Rice farming december 2016

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DECEMBER 2016

Eye in the sky Drone helps scout fields, saving time

Weather wreaks havoc on Mid-South rice New varieties, hybrids for the 2017 season

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December 2016

COLUMNS

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Vol. 51, No. 1

COV ER STORY

4 From The Editor

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Take time to enjoy your ‘football’ family

5 USA Rice Update Building on National Rice Month

Eye in the sky

DEPA RTM EN TS 26 Specialists Speaking ‘It was an ugly year’

30 Industry News Rice business scene ON THE COVER: Timothy Gertson of Lissie, Texas, is one of an increasing number of producers who fly drones.

Photo by Vicky Boyd

Drones help scout fields, saving time and giving a different perspective.

FEATUR ES 6

Market needs a spark in demand, particularly from foreign buyers, to reach upside price potential.

SUPPLEMENTS 2016

RICE AWARDS Horizon Ag, Rice Farming magazine and the USA Rice Federation are proud to bring you the recipients of the 2016 Rice Awards.

The program highlights three honorees for their contributions to the success of the rice industry through the Rice Farmer of the Year, the Rice Industry Award and the Rice Lifetime Achievement Award.

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See page 13

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Strong contenders

Deregulated herbicide trait, illegal herbicide use converge for historic drift injury to crops.

A ‘perfect storm’

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2017 Variety/Hybrid Roster Check out proven and new hybrid and Clearfield variety releases for the upcoming season.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016

TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

The color green

Two recent University of Arkansas releases show improvements over earlier varieties in two sets of trials.

2016 Rice Awards

Look for the Soybean South supplement included with the Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas versions of Rice Farming.

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Easy-to-use Leaf Color Chart helps growers gauge crop’s mid-season nitrogen needs.

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Exports lag

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The infamous season 2016 will not soon be forgotten in Louisiana but for the wrong reasons—historic flooding, reduced quality and significantly lower yields.

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RiceFarming

From The Editor

Take time to enjoy your ‘football’ family Fall is my favorite time of year, with the waning of hot weather, the crisp mornings and four-plus months of football to look forward to. Not only do sports bring families closer together in many ways, but they also provide at least a few hours of weekly diversion from the pressing issues of life.

With the recent presidential election, which seemed to get nastier and uglier with each debate, I found myself turning more and more to sports for a respite.

This fall, I was lucky enough to be part of a group that attended the Texas A&M-University of Arkansas football game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. What hit me was the tradition that football played among the growers and consultants and their spouses who were in our suite.

Even though some of their kids had graduated college, they, their spouses and even the rest of the family still tried to attend at least a few football games every year. For a few hours, they could escape their town, get caught up in the excitement of a game, share their love of football with family members, and forget about low rice prices or flood-damaged crops.

And they didn’t just watch the games. They immersed themselves in the teams and knew the players, who was hot and who was not.

Don’t get me wrong — football isn’t always the great socializer. I’ve met people over the years who are so passionate about their teams that they seriously take offense if you talk negatively about them. But most people with whom I’ve discussed football agree to disagree about the teams.

Fine print disclaimer: I didn’t go to a powerhouse football school. I attended Colorado State University, which has moved up to the Mountain West Conference from the Western Athletic Conference and even earlier, the Skyline Conference. CSU athletic leaders think it’s a big deal when their .500 team makes it to one of the 40-plus second-tier post-season bowls. CSU’s student body, fans and alum, who typically don’t even fill half of 32,000-seat hometown Hughes Stadium, aren’t nearly as rabid as their counterparts at a Southeastern Conference game.

Since working in the Mid-South and having a brother who attended an SEC school, I’ve adopted a new team. I won’t mention the name here because the last time I did on social media, an acquaintance jokingly threatened to unfollow me on Twitter. That’s part of the fun — just some old-fashioned friendly football rivalry.

Whether you chant “Woooo! Pig Sooie,” are part of the 12th Man, recently mourned the loss of Mike the Tiger or cheer on another team, enjoy your football “family” and the camaraderie it brings this season.

Vicky Send your comments to: Editor, Rice Farming Magazine, 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654. Call 901-767-4020 or email vlboyd@onegrower.com.

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RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

EDITORIAL/PRODUCTION Editor Vicky Boyd 209-505-3612 vlboyd@onegrower.com Copy Editor Amanda Huber ahuber@onegrower.com Art Director Ashley Kumpe akumpe@onegrower.com

ADMINISTRATION Publisher/Vice President Lia Guthrie 901-497-3689 lguthrie@onegrower.com Associate Publisher Carroll Smith 901-326-4443 csmith@onegrower.com Sales Manager Scott Emerson 386-462-1532 semerson@onegrower.com Circulation Manager Charlie Beek 847-559-7324 Production Manager Kathy Killingsworth 901-767-4020 kkillingsworth@onegrower.com For circulation changes or change of address, call 847-559-7578

ONE GROWER PUBLISHING, LLC Mike Lamensdorf President/Treasurer Lia Guthrie Publisher/Vice President ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS — One Grower Publishing LLC also publishes COTTON FARMING, THE PEANUT GROWER, SOYBEAN SOUTH and CORN SOUTH magazines.

RICE FARMING (ISSN 0194-0929) is published monthly January through May, and Decem­ber, by One Grower Publishing LLC, 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654. Period­icals postage paid at Memphis, TN. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to OMEDA COMMUNICATIONS, CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, P.O. BOX 1388, NORTHBROOK, IL 60065-1388. Annual subscriptions are $25.00. International rates are $55.00 Canada/Mexico, $90.00 all other countries for AirSpeeded Delivery. (Surface delivery not available due to problems in reliability.) $5.00 single copy.

All statements, including product claims, are those of the person or organization making the statement or claim. The publisher does not adopt any such statement or claims as its own and any such statement or claim does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. RICE FARMING is a registered trademark of One Grower Publishing LLC, which reserves all rights granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in association with its registration.

© Copyright 2016

One Grower Publishing, LLC 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654 Phone: 901-767-4020

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USA Rice

Update

Building on National Rice Month Six chain restaurant chefs learn firsthand the work that goes into getting rice from the field to their kitchens.

By Betsy Ward President and CEO USA Rice

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nother growing season, another harvest—tumultuous in places because of weather—is in the books. This means, among other things, that another National Rice Month is also history. We use National Rice Month (NRM), an annual celebration of our great grain, as a solid foundation on which we can, and do, build quality programs.

lion unique visitors each month, increasing our media impressions that month by a factor of 10.

In addition, supermarket dietitians with whom we partnered in the past continue to ask for our materials each September, further expanding the reach of our messages and programs.

COURTESY USA RICE

Information in Aisle 5 Several years ago, we decided to partner with a growing group of influencers—supermarket dietitians. Supermarkets are turning to them to help educate consumers, promote wellness and drive sales. Consumers look to the dietitians to help them make healthy choices, and there’s no question that sustainably grown U.S. rice fits the bill.

As in years past, we partnered with six retail chains during NRM to promote U.S.-grown rice, providing recipes, talking

Members of USA Rice show chain restaurant chefs how rice is produced.

points, suggested social media posts and in-store activity concepts. And once again, USA Rice hit a home run.

Not only did we reach millions of shoppers through our partnerships, but a 3 ½-minute NRM-inspired cooking segment on KCRATV in Sacramento, Calif., was picked up

by MSN.com and Yahoo News. Those two websites combined have more than 113 milTwitter: @RiceFarming

Chef recommendations While we tell the U.S. rice story yearround, we took advantage of harvest this year to target another key group of influencers — chefs. We recognize there are four basic types of restaurants in the United States: 1) those that serve U.S.-grown rice; 2) those that serve U.S.-grown rice and identify it as such to their customers; 3) those that do not serve U.S.-grown rice; and 4) those that do not serve rice at all for one reason or another.

This September, with our expanded promotion program with P.F. Chang’s in full swing (group No. 2—and please, if you have not already seen the P.F. Chang’s video about U.S.-grown rice, search it out on YouTube, Facebook, P.F. Chang’s website or ours), we took aim at group No. 1.

USA Rice brought six chefs, who together represent more than 900 restaurants nationwide from light to heavy rice users, to the heart of rice country in the Mid-South. Over three days, the chefs toured the Windmill Rice Mill in Jonesboro, Ark., and associated rice farms and got to ride in working combines—a tour highlight for many.

The chefs left with not only new recipes developed specifically for their restaurant brands but also with a new appreciation for our industry. One remarked that he hadn’t realized all the work that goes into getting rice from the field to his kitchen and his customers’ plates—but he will now.

These chef outreach and dietitian programs are just a small part of what we are doing to tell the story of U.S.-grown rice to increase its use and speed its acceptance.

And each success is another building block upon which we expand our programs, our reach and our industry.

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

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Exports lag Market needs a spark in demand, particularly from foreign buyers, to reach upside price potential.

By Kurt Guidry

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he news for the rice market continued to be grim with the release of U.S. Department of Agriculture’s October 2016 Supply and Demand estimates. The overriding theme is large supplies combined with uncertain and uneven demand.

While USDA reduced its expectations for the 2016 crop size, it has not been enough to spark the market. Even with the weather difficulties in much of the Southern U.S. rice-growing region, USDA has only reduced per-acre yields by 200 to 300 pounds in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Although many analysts believe further yield reductions could materialize in future USDA projections, it seems abundantly clear it will not be enough, by itself, to change overall market momentum.

The major reason is that for every reduction USDA has made in production levels, it has made similar or larger reductions in overall rice demand projections.

Total export demand for the 2016/17 marketing year was reduced by roughly 2.5

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percent in the October report, and cumulative export sales to this point could suggest even further reductions.

Through Oct. 6, total rice exports sales were down by 10 percent from the previous year. Most of the reduction in demand has been for long-grain rice, with both rough and milled exports down significantly from last year. With exports making up nearly 50 percent of all rice usage, the inability to find significant, sustained demand is troubling for this market.

Unfortunately, most signs point to continued struggles for rice export demand.

Combined rice production for the 2016/17 marketing year for Thailand and Vietnam is expected to be up by more than 7 percent from the previous year and is expected to result in a 5 percent increase in their exports. This will likely keep their prices at significant discounts to U.S. prices.

Market may have bottomed out Current prices throughout the Southern U.S. rice-growing region have been

VICKY BOYD

Although per-acre yields in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi were reduced by about 200 to 300 pounds in the USDA’s October report, it wasn’t enough to significantly change market momentum.

reported in the upper $9 to low $10 hundredweight level ($16 to $16.50 per barrel range). With USDA reporting that 93 percent of the U.S. crop was harvested as of Oct. 17, there is hope that we have already seen harvest lows and may start to see minor price momentum.

Historically, futures prices have improved by 3 to 5 percent from the end of the year to the February/March timeframe. The market’s ability to maintain around the $10 cwt range despite the harvest of a near-record crop provides some hope that we could see seasonal improvement better than that historic 5 percent.

It does not seem to be unrealistic to assume as much as a 10 percent boost with our normal seasonal improvement. That would put upside potential in the upper $10 to lower $11 cwt level (mid-$17 to low $18 per barrel). For this to happen, however, it will likely require a spark from demand, and particularly, export demand.

Price prospects for the 2017 crop year will depend on how quickly the market can manage this year’s large supplies. While demand over the rest of the 2016/17 marketing year could play a large role, typically acreage and the potential size of the next crop is the largest market influence. Based on current new crop futures, it is difficult to see significant acreage shifts in 2017.

Simply stated, low commodity prices and current expectations for returns above variable production costs for most competing commodities likely do not offer enough incentive to make significant changes in 2017. Cotton is the only commodity that currently could make some claim for additional acres in 2017, given its recent price improvement.

However, significant reductions in industry infrastructure and the potential for significant 2017 PLC (price loss coverage) and ARC-CO (agriculture risk coverage—county) payments for commodities planted on generic base acres (old cotton base) likely limit upside potential in cotton acres. Without a significant reduction in rice production in 2017, demand will have to be the primary driver for higher prices.

Unfortunately, what the last several years have shown us is finding enough demand to boost prices has been highly problematic.

Dr. Kurt Guidry is an agricultural economist with Louisiana State University’s AgCenter. Contact him at KMGuidry@ agcenter.lsu.edu.

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Weed Spectrum And Timeliness Are Key John Zaunbrecher Sanders Eunice, La.

Growing up on a rice farm that my dad, John, and uncle, Reggie, operated in Acadia Parish, La., influenced my decision to pursue agriculture as a career. After graduating from McNeese, I started treating seed for G&H Seed Co. in Crowley. Four years ago, I had the opportunity to move out of the warehouse and into the field as a consultant for G&H – now Sanders – in Eunice.

This past year, cold weather slowed the rice early in the season.

When temperatures warmed up and the crop started growing, we thought we were looking at a great year. Unfortunately, the historic flood that occurred in August devastated much of the rice crop.

Yields dropped 5 to 15 barrels (about 16 to 49 bushels) per acre, but overall it turned out to be a fair year for some farmers.

Don’t Skimp On Weed Control

The most troublesome weed we have in rice is Neally sprangletop, which is now creeping across all parts of Louisiana. To determine what herbicide to spray, you have to consider the full weed spectrum present in the field. RiceStar HT, which is a grass herbicide, controls sprangletop but has no activity on fall panicum. It has to be applied by itself right before or right at flood.

We’ve also had some success with Command herbicide applied as an early pre-emerge.

RebelEX, a broad-spectrum herbicide, is a good choice where both broadleaf weeds and grass are present, especially in a wet year. It has activity on less than three-leaf sprangletop and will pretty much take out every single weed in the field except yellow nutsedge. To achieve the best results, apply RebelEX by air to “soupy” ground or even where there is a shallow film of water. And if farmers can’t apply Newpath herbicide to Clearfield rice because of close proximity to conventional varieties, RebelEX is an effective option to manage grass.

Grasp Xtra also provides good control of many broadleaf weeds, especially alligator weed while Grasp SC takes out troublesome grasses, such as barnyardgrass. I also am looking forward to Loyant herbicide, which will be available in the near future. The field trials I’ve seen indicate Loyant will help where we have herbicide resistance.

In planning a weed control strategy for the 2017 rice-growing season, be sure to include pre-emerge herbicides to control grass, particularly where resistance is an issue. If you are looking at ways to cut costs because of the depressed price of rice, consider planting some conventional varieties or incorporating more pinpoint flood planting practices into your operation.

On a positive note, keep going strong and don’t be discouraged.

Some of the new varieties coming out appear to have improved yields on both the first crop and the ratoon crop. In a lower-price environment, this should help out a lot.

• Grew up on a rice farm in South Louisiana • B.S., Agriculture Business, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, La. • Began career treating seed for G&H Seed Co. in Crowley • Consulted for four years on rice, soybeans and wheat, some corn and milo • Currently studying to become a Certified Crop Adviser • Farms rice and crawfish in Acadia Parish • Enjoys any outdoor activity, including deer hunting • Would like to recognize his cousin, Byron Zaunbrecher, who has shown that with hard work and determination a young farmer can make a living growing rice

Recap: Weed Spectrum, Timeliness Are Key t 1. To determine what herbicide to spray, you have to consider the full weed spectrum present in the field.

2. RebelEX, a broad-spectrum herbicide, is a good choice where both broadleaf weeds and grass are present, especially in a wet year. It has activity on less than three leaf sprangletop and will pretty much take out every single weed in the field except yellow nutsedge.

3. To achieve the best results, apply RebelEX by air to “soupy” ground or even where there is a shallow film of water.

4. Grasp Xtra also provides good control of many broadleaf weeds, especially alligator weed while Grasp SC takes out troublesome grasses, such as barnyardgrass.

5. The field trials I’ve seen indicate Loyant herbicide, which will be available in the near future, will help where we have herbicide resistance.

­ Sponsored By

DOW Diamond, Grasp and RebelEX are trademarks of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. Grasp Xtra and RebelEX are not registered for sale or use in all states. Contact your state pesticide regulatory agency to determine if a product is registered for sale or use in your state. Always read and follow label directions. ©2016 Dow AgroSciences LLC

®™

The color green Easy-to-use Leaf Color Chart helps growers gauge crop’s mid-season nitrogen needs.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

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he University of California, in collaboration with the California Rice Commission and the California Cooperative Rice Research Board, has released the UC Leaf Color Chart, version 2.0.

The ruler-like device contains eight color cells of varying shades of green that growers can use to gauge crop mid-season nitrogen levels and whether they need to topdress.

Originally introduced by UC Cooperative Extension farm adviser Cass Mutters in 2000, the Leaf Color Chart was recently revisited as a tool to be used in tandem with the UC publication, “Rice Nutrient Management in California,” to help rice growers address the state’s nitrogen management plan.

“We were at some water board meetings this summer and held up the publication, ‘Rice Nutrient Management in California,’ along with the Leaf Color Chart,” says Roberta Firoved, manager of industry affairs with the Sacramento-based California Rice Commission. “Oh my gosh—you would have thought that (the Leaf Color Chart) was the coolest thing in the world. We have a great opportu-

nity to do educational outreach by providing growers with these tools, and it’s going to demonstrate that our industry is proactive.”

With funding from the Rice Research Board, Mutters produced 2,300 copies of the updated Leaf Color Charts.

This winter, the California Rice Commission plans to mail to all of the state’s growers the Leaf Color Chart and either the nutrient management guide or a discount so producers can buy the guide. Included in the mailing will be a note explanation why growers are receiving the tools, Firoved says.

Mutters says UC researchers also plan to discuss the Leaf Color Chart and accompanying nutrient management guide during their winter rice meetings.

Simple yet effective The Leaf Color Chart works on the simple principle that rice leaf color is a reliable indicator of mid-season leaf nitrogen content.

The 15-inch-long gauge is made of durable UV- and heat-resistant acrylic plastic.

Growers can use the Leaf Color Chart to gauge the canopy’s overall shade of green.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

BACKGROUND PHOTO BY FRED REHRMAN

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Two sampling options You can either sample Y-leaves throughout the field and match the individual leaf to the color cells or you can use the chart to gauge overall canopy color.

Regardless, begin sampling at mid-tillering, Mutters suggests.

Because the sun’s angle and light intensity can affect color, he recommends using the leaf color chart between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. He also prefers keeping the sun to one’s back for consistency.

As you would with soil or tissue sampling, take Leaf Color Chart readings in several areas of the field to gain representative results, Mutters advises. If you have one portion of a field that appears to be different, consider taking separate readings so you can manage it on a site-specific basis.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

On the back is a calibration table that equates each color cell to leaf nitrogen levels.

For California medium-grain Calrose-types in general, Mutters says, UC has set a critical leaf nitrogen level of 4.6 percent at mid-tillering and 3.2 percent at panicle initiation.

Based on the Leaf Color Chart, a grower is able to determine if leaf nitrogen levels are high enough to forego midseason nitrogen topdressing based on leaf color.

Seth Fiack, an Ord Bend-area rice producer, was chairman of the Rice Research Board in 2015 when it approved funding to update the gauge. And it was the tool’s simplicity that sold the board.

“It’s an effective tool, and it’s easy for guys to use,” says Fiack, who has used the gauge since it was first introduced in the early 2000s. “That’s what makes it so good—it’s not complicated.”

Based on readings from the color chart, he only had to topdressed 300 of his 525 acres of rice this season.

But Fiack was quick to point out that the color chart is just one of the tools he uses to manage nutrients; another is the UC degree-day model.

Like many other new devices, he says growers have to use the color chart regularly to become comfortable with it and learn how it relates to their individual fields.

Beginning at tillering, producers also can sample individual Y-leaves throughout a field and match them up to the color cells on the Leaf Color Chart.

Behind-the-scenes development For the updated color chart, researchers worked with a Los Angeles area laboratory to spectroanalyze and digitally render the individually unique leaf colors to ensure that the color cells accurately described the actual color of a rice leaf.

The results were used to formulate high-temperature resistant, UV-stabilized, colorized acrylic plastic. Test plates were created to compare with the original Leaf Color Chart, and the process was repeated until the colored plastic matched the original color chart.

The color cells are linear based on a component of the leaf spectrum, allowing growers to “split the difference” if a leaf color falls between two different color cells.

During the 2016 season, Mutters also conducted a trial that involved nine rice varieties and six different nitrogen levels at the California Rice Experiment Station to develop calibration curves for the Leaf Color Chart.

“It’s a very complex tool that’s deceptively simple,” he says.

The need for nitrogen stewardship California’s nutrient management requirements fall under the conditional Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program, adopted by the state in 2003 to reduce agricultural pollutant runoff into surface water. It was later expanded to include groundwater. . The conditional ILRP is now a permanent regulation implemented as Waste Discharge Requirements Orders. Until 2003, agriculture had received a discharge waiver from the State Water Board.

Since then, growers who irrigate their land and have runoff from irrigation or rainfall have an option. They can either apply to the Regional Water Quality Control Board for individual discharge permits or they can join a regional water quality coalition. Most choose the latter.

The roughly dozen coalitions statewide collect per-acre fees from members to help fund water quality monitoring, develop best management practices and educational programs, and data collection.

The state’s rice industry falls under a commodity-specific pro-

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gram because the industry already had a framework in place for rice pesticide monitoring. In addition, the CRC commissioned a study that examined rice production’s possible nitrogen contribution to groundwater, says Roberta Firoved, manager of industry affairs with the Sacramento-based California Rice Commission. The results showed rice was an extremely efficient nitrogen user and when combined with the clay soils of most fields, rice fertilization posed little risk to underground water sources.

But in initial meetings with the Central Valley State Water Board, Firoved says regulators assumed incorrectly that growers intentionally over-applied nitrogen, since the nutrient isn’t regulated and doesn’t carry mandatory reporting like pesticide use.

She and her colleagues have had to educate regulators that rice growers generally are conscientious about not over-applying nitrogen. That’s because rice is extremely sensitive to nitrogen, which can actually reduce yields by causing blanking and increase disease pressure and lodging if over-applied.

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Eye in the sky Drones help scout fields, saving time and giving a different perspective.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

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imothy Gertson readily admits that flying a drone is cool. But the producer of row crops near Lissie, Texas, is quick to point out that his unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV as a drone is sometimes called, saved him countless hours this season scouting levees as he watered rice fields.

“It would take me two to 2 ½ hours to scout everything that a drone might take a few minutes to scout,” he says. “A lot of times, I didn’t need to do anything but it identified places I might need to go. It saved a ton of time early in the season because some of our fields were new and I’d never watered them before.”

Gertson even used his drone to survey an organic corn field damaged by feral hogs to obtain a more accurate estimate of the seed needed to replant.

Scott Savage, who grew up flying model airplanes and even has a private pilot’s license, jumped at a chance to get a drone about two years ago.

“We got one just for fun,” says Savage, who is part of the family-owned Triangle Rice Farms in Bay City, Texas.

As a pilot, Savage used to fly his fields weekly, looking for problems from the airplane. That got him thinking about using his drone to scout rice fields.

“The drone was much easier and quicker and definitely more cost effective,” he says.

Gertson and Savage are not alone in their interest in drones for farm use, says Louis Wasson, a senior Extension associate with Mississippi State University in Starkville.

The recent publication of the Federal Aviation Administrations’ drone rule has propelled Unmanned Aerial Systems—as the entire packages of drones, cameras, sensors and software are known—and several software manufacturers are racing to put products on the market, he says.

Drone popularity takes off Producers such as Gertson and Savage use drones simply to “point and see.” More advanced systems involve using drones to take images with special NDVI or RGB cameras that detect differences in light waves reflected by vegetation.

The industry isn’t at the point yet where those images can readily be processed into a format that tractors can use. But Wasson says several companies now have cloud-based image processing. After you’ve completed your flight, you submit the imagery over the Internet and within hours or overnight, you have a multitude of products derived from the imagery. By the 2017 growing season, he says there will likely be several comTwitter: @RiceFarming

panies offering infield image processing. No Internet — it’s all done on a laptop or iPad. “The drone is the easy part. The flying is the easy part,” Wasson says. “Easily getting that data into information, we’re not quite there yet. Farmers don’t care about the pretty picture – they want information.”

“

The drone is the easy part. The flying is the easy part. Easily getting that data into information, we’re not quite there yet.

Getting started Gertson did his homework before he bought his drone in October 2015. His brother-in-law had bought a 3DR drone made by 3D Robotics about four to six months before. The unit, designed to work with a separate GoPRO video camera, took about 20 minutes to assemble each time it was flown.

Gertson says he ended up buying a unit from DJI for about $1,200 that included a built-in video camera. DJI has since come out with models costing as little as $500.

What also sold him on the DJI was its Light Bridge Technology, which allows users to stream 720 pixel video from 1.2 miles away. Image feeds from some other drones may cut out if they’re farther away than several hundred feet.

Although the built-in camera can shoot higher resolution video, transmitting it can be choppy because of the larger image size. Gertson opted for the lower-resolution 720p stream, which he says is fine for viewing in the field. At the same time, the drone saves a higher-resolution version to an internal SD card for later viewing.

Gertson also chose a package that included a hard carrying case where he can store his drone with the blades still attached. Many other cases require the propellers be removed before storage.

In addition, he bought two back-up batteries, which are each good for about 20 minutes of flying time when fully charged, as well as a few sets of replacement blades at about $10 per set.

The drone’s remote control box, which resembles a video gaming console with mini-joysticks, also needs to be connected to a smartphone — either an iPhone or Android — or a newer iPad with a Lightning connector. (The smart devices are not included RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

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in the drone’s purchase price and must be bought separately.)

This provides the screen that the pilot on the ground uses to view what the drone’s camera is imaging.

Initially, Gertson used an iPhone, but he eventually moved to an iPad Mini because of the larger viewing screen.

In a matter of a few minutes, he is able to pull the drone from the case, plug in a few cables, turn it on and be ready to fly.

When scouting levees, he can fly as low as 2 to 3 feet off the ground for close-up views and can send the UAV up to 1 ¼ miles away.

The drone’s software knows when it’s running low on battery power and will return automatically before it runs out.

Time-saving devices Savage, who also flies a DJI drone, used it to scout levees during the 2016 season. In the past, he either rode a four-wheeler or walked to check water—tasks that could take hours or even days. The drone can check those same levees in a few minutes.

“Mainly it’s a time-saving device and a labor-saving device,” he says.

For the past four years, the farming operation has had to cut back significantly on rice production because of the drought and zero water deliveries. Water deliveries were restored in 2016, and Triangle Rice Farms increased acreage accordingly. That meant monitoring fields that hadn’t been in rice for the past few years.

“We did have some fields where levees blew out and if they stay dry for more than five or six days during flood, it’s very obvious from the air,” Savage says.

The family also has battled wild hogs, which make a mess rooting around levees looking for grubs and other insects.

“I used it a lot this year to scout for damage—it definitely saved a lot of time,” he says.

Next season, Savage says he hopes to use it even more. This winter, he also plans to look into some of the new drones and ac-

In a matter of a few minutes, Timothy Gertson can attach the few cables from the remote control box to his iPad and be ready to fly. companying technology that have come on the market in the two years since he purchased his. Savage says he likes the vertical take-off of the four-propeller units, like he owns. But new hybrids on the market offer vertical take-off but also can reach speeds of up to 50 mph, flying much faster than quad-blade models.

If Savage likes what he sees, he says he may upgrade to a new model before the 2017 season.

FAA regulations Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration released “Small Unmanned Aircraft Rule (Part 107),” which governs unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, weighing less than 55 pounds.

The rules took effect in August.

If the craft is used for recreation or is non-commercial, as is Timothy Gertson or Scott Savage’s, the pilot does not need to be licensed; only the craft needs to be registered with the FAA. Registration can be completed online on the FAA website, https:// registermyuas.faa.gov/, for $5.

Under FAA regulations, drones cannot fly higher than 400 feet, faster than 100 mph or at night. The FAA also requires pilots or spotters to maintain visual line of sight with their drones at all times.

The rules do allow operators to apply for waivers for anything beyond line of sight, says R.J. Karney, director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau in Washington, D.C. How onerous applying for a waiver will be is still a big unknown, Karney says.

“It should be processed within 90 days, but in the beginning months, there will likely be a lot more burden on anyone who initially applies,” he says. “We’re working with (Farm Bureau) members and with the FAA anywhere we can to try to expedite the process.”

12

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

Because this type of technology is moving faster than legislation or rules can be developed, Karney says Farm Bureau supported the FAA’s flexibility of allowing waivers.

The FAA also prohibits drones from flying close to airports, stadiums or many other public facilities. The drone’s software is continually updated to include these prohibitions, and it will lock out the pilot and block him or her from flying into prohibited airspace.

In the rural areas where Texas rice producer Timothy Gertson flies his drone, he says he’s particularly mindful of aerial applicators that might be in the area.

“I have to be very aware to see if there are pilots because they are flying in the same airspace that I am,” he says. “A couple of mornings I couldn’t fly because they were spraying a neighbor’s fields and were making turns over my fields.”

Gertson says eventually he’d like to move up to a larger drone and start a commercial aerial scouting service using a camera capable of shooting regular and infrared images. Infrared technology helps detect plant stress although it doesn’t identify the stressor—that will still take boots on the ground.

To make the move, he would first have to pass a test to receive a “Remote Pilot Airman Certificate.” Gertson also would have to be vetted by the Transportation Security Administration.

RICEFARMING.COM

2016

RICE AWARDS Horizon Ag, Rice Farming magazine and USA Rice are proud to bring you the recipients of the 2016 Rice Awards.

The program highlights three honorees for their contributions to the success of the rice industry through the Rice Farmer of the Year, the Rice Industry Award and the Rice Lifetime Achievement Award.

Richard Fontenot RICE FARMER OF THE YEAR AWARD

A

PHOTOS BY VICKY BOYD

fi fth-generation farmer, Richard Fontenot and his additional funding above and beyond check-off monies to brother, Neal, operate R&N Farms in Evangeline support rice research efforts in Louisiana,” says Dr. Steve Parish. They annually grow about 1,500 acres each Linscombe, director and breeder at the Rice Research Staof rice and soybeans as well as some crawfish. The tion in Crowley. partnership also runs a precision leveling business.

Retired Louisiana rice specialist Johnny Saichuk recalls “My ancestors started their operation as cotton share cropworking with Fontenot in the Rice Research Verification Propers, which later evolved into rice production in the midgram. “Each week I visited one of his fields and made all rec1900s,” Fontenot says. “My grandfather, Otis, was a rice ommendations regarding rice production on that field for that industry pioneer in our area through his production, consergrowing season,” he says. “Th rough this weekly process, we vation and industry advocacy efforts. Th rough the years, my got to know each other well, and I hope that the program asfather, Bryan, advanced those endeavors, laying the foundasisted him. It was difficult to measure success because Richard tion for my brother and me to begin our careers. was already a successful rice farmer and remains one.”

“Each family member brings a different dynamic and perFontenot is also a dedicated advocate for all agriculture and spective to the operation. credits Louisiana Farm BuMy father and I operate our reau and USA Rice for aldrying facility, while my lowing him the privilege of brother and I own and opserving the Louisiana and erate R&N Farms, which U.S. rice industries. LFBF handles all production acPresident Ronald Andertivities. Without the supson says, “Richard knows port and counsel of my famthe importance of service ily, I would not have been to one’s community and inable to participate in rice dustry to ensure a bright fuindustry and agriculture adture for the next generation. vocacy activities. It is truly Th roughout his service, all of us who are receiving Richard has always encourthis award.” aged young producers to On the production side, become active in organiFontenot is a fi rm believer zations and get involved in in precision agriculture. The Louisiana rice producers Neal (left) and Richard Fontenot the issues that impact their brothers have developed a livelihoods.” zone management production strategy through precision land Fontenot especially enjoys volunteer work with youth orleveling, grid soil sampling, and variable-rate applications. ganizations, such as 4-H and FFA. “If we support and develRichard and Neal are both Louisiana Master Farmer certified op these programs, they will help preserve our heritage and and have a variety of ongoing conservation programs on their produce future advocates for agriculture,” he says. “It is also farm. R&N Farms typically produces a ratoon crop on about crucial that we share our message with anyone who will listen, 50 percent of the rice acres and believes stubble management especially those who are governing and regulating what we do is the key to improve the ratoon crop’s yield and quality. on a daily basis.”

Fontenot cooperates closely with researchers, Extension As a child, one of Fontenot’s fondest memories was eating agents and seed, fertilizer and chemical dealers in conducting lunch with the men in the field out of the back of the car or research and demonstrating new technology. He credits the on the tailgate of the closest truck under an old pecan or oak intensive use and stewardship of Clearfield rice technology tree. And today, he wakes up every morning to a career, not over the past 10-plus years with allowing them to eliminate a job. “I am proud to be a rice farmer,” he says. “We work red rice in many fields. In fact, the Fontenots can now drillhard to produce our crop and protect our resources for the seed conventional varieties in some fields where this would next generation.” have been impossible previously.

Congratulations to Richard Fontenot – outstanding pro“Th rough Richard’s dedication and perseverance, the ducer, industry advocate, dedicated family man and the 2016 Louisiana Rice Research Board recently was able to secure Rice Farmer of the Year.

Richard Fontenot Ville Platte, La.

• B.S. Agricultural Business, Louisiana State University • Member of Evangeline Parish Rice Growers Association, Louisiana Rice Growers Association, Louisiana Rice Council and USA Rice Conservation Committee • Currently serves as secretary-treasurer of the Louisiana Rice Research Board, past chairman of the Louisiana Farm Bureau Rice Advisory Committee and the American Farm Bureau Rice Advisory Committee, Evangeline Parish Soil and Water Conservation District • LFBF’s 3rd vice president, Evangeline Parish Farm Bureau past president • Serves on board of directors of USA Rice and USA Rice Farmers; American Farm Bureau Technology Committee chairman • Numerous awards and recognitions, including 2015 Distinguished Service Award – Louisiana Rice Council and Louisiana Rice Growers • Member of Our Lady Queen of All Saints Catholic Church, Ville Platte, La. • Married to wife, Rhonda. One son: Lance, 10

Dr. Steve Linscombe RICE INDUSTRY AWARD

F

PHOTOS BY BRUCE SCHULTZ

or more than 34 years, Dr. Steve Linscombe has largest and most productive specialty rice breeding effort in worked as a rice scientist with the LSU AgCenter. the United States. Recently, the program also began efforts to He initially served as the statewide rice agronomist develop rice hybrids. for the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service. In Linscombe has fostered close working relationships with 1988, Linscombe began to pursue his major field of expertise many of the major U.S. rice mills and the large rice end-uswhen asked to lead LSU AgCenter’s rice varietal development ers. Currently, the only Southern U.S. rice varieties approved efforts. Today, he still enjoys pulling on his boots and walkby Kellogg’s for cereal manufacture have been developed and ing the plots at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station in released by the LSU program. These include Jupiter, developed Crowley.

by Dr. Sha, as well as Cypress, CL111, CL131, CL151, CL161, During Linscombe’s tenure, 32 new rice varieties have been Bengal and CL261. Linscombe also has expanded the producdeveloped and released from the LSU AgCenter’s rice breedtivity of the Puerto Rico winter nursery. ing program. Of these, he has been directly responsible for Louisiana rice farmer Jimmy Hoppe says, “When Dr. Linsthe development of 24. Th ree cooperating breeders who have combe became the LSU AgCenter rice variety breeder, I worked worked in the project over with him as an off-station the past 28 years – Drs. cooperator for variety Farman Jodari, Xueyan development. I’ve been Sha and Sterling Blanche privileged to continue – developed the remainthis cooperation for 20 ing eight. Several varieties years. During this time, I from this program are rechave seen the total dediognized as quality stancation he has for our indards, and in some cases, dustry, taking every step growers are paid a preminecessary to bring new um when they are sold. varieties and manageThe average rice yield ment systems forward for in Louisiana has increased the benefit of the entire to an estimated 7,200 Linscombe plants rice plots at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station. rice industry.” pounds per acre in 2015 LSU AgCenter weed from 4,500 pounds per acre in 1988. A large portion of the scientist Eric Webster, says, “The dramatic increase in yields increase can be attributed to genetic improvement. In addition we’ve seen in rice varieties released from the LSU AgCenter to yield, rice quality traits have improved during this period breeding program has saved many producers’ farms, livelias well. hoods and, in some cases, families. It’s difficult to accurately Linscombe says playing a part in bringing the Clearfield measure the value Steve’s program has had on Louisiana, othtechnology to the industry is one of the most rewarding mileer rice-producing states and rice-producing countries around stones in his career. the world.”

“It has had such a dramatic positive impact on the industry In looking to the future of U.S. rice production, Linscombe in allowing us not only to control red rice but also, especially says, “During my career and beyond, the rice industry has alin Louisiana, to alter our production practices in certain cases. ways shown great resilience and the ability to overcome hard For example, some farmers are now able to enjoy the environtimes. In the future, I am confident it will continue to do so. mental advantages inherent in dry-seeding rice.

In the area of rice breeding, new technology will facilitate the “Releasing a new variety is always rewarding. And at the rice breeder’s ability to deliver improved varieties and hybrids Rice Research Station, it is totally a team effort. My fellow more quickly and efficiently. However, with everything new research scientists and the people who work with me on a daytechnology has to offer, tomorrow’s rice breeders will still adto-day basis in the breeding project are dedicated, hard workhere to the concept of ‘qualitative eyes on the plants’ evaluaing and deserve a huge amount of credit.” tion going forward.”

Today, LSU AgCenter’s rice variety development proFor his years of commitment and dedication, it is a pleasure gram includes conventional long and medium grains, Clearto name Dr. Steve Linscombe as the 2016 recipient of the Rice field long and medium grains, Provisia long grains, and the Industry Award.

Dr. Steve Linscombe Crowley, La.

• B.S., Animal Science, Louisiana State University; M.S., Plant Breeding, LSU; Ph.D., Agronomy, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Mississippi State University • Director of the LSU AgCenter Southwest Region and H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station • Released 24 rice cultivars to date • Serves on numerous LSU AgCenter committees • Currently serves on USA Rice Rice Regulatory Affairs & Food Safety Committee, Rice Sustainability Task Force, Rice Competitiveness and Marketability Task Force, and the Rice Foundation Funding Task Force • Governor-appointed member of the White Lake Conservation Area Advisory Committee; served four years as chairman • Numerous awards and recognitions, including 2007 Rice Lifetime Achievement Award, 2016 Distinguished Rice Research Team Award – Rice Technical Working Group, and 2016 Hall of Fame – Louisiana Agricultural Consultants Association • Married to wife, Judy. Two sons: Chas and Ryan.

Daughter: Darian

Gary Sebree RICE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

A

PHOTOS BY CARROLL SMITH

s a 9-year-old, Gary Sebree began going to the personal computers into his operation. “I bought an IBM farm with his dad, Grady, and worked there computer that had 64K memory and one floppy disk,” he says. during his high school summers when he wasn’t “With this machine, some accounting software and a dot maplaying baseball. Knowing that the operation altrix printer, I kept my books and knew where I stood every ready supported three families, he decided to forego farming month. I realized if I was trying to sell a crop and pick a price, and attend Hendrix College in Conway, Ark., majoring in I had to know what my profit level was.” science and pre-med. Sebree fell ill during school and had to Although Sebree’s true passion is growing rice, he has alreturn home for a lengthy recuperation period. A year later, ways understood that the success of his farming operation is he returned to Hendrix, but no longer felt that he was on the linked to the strength of the overall rice industry. In 1971, right career path. at the age of 29, he was elected to the Board of Directors at “I didn’t tell anybody I was coming home,” Sebree says. “I Producers Rice Mill where he served for 43 consecutive years, just showed up and told my dad I wanted to farm. I worked including 24 years as chairman. During this time, he helped there as a ‘hired hand’ for two years, and then married Phyllis. grow annual member receipts from 6.2 million bushels to I began a partnership with my more than 60 million bushels cousin, Roger, who wanted to by 2011. All of this was acfarm, too. We farmed as partcomplished while returns to ners for 23 years.” members exceeded the nationSebree eventually bought out al average for prices received by Roger, and then bought out his farmers for 25 years straight. father and uncles over several Sebree also has worked at years to acquire the family opboth the state and national eration. His grandfather, Henlevels over the past 50 years, ry Dillard, started the farm in holding numerous leadership about 1915, and today Sebree positions. U.S. Rep. Marion farms about 1,500 acres of rice Berry, D-Ark., says, “From and soybeans under the name Farm Bill negotiations to Fish Lake. A third-generation trade initiatives, Gary has infarmer, he planted his fi rst solo fluenced policy decisions that rice crop in 1963 and his 53rd will affect generations to come.

Arkansas rice farmer Gary Sebree and his wife, Phyllis consecutive rice crop in 2016.

No matter what ‘title’ he wore, Like anyone engaged in the Gary woke up every day of his farming business, Sebree is the fi rst to admit that he has seen career trying to make the rice industry more successful.” his share of hard times. Most notably was the extreme drought In his quest to expand U.S. rice markets, Sebree led one of and heat wave in the summer of 1980 that almost put the family the fi rst delegations to Cuba more than 10 years ago, personalout of business. To put it in perspective, he only cut 400 bushly meeting with Fidel Castro and laying the early groundwork els of soybeans on a 100-acre field and hauled them all to the for future trade with that country. He always seeks to deepen mill in one bob-truck. Sebree then put together a plan to save relationships with anyone interested in consuming U.S. rice. the farm by cutting overhead, restructuring the operation and When asked what it means to him personally to have been increasing yield through intensive input management. chosen for this award, Sebree says he is humbled and honored.

After diverting near disaster, the Arkansas farmer recog“I owe so much to my wife, Phyllis, who has stood beside me nized the critical nature of water availability on the Grand in good times and in bad. I also give credit for my success to Prairie in the early 1980s and the need for water conservation. everyone with whom I have worked both on the farm and at Sebree installed tailwater collection systems and underground Producers Rice Mill. I have always had good people around pipe and reservoirs to capture rain and runoff water. To enme and hope that I have provided the leadership needed to hance habitat and the hunting experience for him and his famhelp create a bright future for the U.S. rice industry.” ily, he has planted many trees and cover for wildlife.

For his years as an innovative rice farmer and tireless serSebree is also an innovator in the realm of technology and vice to the industry, it is an honor to name Gary Sebree as the was one of the fi rst farmers in the country to incorporate recipient of the 2016 Rice Lifetime Achievement Award.

Gary Sebree Stuttgart, Ark.

• Farms about 1,500 acres of rice and soybeans • Served on the Producers Rice Mill Board of Directors for 43 consecutive years, 24 of those as chairman • Past chairman, USA Rice. As chairman, he led a delegation to Cuba that met with Fidel Castro to promote U.S. rice.

• Past chairman, USA Rice Foundation and USA Rice Producers Group • Past chairman, Arkansas Rice Farmers and Arkansas Rice Federation • Key leader on the original Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board • Served as mayor of Almyra, Ark., and on the Arkansas County Bank Board of Directors and Dewitt School Board • 1998 Arkansas Rice Farmer of the Year • Member of First United Methodist Church, Stuttgart, Ark. • Married to wife, Phyllis. Two children: Shay (wife, Stacey) and Stacy (husband, Jim). Four grandchildren: Spencer, 18; Shields, 15; Hayden, 11; and Alex, 9

2016 RICE

AWARDS

H

orizon Ag welcomes you to Memphis, Tenn. Our home office has been in Memphis since the company was formed, and we are excited about having the rice industry converge in our back yard. Th rough the years, the Rice Outlook Conference has provided a venue where members of the rice family can come together at year end and celebrate our successes and lament our misfortunes. In my almost 20 years of working in the rice industry, I don’t recall a year when the challenges were greater across the entire rice community. Thus, this year we may have more lamentations than celebrations, but with whom better do we have to endure our hardships than family and friends who know and support us, regardless.

In spite of the difficulties we’ve encountered in our industry this year, optimism has brought us to close the book on 2016 and anticipate better days in 2017. In that spirit, we also celebrate the successes of three meritorious individuals who throughout their lives have dreamed big and put their proverbial hands to the plow through good times and bad times. They are honored today by their peers as having distinguished themselves by making the rice industry better. The Rice Industry Award honors the person who has proven to be innovative in his or her role in this industry. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the person who has dedicated his or her life to the viability of the U.S. rice industry. The Rice Farmer of the Year Award honors a producer who has shown determination, innovation and dedication to growing the crop.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means eff ort, pain, diffi culty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life.

I have envied a great many people who led diffi cult lives and led them well.” Our award winners have not enjoyed success by avoiding obstacles, rather they have diligently overcome the trials and setbacks in life many times over and hence have been successful.

On behalf of Horizon Ag, we congratulate the 2016 Rice Farming Magazine Award Winners. Furthermore, we appreciate all of those who continue to allow Horizon Ag to be successful by trusting in our brand and offerings each year.

We join everyone in our industry in hoping for brighter days to come.

Tim Walker Horizon Ag General Manager

Horizon Ag would like to recognize past Rice Awards recipients.

1992 Dennis Leonards, Crowley, La.

1993 Jacko Garrett Jr., Danbury, Texas

1994 Nolen Canon, Tunica, Miss.

1995 Duane Gaither, Walnut Ridge, Ark.

1996 Leroy & Chris Isbell, England, Ark.

1997 Charles Berry, Tunica, Miss.

John Denison, Iowa, La. Paul Haidusek, Devers, Texas Errol Lounsberry, Vermilion Parish, La. Charley Mathews Jr., Marysville, Calif.

Patrick Mullen, Des Arc, Ark. Fred Tanner, Bernie, Mo.

1998 Tommy Andrus, Moorhead, Miss.

Don Bransford, Colusa, Calif.

Larry Devillier Jr., Winnie, Texas Dennis Robison, Poplar Bluff, Mo. Gary Sebree, Stuttgart, Ark. Linda Zaunbrecher, Gueydon, La.

1999 Ken Collins, Biggs, Calif.

James “Jimmy” Hoppe, Fenton, La. Charles Parker Johnson, Neelyville, Mo. Abbott Myers, Dundee, Miss.

Lowell George “L.G.” Raun Jr., El Campo, Texas Martin Walt Jr., Dumas, Ark.

2000 John B. Alter, DeWitt, Ark. R. Ernest Girouard Jr., Kaplan, La. Bill Griffith, Boyle, Miss.

Ken Minton, Dexter, Mo. Michael Rue, Marysville, Calif.

J.D. “Des” Woods, Katy, Texas

2001

Rice Farmer of the Year: Larry and Candice Davis, Bolivar County, Miss.

Rice Industry Award: Jack Williams, UC Cooperative Extension Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: David LaCour, Vermilion Parish, La.

2002

Rice Farmer of the Year: Tommy Ray Oliver, Stuttgart, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Howard Cormier, LSU AgCenter, Abbeville, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Leland L. Carle, Stuttgart, Ark.

2003

Rice Farmer of the Year: David Monroe Smith Jr., Jonesboro, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Johnny Saichuk, LSU AgCenter, Crowley, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Lundberg Brothers, Richvale, Calif.

2004

Rice Farmer of the Year: Dane Hebert, Maurice, La. Rice Industry Award: Dr. M.O. “Mo” Way, Texas A&M, Beaumont, Texas Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Joseph Musick, LSU AgCenter, Crowley, La.

2005 ©2016 Horizon Ag, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Rice Farmer of the Year: John Greer, Jonesboro, Ark.

Rice Industry Award: Charles “Eddie” Eskew, Jennings, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Donald Bransford, Colusa, Calif.

2006

Rice Farmer of the Year: Gibb Steele, Hollandale, Miss.

Rice Industry Award: Chuck Wilson, DeWitt, Ark. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: John Denison, Iowa, La.

2007

Rice Farmer of the Year: Clarence Berken, Lake Arthur, La. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Joe Street, Stoneville, Miss.

Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Steve Linscombe, Crowley, La.

2008

Rice Farmer of the Year: Milton LaMalfa, Richvale, Calif.

Rice Industry Award: John Cummings, Fort Collins, Colo.

Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Martin Ahrent, Corning, Ark.

2009

Rice Farmer of the Year: Curtis Berry, Robinsonville, Miss.

Rice Industry Award: John E. Broussard Jr., Fairfax, Va. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Carl Wayne Brothers, Stuttgart, Ark.

2010

Rice Farmer of the Year: Greg, C.J. and Jeff Durand, St. Martinville, La. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Richard J. Norman, Fayetteville, Ark. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Elaine T. Champagne, New Orleans, La.

2011

Rice Farmer of the Year: Mark Wimpy, Jonesboro, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Rick Cartwright, Little Rock, Ark. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Jacko Garrett Jr., Danbury, Texas

2012

Rice Farmer of the Year: Jim Whitaker, McGehee, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Donald Groth, Rayne, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Jim Erdman, Colusa, Calif.

2013

Rice Farmer of the Year: Joe Aguzzi, Cleveland, Miss.

Rice Industry Award: Dr. Eric Webster, Baton Rouge, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Elton Kennedy, Mer Rouge, La.

2014

Rice Farmer of the Year: Fred Zaunbrecher, Duson, La. Rice Industry Award: Dr. Kent McKenzie, Biggs, Calif.

Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Marvin Baden, Stuttgart, Ark.

2015

Rice Farmer of the Year: Jerry Hoskyn, Stuttgart, Ark. Rice Industry Award: Keith Fontenot, Ville Platte, La. Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Jimmy Hoppe, Fenton, La.

Strong contenders Two recent University of Arkansas releases show improvements over earlier varieties in two sets of trials.

By Ryan McGeeney

University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture

Two trial programs Preliminary data were drawn from two annual small-plot rice trial programs — the Arkansas Rice Performance Trials, or ARPT, in which 75 commercial and experimental rice cultivars were planted and closely monitored by Division of Agriculture researchers at five research locations with varying soil and climate. Of the 75 entries in ARPT, only the top 23 commercial and experimental entries have been summarized to date.

Rice varieties also go through the Producer Rice Evaluation Program, known as PREP. This year, 20 cultivars were planted by researchers in nine counties. In this program, cultivars grow in fields managed by cooperating farmers in the same way as the rest of the field surrounding the plot.

According to the preliminary ARPT data, the mean yield for Diamond longgrain was 197 bushels per acre, and 201 bushels per acre for Titan medium-grain.

The mean for all cultivars grown at the Twitter: @RiceFarming

VICKY BOYD

D

iamond and Titan, conventional long- and medium-grain rice varieties developed by the University of Arkansas, should offer strong yields and other advantages to growers, according to preliminary data from this year’s rice performance trials.

Jarrod Hardke, Extension rice agronomist for the Division of Agriculture, says each performed well in a difficult growing year.

“They both seem to represent further yield improvement over previous releases,” Hardke says.

Diamond showed appreciable yield increases over currently grown long-grain varieties, including Roy J, LaKast and CL151, he says. Titan showed particular advantages over other medium-grain varieties, such as Jupiter and CL272.

University of Arkansas rice breeder Xueyan Sha gives attendees of this summer’s Rice Expo research tour an update on rice breeding efforts at the Rice Research and Extension Station near Stuttgart.

four research station locations was 186 bushels per acre.

In the PREP trials, Diamond produced a mean yield of 207 bushels per acre, and Titan’s mean yield was 205 bushels per acre. The mean for all cultivars grown at the nine selected private farms was 198 bushels per acre.

“The PREP trials are all strictly onfarm with a more or less ‘plant it and leave it’ approach,” Hardke says. “I don’t dictate anything—we simply plant it, and the growers manage the field as they would manage it anyway.

“We can come back and take notes— we learn as much as we can from it—but the main thing is to come back at harvest and see how all those cultivars perform under those management conditions, in a particular geography.”

Hardke says XL753, a RiceTec hybrid, continued to set the bar for yield across the board as it has in recent years with 239 bushels per acre in the ARPT and 242 bushels per acre in PREP. Other RiceTec hybrids also performed well.

Varying climate, soils a challenge Hardke says variations in Arkansas soils and growing conditions make developing reliable recommendations for rice growers a challenge but one he readily accepts.

“Probably what makes Arkansas so unique as a rice-producing area is that we have a very broad range of production conditions,” Hardke says. “We have production areas similar to the Bootheel of Missouri, the Mississippi Delta, northeast Louisiana, in addition to many other production areas that are completely unique to us. So when we try to move to these on-farm trials and make sure we’re capturing all these different areas of the state and different production practices—there’s a lot of variability to try to capture, from different environments and production practices.”

Despite the positive data, Hardke cautions interested growers to exercise prudence in adopting any new cultivar.

The Division of Agriculture will publish its final findings from the trials in December.

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

21

Variety/Hybrid

2017 Roster Check out proven and new releases for the upcoming season.

O

nce that last bushel, barrel or hundredweight of rice is in the bin, you can review how selected Clearfield varieties and/or hybrids performed on your operation during 2016. Consider each field individually along with your goals when deciding what to plant for 2017. The following charts and information were provided by Horizon Ag LLC and RiceTec.

Horizon Ag LLC Clearfield Varieties CL111 • Earliest maturity of any Clearfield variety • Excellent vigor with high yield potential • Outstanding grain quality and milling • Exceptional ratoon crop performance • Kellogg’s preferred long grain CL151 • Exceptional yield potential • Uses nitrogen efficiently—manage nitrogen input to reduce lodging and disease pressure • Susceptible to blast; not recommended for fields with a history of blast or water issues CL153 • Exceptional seedling vigor • Yield potential equivalent to CL151 • Outstanding grain quality and milling • Blast resistance • Lodging resistance CL163 • Excellent yield potential and seedling vigor • Outstanding grain quality and milling • Exceptional cooking quality ◦ Extra high amylose content compared to current long-grain varieties ◦ Ideal for parboil, canning, food service or package rice • Susceptible to blast; not recommended for fields with a history of blast or water issues CL172 • Yield potential between CL111 and CL151 • Outstanding grain and milling quality • Superb cooking quality

22

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

Web Resources For more information about Horizon Ag Clearfield varieties, visit www.horizonseed.com For more information about RiceTec hybrids, visit www.ricetec.com • Blast resistance • Lodging resistance CL272 • Medium grain variety • Comparable to Jupiter with better blast package • Very good milling and cooking quality • Lodging resistance

RiceTec Inc. Conventional Hybrids XP753 • Highest yielding conventional rice line available • Consistent performance in any environment • Improved grain retention • Excellent ratoon potential • Superior disease resistance XP760 • Improved yield over XL723 • Superior milling yield • Improved grain retention • Superior disease resistance XL723 • Excellent performance since 2005 • Ideal for straighthead prone soils • Superior milling yield • Excellent ratoon potential • Superior disease resistance

RiceTec Clearfield Hybrids Clearfield XP4534 • Very early maturity • Short stature and excellent lodging resistance • Superior grain retention • Superior disease resistance Clearfield XL745 • Most widely grown long-grain rice in the United States • Superior performance across all environments • Superior milling yields • Excellent ratoon potential • Superior disease resistance Clearfield XL729 • Proven performance • Best performance on clay soils • Excellent ratoon potential • Best straighthead tolerance of Clearfield lineup • Superior disease resistance RT7311 CL • NEW Clearfield hybrid for 2017 • Highest yielding Clearfield hybrid in trials in 2016 • 11% yield advantage over Clearfield XL745 in 2016 • Excellent lodging resistance • Early maturity • Superior disease resistance Clearfield Gemini 214 CL • NEW high-yielding Clearfield hybrid • 5% yield advantage over Clearfield XL745 in 2016 • 5 days later than Clearfield XL745 • Improved milling yield • Superior disease resistance RT7812 CL • NEW Clearfield hybrid for 2017 • 1% to 5% yield advantage over Clearfield XL745 in 2016 • Improved milling quality • Preferred grain quality with low chalk • 7-10 days later than Clearfield XL745 • Superior disease resistance RICEFARMING.COM RICEFARMING.COM

Clearfield Varieties Disease Ratings

Characteristics / Suggested Management Practices

Variety

Sheath Blight

Blast*

Straight Head

Bacterial Panicle Blight*

Narrow Brown Leaf Spot*

Kernel Smut

False Smut

Lodging

Height (inches) 2

Maturity ­ (days) 3

Suggested seeding rate (lb seed/A) 4

Suggested nitrogen rate (lb N/A) 5

CL111

VS

MS

S

VS

S

S

S

MS

39

77

60-70

120-160

CL151

S

VS

VS

VS

S

S

S

S

41

81

55-65

90-150

CL153

S

MS 1

MS

MS

MS

S

S

MR

42

81

60-70

120-160

CL163

VS

S

MR

MS

R

MS

-

MS

41

83

60-70

120-160

CL172

MS

MS 1

-

MS

S

MS

S

MR

38

79

65-80

120-160

CL272

S

MS

MS

VS

S

MS

-

MR

39

82

60-70

120-160

VS=Very Susceptible S=Susceptible MS=Moderately Susceptible MR=Moderately Resistant R=Resistant * Reactions may differ due to variability of strains among pathogens. 1 These varieties have genetic markers for Pita, which confers resistance to the following blast races: IA45, IB1, IB49, IB54, IH1, IG1, IC17, IE1. 2 Height will vary with plant density and environment. 3 Maturity (Emergence to 50% heading) varies with geographical region and environmental conditions in a given year. 4 Optimum drill-seeded planting rate is only for fungicide-treated seed. If using non-treated seed, the seeding rate should be increased by a minimum of 10 lbs/a. 5 Optimal nitrogen rate varies from field to field. The high end should be reserved for heavy clay soils and fields where rice is followed by rice. Using the high end of the nitrogen and seeding rate recommendations may increase the incidence of disease. Please scout and treat the Clearfield varieties accordingly. The NSt*R program is recommended where applicable and has been shown to decrease incidence of disease and lodging. Please contact your local Cooperative Extension office for more information.

Disease Characteristics 5

Agronomic Characteristics / Suggested Management Practices

Clearfield Long-Grain Hybrids 2

2016 Yield Advantage (Adv.-wins-n)

XP760

XP753

XL723

RT7812 CL

RT7311 CL

Gemini 214 CL

CLXP4534

Clearfield XL745

Clearfield XL729

RiceTec Hybrids

Conventional Long-Grain Hybrids

20% - 94%

21% - 93%

24% - 95%

31% - 100%

32% - 100%

26% - 98%

24% - 93%

32% - 98%

25% - 97%

544

630

348

44

39

44

655

347

154

Milling Average

58/70

58/71

53/70

55/69

56/71

57/71

59/70

56/71

58/70

Maturity Group

Early

Early

Very Early

Early

Early

Med. Late

Early

Early

Early

3

Days to 50% Head

83

81

76

86

79

92

82

82

87

Days to Grain Maturity

112

109

105

116

109

123

111

109

117

Stress Tolerance

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Pubescence

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Height (inches) Standability

42-44

42-44

37-39

44-48

42-44

46-49

42-44

42-44

44-48

Average

Average

Excellent

Above Avg

Above Avg

Average

Average

Above Avg

Above Avg

Grain Retention

Below Avg

Average

Above Avg

Above Avg

Above Avg

Above Avg

Below Avg

Above Avg

Above Avg

Ratoon Potential 4

Above Avg

Average

Above Avg

Average

Above Avg

Average

Above Avg

Above Avg

Average

Total N (lbs of N)

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

120-150

Preflood

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

90-120

Late Boot

30

30

30

30

30

30

30

30

30

Blast 6

R

R

R

R

R

R

R

R

R

Sheath Blight

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MR

MS

MS

MS

Straighthead

MR

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MR

MS

MS

Kernel Smut

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

False Smut

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

MS

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

S

Bacterial Panicle Blight

MR

MR

MS

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

Narrow Brown Leaf Spot

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

MR

Stem Rot

1 RiceTec hybrid characteristics are determined from data collected from specific RiceTec and/or university field trials and are not a guarantee of performance, nor do they constitute a warranty of fitness for a particular use. 2 Performance based on replicated head-to-head comparisons (vs. CL151 for CL hybrids and Cheniere for conventional) in RiceTec and university trials(%advantage, % wins, # of comparisons) 3 Milling averages taken from head-to-head comparisons in field trials and planting date trials; very early and medium-late hybrids may be disadvantaged due to single harvest date. 4 Ratoon potential on full-season hybrids may be reduced if harvest is delayed due to later plantings. 5 R=Resistant, MR=Moderately Resistant, MS=Moderately Susceptible, S=Susceptible, VS=Very Susceptible. Although RiceTec hybrids normally do not require fungicide treatment, fields should be scouted closely for disease and treated with fungicides when necessary. Consider field history and environmental conditions when making fungicide descisions. Apply preventive applications of fungicides if justified by field history for kernel smut, false smut and/or Cersospora. 6 RiceTec hybrids have shown field resistance to common strains of rice blast fungus. Susceptibility to unusual strains of the rice blast fungus, which have been rare in the field to date, have been documented in nursery trials.

Twitter: @RiceFarming

RICE RICE FARMING FARMING •• DECEMBER DECEMBER 2016 2016

23 23

The

infamous season

2016 will not soon be forgotten in Louisiana but for the wrong reasons–historic flooding, reduced quality and significantly lower yields.

By Dustin Harrell

T

here are rice seasons where high yield, milling, quality and prices will forever be remembered by rice farmers. Following good years, new farm trucks, tractors and combines can be seen across rice country. The 1972 season always comes up in conversation with the older-generation Louisiana rice farmer as being one of the most profitable seasons ever. This is also the year I was born. Coincidence? Fate?

Probably not. The 2016 rice season will be remembered for years to come but for all the wrong reasons.

Starting on a high note The 2016 rice season actually began on a high note. On Jan. 5, AV-1011 was granted a “conditional” registration under section 3(c)(7) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act by the Environmental Protection Act. AV-1011 is a bird repellent that discourages feeding by blackbirds on treated rice seed. Blackbirds can be a serious problem here in Louisiana, especially in early planted rice.

24

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

In fact, a flock of blackbirds can devour a freshly seeded rice field in a matter of hours. Before the Section 3 registration, we worked every year for almost a decade to obtain a Section 18 emergency exemption, and we never knew if or when we would receive the Section 18 from EPA. The 2015-16 winter was very mild, and warmer-than-normal weather occurred earlier in the spring. Because of this, rice planting in southwest Louisiana began in

earnest the last week of February with several hundred acres being drill-seeded even before the first day of March. About 30 percent of the acres in southwest Louisiana were planted before March 10.

This was significant because the recommended planting window in southwest Louisiana is March 10 through April 15. But when the soil is dry and air and soil temperatures are adequate to plant, it is hard to wait for a day on the calendar.

Northeastern Louisiana takes a hit Rain and overcast weather moved into southwest Louisiana in mid-March and seemed to hang around for much of the month as well as April, which slowed further planting, submerged and stretched rice seedlings, and made many early season ground-applied herbicide and fertilizer applications difficult.

Northeast Louisiana got hit hard during these rains with many growers reporting 23-plus inches in a three-day period. Many acres in northeast Louisiana flooded, and low-lying areas were RICEFARMING.COM

Facing page: Flying over flooded rice fields in southeast Louisiana.

A one-two punch During rice flowering, high nighttime temperatures occurred frequently, which is never good for rice yield, milling or grain quality. As it turned out, early yields from southwest Louisiana tended to be about 8 percent lower than expected. From there, it only got worse.

Historic flooding occurred in southwest Louisiana, with many reporting more than 24 inches of rain in a 36-hour period on Aug. 12 and 13. The initial flash flooding was disastrous. What was worse was the backwater flooding that crept over fields several days later and remained stagnant for a couple of weeks.

About 35 percent of fields were unharvested at the time of flooding. Flood damage varied from field to field, with some rice being completely submerged for hours to weeks. In other fields, flooding never reached the heads, and some fields on higher ground were not affected at all.

Twitter: @RiceFarming

Farm equipment is surrounded by high water during August flooding in south Louisiana.

perfect equation for low average state yields.

Many estimate that total yields this year in Louisiana were down 12 to 15 percent from expectations.

DUSTIN HARRELL

inundated with backwater flooding that stayed around for weeks.

While there was not much rice planted at the time, the flooding and consistent rainfall delayed planting. Almost all the rice in northeast Louisiana was planted during the first week of May. The weather dried up in May, followed by wetter weather in June, increasing sheath blight pressure in many rice fields.

Strobilurin-resistant sheath blight fungus continued to spread in 2016. SDI fungicides, such as Sercadis and Elegia, are typically recommended where strobilurin resistance has previously been found.

Unfortunately, it appears some resistance is developing to these fungicides as well.

In 2015, we saw significant leaf blast in the medium-grain Jupiter early in the season. In 2016, this was not the case, and blast overall was not as prevalent. Although Cercospora was relatively minor in the main crop, it was predominant in the ratoon crop and late-planted rice. With prolonged heat late in the season, bacterial panicle blight was expected to be bad, but it never really materialized. However, we did see an increase in black kernel smut in Louisiana this year.

ROBERT BRUNET

DUSTIN HARRELL

Panicles of rice that had been submerged began sprouting. Even some heads on rice still standing began to sprout because of intermittent rains and high humidity.

In the end, a significant amount of unharvested rice lodged, and grains on the panicle sprouted. Sprouting even occurred on standing rice that was never submerged because of high heat and constant humidity.

Quality and milling for the unharvested rice decreased dramatically in some cases but held up in others following the flood. Many ratoon acres were also lost where the stubble was killed. The overall ratoon crop yield was down for the year.

Initial economic estimates indicated that the August floods accounted for more than $68.9 million in losses to the Louisiana rice industry. Although northeast Louisiana did not flood, many acres were not harvested on time because of wet soils.

If you couple that with the already late-planted crop and high heat and rain showers during flowering, you have the

The outlook for 2017 What does this mean for rice acres next year? In 2016, we started with a large beginning rice-stock carryover. The size of the 2016 U.S. rice crop increased by 15.4 percent above what we saw in 2015.

This means that we will have an even higher ending-stock carryover for 2017.

Rice prices are currently down and seem to be in the $9.20-$10.20 hundredweight ($14.90-$16.52 per barrel) range, with an average selling price of about $9.70 cwt ($15.71 per barrel) so far.

With the increased crop size and carryover, I would not expect rice prices to rebound anytime soon. With that analysis, you would expect to see rice acres decrease for 2017, right?

Unfortunately, that is probably not going to happen unless something dramatic happens to corn and soybean prices.

Currently corn and soybean prices are also down. When you factor in the Farm Bill PLC (price loss coverage) payments for rice, rice actually pencils out more favorably than corn or soybeans. Unless those two crops make a dramatic rebound before next spring, I would expect rice acres to remain much the same in 2017.  Dr. Dustin Harrell is a research agronomist and state rice Extension specialist based at the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station in Crowley, La. He may be reached at DHarrell@agcenter.lsu.edu.

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

25

Specialists Speaking

‘It was an ugly year’ DR. M.O. “MO” WAY TEXAS Rice Research Entomologist moway@aesrg.tamu.edu

DR. YOUNG-KI JO, RICE EXTENSION PATHOLOGIST, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Rice was planted on about 165,000 acres in 2016 compared to about 130,000 in 2015, according to the Texas Rice Crop Survey. This increase was due to release of water to farmers along the Colorado and Brazos Rivers following a wet winter, which helped fill upstream reservoirs.

The most popular varieties grown in Texas in 2016 were XL723, Presidio and CLXL745. Solid yield figures are not yet available from the Texas Rice Crop Survey, but when they become available, I will summarize and report them.

However, reports from the field suggest main crop yields will be down as bit this year compared to last year. I do know that increased rice acreage combined with a lot of rice being harvested at the same time put pressure on storage/drying facilities to handle the demand. There is concern that the ratoon crop harvest will put added pressure on these facilities.

It was a very challenging year for Texas rice farmers—the weather and the market were not ideal. In my 30-plus years working at the Beaumont Center, I have not experienced such a wet year.

For instance, during March and April 2016, the Beaumont Center received a whopping 21 inches of rain. This coincided with rice planting, so you can see the difficulty in getting rice in during

the optimum planting window of mid-March through mid-April.

Temperatures during March and April were lower than normal; thus, emergence was slow and stands, in some cases, were less than ideal and non-uniform. Relentless rains also played havoc with aerial applications of fertilizer and pesticides.

Main crop harvesting operations frequently rutted fields (again, due to untimely rain), which will negatively affect the ratoon crop. Finally, harvest of the main crop was often delayed because field roads were too wet for the combines, trucks and weigh wagons to negotiate. As one crop consultant put it, “It was an ugly year.”

As far as insect damage, rice water weevil populations were “normal”; however, very late-planted rice probably escaped high pressure. Some good news: as of Oct. 10, we have not observed any rice planthoppers, Tagosodes orizicolus, this year nor have we received any infestation reports from the field.

Insecticidal seed treatments continue to be used routinely for control of most of the insects attacking rice in Texas. In addition, Tenchu 20SG continues to be deployed as the first line of defense against the rice stink bug attacking heading and milk stage rice.

But we need another rice stink bug insecticide with residual activity. Some crop consultants have raised their treatment thresholds for rice stink bug, and I personally agree with this change, based on my project’s past research.

In general, disease pressure was “normal” in 2015. Smut continues to be a problem for rice being grown in specific locations in the Texas Rice Belt, but it was not as bad this year as last. Dr. Shane Zhou, rice pathologist at the Beaumont Center, reports brown spot was especially severe on the medium-grain variety, Jupiter, due to excessively wet weather conducive to disease development. There have been some complaints that propiconazole

Kernel smut continues to plague certain parts of the Texas Rice belt, but it wasn’t as bad as last year.

26

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

RICEFARMING.COM

SPECIALISTS SPEAKING is not as effective against narrow brown leaf spot as in the past.

Neally’s sprangletop continues to spread with reports that it is difficult to control. Barnyard grass, hemp sesbania (particularly in organic rice) and weedy rice are some of our most common, troublesome weeds.

Thanks to Shane Zhou, Lee Tarpley, Cliff Mock, Glenn Crane, Muthu Bagavathiannan, Young-ki Jo and Dick Ottis for helping me write this 2016 rice wrap-up.

Environment was key in ’16 DR. BOBBY GOLDEN MISSISSIPPI Extension Rice Specialist bgolden@drec.msstate.edu

To wrap up the 2016 rice growing season in the Mississippi Delta in a few words is about as easy as the year went. Starting as early as the first week of August, everywhere you went one common phrase could be heard—“When will this year end?”

The year started off strong with the largest planting intention in Mississippi in the past few years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture projected about 200,000 acres, up about 30 percent from the 145,000 acres we ended with in 2015.

When all the acres are counted, we will more than likely end up with about 170,000 certified acres for the 2016 season. Similar to years past, Bolivar County planted the most rice acreage in Mississippi. Similar to the past three years, most of the rice acreage was cultivated north of Highway 82 with rice seeded in approximately 16 of the 19 Delta counties.

However, this year brought more acreage south of Highway 82 than we have observed in the past several years. As of Oct. 13, we have a yield projection of 6,975 pounds per acre, which is considerably lower than the past several years.

The year started off with a bang, with planting progress occurring at almost record pace. By May 5, about 70 percent of the state’s total acreage was in the ground, with 95 percent planted

by May 19. This pace eclipsed the 2015 pace as well as the 3-, 5- and 10-year average.

In other words, most of the state’s acreage was planted on time, and we got off to a great start to set up the year for success.

Unfortunately, soon after rice emerged, off-target herbicide drift calls began to come in.

Much like the past two years, most of the off-target drift complaints centered on paraquat and soybean residual herbicide tankmix partners. Most of the acreage affected by paraquat drift recovered and rice was harvested, in some cases, with adequate yield.

However, much of the affected rice needed additional time to recover and mature, delaying timely management for many aspects associated with production. Again like last year, glyphosate drift was isolated, but the few events that did occur happened at the most inopportune time and seriously reduced grain yield.

Pest pressures related to insects were relatively minor, except

for a few weeks where armyworms moved in and affected some later-planted rice fields. In many areas, producers had to deal with escapes of barnyardgrass and sprangletop. We observed, and I had more than one consultant suggest, that this was the grassiest crop they had had in some time.

Most of the escapes were adequately controlled post-flood, but in some areas the critical weed-free period had passed and yield reductions occurred.

On the disease side, unlike 2014 and 2015, rice blast was relatively minor, with a few isolated cases reported. On the other hand, daily rains of at least 0.1 inch for at least a week in late August allowed sheath blight to escalate. In many fields, sheath blight had blown out the top and was visible from the turn row This season, the greatest concern and one that definitely contributed to reduced yield in the state was the environment from July and August. The combination of heat, wind and rain during rice flowering held back yields many parts of the state.

The portion of the crop that flowered and matured in July met daily maximum air temperatures greater than 92 degrees for the first 27 days of the month. Daily air temperatures cooled into August, but wind and rain damage to flowering rice was just as detrimental as the early heat.

I believe the was environment played the largest role in the roller coaster yields observed in many cases across the turn row during theVVKD0216 2016 growing season.

2016 shaped up to be 1what I RICE FARMING FEB AD 022216-RESIZED.pdf 2/22/16 would consider an average year overall.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

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TWITTER: @RICEFARMING

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

27

10:07 AM

Specialists Speaking

Drought? What drought?

DR. RANDALL “CASS” MUTTERS

CALIFORNIA Extension Agronomist University of California, Davis rgmutters@ucdavis.edu Well, at least that might be said for growers in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. At the beginning of the 2016 growing season, the reservoirs that serve rice growers were at 85 percent capacity, which was above the historical average for that time of year. However, winter precipitation in the central and southern portions of the state remained well below normal.

Consequently, growers in the San Joaquin Valley received only about 25 percent of their contractual water allotments from state and federal sources, resulting in a substantial acreage of unplanted farmland. Meanwhile, planted rice acres jumped from 423,000 in 2015 to more than 540,000 in 2016.

Spring weather allowed for timely field preparation and planting, which began around the third week of April. The notable exception were those fields in the final stages of preparation that received a late spring rain in mid-May. Stand establishment, nitrogen management and weed control

Diversity rained on 2016 SAM ATWELL

MISSOURI Agronomy Specialist atwells@missouri.edu The 2016 Missouri rice growing season was the most diverse we have experienced in many years. Overall, yields are off probably 15 percent from the 5-year average. We had areas with high yields, but most were off 10 percent. A few were devastated and produced fewer than 100 bushels per acre.

The cause of extreme variation is easy to see and diagnose after the fact, but some good growers, with good consultants, looking closely and using integrated pest management got caught. This was after a very good start this spring.

What happened? Floods, disease, insects, weeds, weather, lodging and price all had an impact on low yields in specific fields.

Widespread lodging, which resulted in very slow harvest, was worse than I’ve seen in years due to weather with high winds and very heavy rains.

Floods topped over rice in a few fields, especially on the west side of Bootheel. Associated with the floods were prolong

28

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

were problematic enough in those fields to depress yields a bit.

As of this writing, about 75 percent of the crop has been harvested. Early reports indicate yields are strong.

Documented yields, thus far, are as high as 123 hundredweight per acre (dry weight; 273 bushels per acre). The U.S. Department of Agriculture is projecting the statewide average to come in around 86 cwt.

Early returns on milling quality for many are in the 65/70 range (head and total). The quality of later-harvested rice may be lower, however. In recent years, the California harvest season has been exceptionally dry with few, if any, rehydrating dews or rains.

As a result, growers enjoyed high milling yields even when harvesting medium-grain varieties below 17 percent moisture content. Moist weather is returning early this year. Growers harvesting at low moisture may not enjoy the high milling returns of recent years due to fissuring caused by moist weather. But then again, that is only conjecture at this point.

One notable problem this year is the reappearance of weedy red rice (WRR) in California. WRR has been discovered a few times over the years. The last time was in 2003 when it was found in a couple of fields on the west side of the valley.

The affected growers made a largely successful effort to remove the weed. In 2016, WRR was found again. Credit must be given to Timothy Blank, California Crop Improvement Association, for spotting the problem while inspecting certified seed fields.

The University of California, in cooperation with the Rice Experiment Station, growers and private advisers, identified WRR

periods of heavy clouds, fog and high humidity, which were ideal for diseases not to mention poor spraying conditions.

We also had the worst outbreak of rice stalk borer I’ve seen along with heavy stinkbugs in some areas. What did price have to do with yields sliding? Well, cutting costs by choosing more conventional varieties in a few cases may have contributed to more pests, especially red rice and diseases.

However, everything I just said was the opposite in a few fields. In early October, a very good farmer with a respected consultant called me to his field with a history of more than 180 bushels per acre. It was cutting fewer than 80. It was CL151, planted April 5, weed free, fertilized and watered well, and with a fungicide. It looked good except the heads were blank.

The rice had a severe case of blast neck rot and rice stalk borer. He asked me what he should have done differently?

Looking back after the fact, we could see a need for a more resistant blast variety with another fungicide and insecticide spray.

On a positive note, with all the rain we probably had the lowest pumping cost in years. The weather played well for the increased acreage of row or bedded rice planted in Missouri this year. Most of those acres did well, but you can’t count on rain to grow rice.

LaKast and CL151 were the workhorse varieties with good and bad reports for both, depending on local conditions. Very early varieties didn’t fare well at all.

RICEFARMING.COM

Specialists Speaking in fields scattered across the region. This new infestation likely started a while back but only recently reached a level where populations were easily identified.

There appears to be several different biotypes. Numerous samples were collected and genetic fingerprinting is currently underway at the Rice Experiment Station. This is undoubtedly a serious problem.

The research community, in collaboration with the California Rice Commission, is working to formulate a sound management plan and education program. More information will be available at the winter growers’ meetings. In meantime if you think that you might have WRR in a field, please contact your local UC Cooperative Extension office for assistance.

August flooding in northeast Arkansas prompted sprouting of rice kernels on the panicle in standing rice.

Neither lucky nor good JARROD HARDKE, UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

DR. JARROD HARDKE

ARKANSAS Asst. Professor/Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service jhardke@uaex.edu I hope there’s nowhere to go but up. The 2016 Arkansas rice season brought a score of difficulties, not the least of which was a low commodity price.

Planting progress moved at a near-record pace, trailing only 2010 and 2012. More than half the state’s rice was planted by April 15. The issue with this early planting is that the majority occurred in the northern half of the state. With the slightly cooler temperatures there, germination and emergence were delayed for two to three weeks after planting.

In contrast, the southeast portion of the state that normally leads planting was delayed by record rainfall that also affected northeast Louisiana. Once fields dried, the progress was incredibly rapid. Due to the warmer temperatures, rice progress in the southeast quickly began to outpace the northern half the state.

Altogether, more than 1.55 million acres of rice were planted in Arkansas.

After a mostly dry March and April, regular and sometimes heavy rains began to hit the state throughout May. In many cases, this caused complete flooding of newly planted fields or seeding rice fields. As many producers found out, seedling rice can survive a long time underwater; however, rice that hasn’t emerged will only last between six and 10 days and generally no more than 14.

In May, windows of dry weather allowed fertilizing and flooding of rice. Some fields met with washout rains soon after fertilization—complicating nitrogen efficiency. These field-specific situations required detailed evaluation of potential nitrogen losses to determine fertilizer additions to help maximize grain yields.

While May looked like the season would turn into a struggle with wet conditions, the well ran dry in June and July. For many there was no measurable rainfall from about June 1 to about AuTwitter: @RiceFarming

gust 1. Growing conditions were excellent throughout this period until mid-July when the daytime and nighttime temperatures began to get excessive.

The high temperatures contributed directly to lower-than-expected yields across the board. However, hybrid yields were similar to 2015 (still disappointing), but varieties were well off the pace coming in 20- to 40-plus bushels per acre below expectation. In addition to the heat, periods of heavy rainfall set in for August, leading to flooding of 40,000 acres of rice in the northeast, sprouting of rice kernels on the panicle in standing rice throughout the state, and subsequently reduced milling yields.

The heat resulted in a substantial number of blank kernels, which was the primary cause of our yield declines. However, these losses were exaggerated further as pop-up thunderstorms occurred in late July during mid-day to further disrupt flowering and pollination. Once the rain returned in August for 10 consecutive days, so did disease pressure from blast and the smuts, and to a lesser degree bacterial panicle blight.

The state average yield estimate currently sits at 160 bushels per acre for 2016 and shows signs of a continued decline toward around 155 bushels per acre. This is a major fall from the 166 to 168 bushels per acre experienced from 2012-14 and also a drop from the 163 bushels per acre in 2015.

All told, this season will be summed up as a major disappointment given the combination of low grain yields, poor milling yields and low commodity price. The sad and unfortunate reality is that after losing a number of rice producers following the 2015 season, it looks as though we’ll lose far more to the poor economics of 2016.

RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

29

Industry News Rice entomologist named head of LSU entomology department Dr. Mike Stout, who for 19 years has served as a rice entomologist, was recently named head of the Louisiana State University Department of Entomology. He replaces Jim Ottea, who served as interim head.

Stout received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorMike Stout ate from UC Davis. He came to the LSU AgCenter in 1997.

Stout will continue to conduct research on plant-insect interactions and teach a course on plant resistance, according to a news release.

“We have an extremely talented faculty working on issues that have global relevance—Zika virus, termites, crop pests,” he said in the release. “My vision is to grow the department and build on the strong foundation that is already there.”

The Department of Entomology has 14 faculty members and 35 graduate stu STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION 1. Publication Title: Rice Farming 2. Publication Number: 0194-­‐0929 3. Filing Date: 9/16/16 4. Issue Frequency: Jan -­‐ May & Dec 5. Number of Issues: 6x/year 6. Annual Susbcription Price: Free to qualified subscribers 7&8. Mailing Address of Known Office/Headquarters: 6515 Goodman Road, Box 360, Olive Branch, MS 38654 Contact Person: Kathy Killingsworth (901-­‐767-­‐4020) 9. Publisher: Lia Guthrie, 7100 Black Bart Trail, Redwood Valley, CA 95470 Editor: Vicky L. Boyd, 280-­‐B West Rumble Road, Modesto, CA 95350 10. Owners: Cornelia Guthrie, 7100 Black Bart Trail, Redwood Valley, CA 95470 Dr. David Scott Guthrie,Sr., 7100 Black Bart Trail, Redwood Valley, CA 95470 Morris Ike Lamensdorf, 17 S. Third St., Rolling Fork, MS 39159

dents. The department also teaches undergraduates through general education courses and a minor in entomology.

Crowley Rice Festival fetes producer Donald Leonards Donald A. Leonards, a fourth-generation rice producer near Crowley, La., was named the 2016 Rice Farmer of the Year by the 80th International Rice Festival held in Crowley.

Leonards grew up on a rice farm, driving trucks and carts for his father, Dennis, as soon as he was able to reach the clutch, according to a Donald news release.

Leonards After graduating from college, he and his brother, Bubba, formed a partnership and began farming 800 acres north of Iota. Donald bought out his brother’s share in 1999 and became the sole operator. Today, he farms more than 1,400 acres split between crawfish and rice. On the rice ground, he grows CL 111, Mermentau and Cheniere.

Donald also gives back to the industry and the community. He has served as vice president of the St. Francis Catholic School Advisory Council and the Acadia-Evangeline Fire Protection District Board and as a volunteer firefighter.

In addition, Donald is a member the Acadia Parish Rice Growers Association, Louisiana Rice Growers Association, Acadia Parish Farm Bureau, Louisiana Farm Bureau and USA Rice.

Mary Jane Lamensdorf, 17 S. Third St., Rolling Fork, MS 39159 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees and Other Security Holders Owning/Holding 1% or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: May 2016 15.a. Total Number of Copies (net press run): (Average No. Copies each Issue During Preceding 12 Months -­‐ 9,152) (No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date -­‐ 8,551) 15.b.(1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions: (Average No. Copies Each

Lundberg Family Farms founder recognized for industry service Homer Lundberg, who with his three older brothers founded Lundberg Family

Farms in Richvale, Calif., was honored at the annual California Rice Field Day for his decades of service to the rice industry and his community.

After attending college and serving in the Air Force, Homer returned to the family farm in 1959.

Over the years, he and his brothers adopted conservation practices and began growing organically. Long before the California Air Resources Board began phasing out open-field burning of rice straw in 1992, the Lundbergs were flooding fields in the fall and rolling rice straw to aid winter decomposition.

In 1969, they started milling their own organic brown rice and founded a company that eventually became Lundberg Family Farms.

Joining Homer in the company were his brothers Eldon, Harlan and Wendell, who are now deceased.

Homer Lundberg rose through the company ranks to chairman, a position he held until stepping down in 2006 to allow the third generation to take over.

He was active in the rice industry, having served on the board of the Butte County Rice Association for eight years and the California Rice Research Foundation Board for 17 years.

In receiving the honor at the annual Rice Field Day, Lundberg says he was humbled by the award and grateful for predecessors who established the rice experiment station.

“Someone had the genius and audacity to experiment with rice,” he says. “They put together a cooperative rice research station that cooperates with the USDA and UC and the growers to keep us on the cutting edge of science and technology, and I am so grateful for that.”

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Lia Guthrie, Publisher

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RICE FARMING • DECEMBER 2016

From left to right: Kent McKenzie, Rice Experiment Station director; Gary Enos, vice chairman of the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation; Homer Lundberg and producer Lance Tennis celebrate Lundberg’s award.

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