Feature

At the edge of Chris Isbell’s rice field, three miles south of Bayou Meto, the famous duck-hunting wetland, Ben Runkle tight-rope walks the narrowest of bridges, a one-by-12 plank spanning two cinderblock towers. He’s proud of the bridge, designed and built it himself, so he and his students can reach the meteorological tower on the other side of the field’s ... Read More »

When relentless spring rains pushed the planting window wide open, entomologists predicted problems for Arkansas row-crops. That has certainly proven true for the state’s late-planted cotton, soybeans and rice, said Gus Lorenz, Extension entomologist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. Rice Lorenz said stink bug numbers are “incredible” in 2019. “And they just keep coming,” he said. ... Read More »

University of California Cooperative Extension is surveying for rice diseases this fall. The objective is to document the incidence of diseases in Sacramento Valley rice fields to justify to the California Air Resources Board the industry needs to continue burning 25% of its acreage annually. Every five years, the air board has to reapprove the straw burning program. One reason ... Read More »

The Louisiana State University AgCenter will host five crawfish meetings in south Louisiana to help producers get ready for the upcoming season. “Pond management, including water and vegetation management, are among the topics that will be addressed,” said Mark Shirley, LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant crawfish specialist. Shirley and Greg Lutz, also an LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Sea Grant ... Read More »

Registration for the USA Rice Outlook Conference, the largest rice-specific event in North America, opened this week. USA Rice has added to the conference this year to ensure the event’s tagline, “If Rice is Your Business, This is Your Meeting,” holds true. “In addition to general sessions with powerful speakers, we will feature more than 15 hours of educational programming ... Read More »

With financial support from Kellogg’s, The Nature Conservancy plans to give away and install Murphy pump timers to rice producers within Arkansas’ Cache River watershed. The region, centered around Newport and Walnut Ridge, is an area both groups are targeting to increase conservation practices, said Guilherme Prezotti, Delta project manager for The Nature Conservancy. As part of the conservation effort, ... Read More »

Armyworms can be a serious pest in rice as the larvae can eat the rice leaves or panicles and cause yield reductions. In 2015, a severe outbreak of armyworms caught California rice growers by surprise, resulting in yield losses. In a 2018 survey conducted by University of California Cooperative Extension, rice growers reported average yield losses in 2015 ranging from ... Read More »

University of Missouri officials plan to make a $6.5 million investment in the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, which includes 15 facilities statewide. Among them is the Fisher Delta Research Center in Portageville, which focuses on rice, cotton and irrigation. The investment will enhance the university’s ability to share next-generation agricultural technologies developed by MU researchers with Missouri’s farmers and ranchers. ... Read More »

The California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation recently honored Butte County rice producer Frank Rehermann for his years of industry leadership, including 20 serving on the California Rice Commission. In presenting the California Rice Industry Award, CRC President and CEO Tim Johnson described the numerous trips Rehermann made to Washington, D.C., to advocate on behalf of California rice growers. “When he ... Read More »

The International Rice Festival in Crowley, Louisiana, has named Alan Lawson of Crowley as its Farmer of the Year. A graduate of Crowley High School, Alan attended Louisiana State University Eunie before transferring to LSU in Baton Rouge, where he received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business. After graduation, he returned to the farm to join his father, becoming the ... Read More »