Horizon Ag Field Reports

Texas/Louisiana 

Two weeks ago, when I wrote my last report, the meteorologists were saying we could get 3 to 10 inches of rain over the next several days. As it turns out, they pretty much nailed it. We actually received from 6 inches to 11.5 inches in south Louisiana and Texas. All of this rain caused water to back up over a good bit of rice in some areas. Most of the water came off and the rice was okay, but it was stretched out and didn’t look very good. I did hear, however, of a few people who lost some rice.
 
Following this big rain event, we had sunshine and high temperatures which should have helped the rice recover quickly from all the rain. That was definitely not the case, however. Although we saw signs of improvement, it was not as fast as we would have hoped. A lot of acres were sprayed and fertilized in front of the rain. Some of the rice was borderline having enough growth to establish a flood, but  because of the wet spring, farmers wanted to take advantage of the narrow window of having dry ground. I believe the rice was not healthy when the herbicides were applied and, therefore, was slower to grow off. With all that being said, some of the rice is now starting to turn the corner and look pretty decent. I have seen some good-looking rice around south Louisiana and Texas, just not as much as I would like. Over the next week or two, I think things are really going to change, as we expect 90-degree temperatures and lots of sunshine.

There is still a little rice left to be planted. A few of these acres are not going to be planted as it is just getting too late. Some farmers west of Houston are having a hard time killing grass. This has been a problem over the past couple of years and something farmers in those areas are very concerned about. This has been a very challenging year from the start. Hopefully, this means the rest of the year will go a little better.

Michael Fruge 
District Field Representative
(832) 260-6193

Mississippi, Northeast Louisiana and Southeast Arkansas

Wet weather is continuing to delay progress across my territory. Wherever there has been opportunity, farmers have been making the most of it, but wet conditions have not made anything easy. We get a day here and a day there, which is making management a real challenge where rice is up. There also is a large number of acres that still need to be planted. A good amount of rice has been impacted by floodwater or just extended wet and cloudy conditions. This, coupled with some incidents of off-target drift, has drastically delayed progress in the field.
 
The best I can tell, Mississippi is somewhere around 50% to 60% planted, and North Louisiana is probably around 40% on the original projected acres. Every day that passes decreases our opportunity to get toward that end number. Not including the acres that are going to have to be replanted, I’d estimate there are still around 75,000 to 85,000 acres of intended acres unplanted across my territory. The good news is that the 10-day forecast looks favorable for getting back in the field. The thing I don’t know, however, is what decisions are going to be made going into the first week of June.

The rice that is up and growing and that hasn’t been adversely affected is starting to go to flood and has made a big jump over the last 10 days. With the current forecast, the rice that has been lagging looks to catch up quickly. It will be important to be on top of application timings to maximize the potential of what we have. If there is anything I can do to help or if you have any questions, please feel free to call.

Tim Jett 
District Field Representative
(901) 687-6362