, according to study co-author Michael Popp, growers on a rice/soybean rotation can increase farm returns significantly through alternative uses of saved irrigation water. Depending on rainfall, prices and shut-off timing, growers can boost dryland soybean returns by an average of $150 per acre by using late-season irrigation water available from early drained rice, Popp says. The four termination and drainage timings in his study varied by an average of $45 to $80 on that level of return. But based on historic weather patterns, Popp determined that those returns could go as high as $300 per acre. “Since research shows that there is no risk to yield and quality in rice with early water shut off, why not apply that water to dryland soybean production,” Popp says. “The potential returns are large with very little potential for a down side.” For questions or comments, contact Rice Farming editor Vicky Boyd at (209) 571-0414 or vlboyd@att.net. Hotlinks: For more information on research related to growth stages in rice, log on to http://www.uaex.edu/nerec/RTWG.htm. For details on the economic study at the University of Arkansas, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, write Michael Popp at mpopp@uark.edu or visit http://www.aragriculture.org/News/farmmgmt/default.asp.
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