NRCS Awards UA Grant to Help Healthy Soils, Happy Rice effort
The Natural Resources Conservation Service has awarded the University of Arkansas a $75,000 Conservation Innovation Grant to study the benefits of winter cover crops for rice.
The funds will be used by the university’s Healthy Soils, Happy Rice effort to demonstrate how winter cover crops can improve soil health and lower nitrogen fertilizer needs in rice production.
The nationwide CIG program falls under NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and recipients must provide non-federal matching funds of at least 50 percent of the project cost. Of the matching funds, at least 25 percent must be from cash contributions, while the remainder may be in-kind.
Vicky Boyd named New Rice Farming Editor
One Grower Publishing has hired Vicky Boyd as editor of Rice Farming and Soybean South publications. She also will be the managing editor of Cotton Farming magazine.
“We are thrilled to have Vicky back on board as Rice Farming editor and assume responsibilities for Soybean South. Vicky is well known in the rice industry and is a veteran agricultural journalist,” said Lia Guthrie, publisher and vice president of One Grower Publishing. She will be based in Modesto, Calif.
Former Rice Farming and Soybean South editor Carroll Smith is now editor of Cotton Farming magazine. She also serves as associate publisher of One Grower Publishing and special projects manager.
“We are very fortunate to have someone of Carroll’s experience and pedigree to fill the shoes of Tommy Horton, who recently retired,” Guthrie said. “With these additions, One Grower is well positioned to continue to provide the quality editorial that our readers are accustomed to.”
Boyd can be reached at vlboyd@onegrower.com or 209-505-3612.
RTWG to meet in Galveston
The 36th annual Rice Technical Working Group will meet March 1-4, 2016, in Galveston, Texas, continuing its tradition of convening every other year to exchange information and review research and Extension outreach. The group also will develop proposals for future work.
In addition to rice researchers from Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, international attendees are expected from various rice-producing countries.
Topics include breeding, genetics and cytogenetics; economics and marketing; plant protection; processing, storage and quality; rice culture; and rice weed control and growth regulation.
The Distinguished Rice Research and Education Award will be given to one individual and one team to recognize achievements that advance the science, motivate progress and promise technical advances in the rice industry. Distinguished Service Awards recognize outstanding long-term service to the industry.
The event will be held at the Moody Gardens Hotel Spa and Convention Center. Registration and information are available at http://www.rtwg.net.
For more information, contact Lee Tarpley, Texas A&M AgriLife Research plant physiologist in Beaumont and program chair, at 409-752-2741 or Ltarpley@tamu.edu.
LSU AgCenter compiles state rice statistics
Want to know how Louisiana’s rice acreage breaks down as to variety, hybrids, planting methods, conservation practices, ratoon or grain types this season? Want to know how this year compares to previous year’s crop breakdowns?
There’s not an app for that information quite yet. But Louisiana State University’s AgCenter has compiled all of that data, broken down into several classifications, on its website, http://bit.ly/1M9ZGEy.
The Louisiana Rice Acreage by Variety By Parish survey is conducted annually by county agents in each rice-producing parish. They draw from communications with local Farm Service Agency offices, seed dealers and farmers in their parishes.