Continuously wet conditions further delayed field preparation throughout much of Arkansas this week, as intermittent rains continue to saturate soils in the state. At production meetings organized by the University of Arkansas in January and February, both growers and agronomists noted the delay in field preparation for the 2019 planting season. Jarrod Hardke, rice agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, ... Read More »

Bruce and Rick Rominger, partners in Rominger Farms of Winters, California, were honored recently by the National Association of Conservation Districts for their conservation practices as producers. The brothers, who have a diverse operation that includes rice, received the Hugh Hammond Bennett Award for Conservation Excellence Farmer award at the association’s recent annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas. Named after ... Read More »

The Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service have joined together to open a new research center focused on water management in the Mississippi Delta. The Agricultural Water Research Center, housed on the MAFES West Farm near Stoneville, will serve growers in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri region. Plans for establishing the facility began ... Read More »

The Bureau of Reclamation announced initial water allocations for Central Valley Project water contractors. As the season progresses, the bureau may change the amount of water delivered. The initial allocation as based on conservative estimates of the amount of water in Sierra Nevada snowpack, current Central Valley reservoir storage and anticipated precipitation, according to a bureau news release. As of ... Read More »

Rice farmers in northeast Louisiana, including those interested in trying row rice, heard advice from LSU AgCenter scientists about the upcoming 2019 season at a recent meeting in Rayville. They also heard some potentially good news from the president of USA Rice about possible rice sales to China. Row rice is becoming more popular with more than 100,000 acres in ... Read More »

During its recent annual meeting, the Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association awarded six scholarships totaling $12,000. Also recognized was Dennis Burns, who received the County Agent of the Year award. Burns serves Catahoula, Concordia and Tensas parishes, and he specializes in agricultural technology, including drones, irrigation and yield maps. “That’s just a small list of things he is well known for,” ... Read More »

‘‘Growing up on a farm in Northeast Louisiana, I was always interested in agriculture,” says rice consultant Richard Costello. “I like watching the crops grow and progress. It gets in your blood. During my advanced postdoctoral training at Louisiana State University, my cousin Michael Costello recruited me to check their rice on the weekends. That’s where I got my rice ... Read More »

UC Rice Yield Contest promotes friendly competition while collecting production data • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • The University of California’s Rice Yield Contest may provide bragging rights to the top producers, but it also has proven a good way to collect production data from high-yielding growers. “It’s a lot of fun, but we’re starting to learn some stuff,” says Bruce ... Read More »

New grass species joins weedy rice as weeds that tested California growers and PCAs in 2018 • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • Although the number of rice acres in California infested with weedy rice — also known as red rice — has remained fairly stable the past few seasons, a new biotype popped up in one field in 2018. Add to ... Read More »

Researchers fine-tuned N, seeding recommendations for Provisia rice during 2018 season. The 2018 season was the first year the Provisia variety, PVL01, was grown commercially. Louisiana grew approximately 10,000 acres of PVL01, and the average yield was about 42-43 barrels per acre statewide (6,804-6,966 pounds per acre; 151-155 bushels per acre). Many growers were satisfied with the Provisia system, and ... Read More »