• By Bruce Schultz • The harvest for the 2020 rice crop in south Louisiana is nearing the halfway point, and the result is a big improvement over a string of bad to mediocre years. “If these yields hold out, I believe it would tie the second-highest-yielding year, and it still has the potential to be a record if the ... Read More »
Valley, Nebraska-based Valley Irrigation has acquired the Benton, Mississippi-based ag-tech company, PrecisionKing, which focuses on moisture monitoring, pump control and remote sensing. “We are excited about this acquisition for many reasons,” says Darren Siekman, Valley vice president of water delivery and business development said in a news release. “It strengthens our footprint in the Mississippi Delta region and brings additional, ... Read More »
Four icons of agriculture were inducted into the Louisiana Agriculture Hall of Distinction during a ceremony Aug. 6 at the L’Auberge Hotel in Baton Rouge. The four individuals are James Barnett, a forestry researcher from Pineville; John Denison, a rice, crawfish and cattle farmer from Iowa; Jay Hardwick, a row crop farmer from Newellton; and Calvin Viator, an agricultural crop ... Read More »
Rice harvest is approaching in the Mississippi Delta, and early signs point to good yields in 2020. Bobby Golden, rice specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and an assistant professor with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said the condition of the state’s estimated 150,000 acres of rice looks “very good” as growers prepare to fill their ... Read More »
University of California Cooperative Extension is seeking input from California growers of field crops, consultants and allied industry on how the division should approach research and Extension efforts. “Your input will highlight the most important issues facing field crop production in California and help us set priorities for future programming,” according to a news release. As a result, UCCE has ... Read More »
• By Josh Hankins • The Arkansas Rice Federation board selected Kelly Robbins as the organization’s new executive director, effective Aug. 1. He succeeds Lauren Waldrip, a partner at Campbell Ward, a Little Rock-based public affairs and public relations firm. Most recently, Robbins served as executive director for the Arkansas Petroleum Council and has previously served as executive vice president ... Read More »
• By Fred Miller • Rice will lead off a series of online commodity-based field days designed to give Arkansans a first look at the latest University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture research and Extension from the safety of their homes. The rice field day will be held at 6 p.m., Aug. 20, and will be followed at two-week ... Read More »
• By Mary Hightower • Growing rice may provide some insulation from the economic impacts of COVID-19 for Arkansas farms, but cotton growers are likely to be harder hit through 2023, according to a model run by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The study did have an upside: the negative effects from COVID-19 on 2019 commodity prices ... Read More »
The rice field day circuit is different this year, and those of us who try to hit many of them may be having withdrawal symptoms. Sure, these events are a chance learn about the latest research at the various universities or at the California Rice Experiment Station. And with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, universities and the California Rice Experiment Station ... Read More »
Some folks may miss riding around in the panel trucks listening to different presentations during the annual Rice Field Day at the California Rice Experiment Station near Biggs. But for many others who prefer not being in the hot sun much of the morning, they’ll be able to enjoy the field day’s virtual format in the comfort of their office ... Read More »
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