In recent years, the focus of irrigation management in rice has taken on a whole new twist. The increase in furrow-irrigated rice, or row rice, has now surpassed 15% of the rice acres in Arkansas. While this practice has the potential to reduce irrigation demand, it is not always the case depending on the situation. Irrigation is often not needed ... Read More »
Southeast Texas experienced a severe cold snap lasting almost a week beginning about Valentine’s Day. The temperatures (both high and low) were well below freezing for several days. Some Texans were still without power and water the week of Feb. 22. ‘I don’t know how the weather affected our Texas rice farmers, but possibly storage facilities, stored rice and farm ... Read More »
John Deere has launched See & Spray, a system that detects green plant material on fallow ground to activate the system. Once weeds are detected by the camera, a signal is sent back to the controller. Once the controller identifies an area of the field that’s green, a signal is sent across the boom to activate on specific nozzles. The ... Read More »
Start early, overlap preemergence residuals for season-long barnyardgrass control. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • University of Arkansas Extension weed specialist Tommy Butts has a simple recommendation for barnyardgrass control this season: “residual, residual, residual.” “Make sure to get those residuals out preemerge and overlap every 14-21 days,” he said. “And make sure we’re getting activation with plenty of water ... Read More »
Aggressive watergrass challenges California growers and researchers who seek effective control programs. • By Vicky Boyd, Editor • A new weed in the watergrass genus continues to bedevil California rice producers and researchers as they try to identify it and develop herbicide programs to control it. Kurt Richter, who farms with his family near Colusa, is among those who have ... Read More »
If the weed kingdom had a band of supervillains, barnyardgrass and watergrass would surely be members. These species that belong to the genus Echinochloa wield super powers and are the bane of rice growers. Herbicides, once the Kryptonite for these grassy invaders, have lost their super powers in many instances as the weeds have developed resistance. With only a few ... Read More »
New editions of the most widely used publications from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture are now available and offer the latest research-based recommendations for managing insects, weeds and diseases in row crop agriculture, as well as in fruit, vegetable and garden production. The 2021 publications include: • MP44 — Recommended Chemicals for Weed and Brush Control. • ... Read More »
With the start of rice planting only two months away, the LSU AgCenter has prepared a series of video presentations by its experts to help farmers prepare for the 2021 crop. These are in place of the normal in-person winter grower meetings, which have been put on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The videos can be viewed at https://lsuagcenter.com/topics/crops/rice/virtual-presentations. In ... Read More »
• By Bruce Schultz • Two Louisiana State University AgCenter rice experts gave their perspectives on the past growing season in Louisiana during a recent online presentation for the 2020 USA Rice Outlook Conference. The event is usually held in one of the six rice-producing states — it was scheduled for Austin, Texas, in 2020 — but it was held ... Read More »
University of California Cooperative Extension in Sutter, Yuba and Colusa counties will hold a series of webinars in September and October to provide research updates on some Sacramento Valley’s major crops, including rice. The classes are relevant to growers throughout California and are primarily focused on pest management and pesticide safety. Both PCA and CCA credits are available. The Sept. ... Read More »
Rice Farming A One Grower Publication