AgFax Rice: Draining of Some Rice Fields Starts in Southwest Louisiana
By AgFax Media LLC, AgFax.com
OVERVIEW
Draining is starting on a wide basis in southwest Louisiana where a small amount of mid-February rice already has been cut.
Texas rice harvest has cranked up on a limited basis. The Texas Crop Survey reported that less than 1% of the state’s rice acreage had been cut as of last Friday (7/19), with all of that in Jackson County.
Rice stink bugs have prompted more treatments in the Midsouth since our last report. With this year’s wide spread of planting dates, this could turn into an extended fight.
Grass remains a big issue through much of the Midsouth.
LOUISIANA CROP REPORTS
Dustin Harrell, Louisiana Rice Extension Specialist, LSU Rice Research Station, Crowley:
"A good deal of rice will be drained this weekend, probably the majority of the crop in southwest Louisiana.
"While Hurricane Barry didn't cause widespread flooding, we're seeing more wind damage than I expected, particularly in later planted fields that were flowering when the storm came through. The rain and wind disrupted pollination where flowers were ready and also bruised kernels.
"Overall, more blanking occurred than people might realize. It's not a complete wipeout by any means, but rice sustained some degree of hidden damage. In our more southern parishes, it didn't rain as much. But between the rain that did fall and the storm's wind, we can expect partial blanking. However, you won't see it unless you're in the field and closely checking heads.
"Damage will vary, depending on the field and where plants were in the reproductive stage. In spots, rice sustained significant yield losses, but less so in other areas.
"Flooding also took a toll. According to one estimate, St. Landry Parish lost 750 acres to flooding in the hardest-hit area and yields were hurt on another 1,250 acres there.
"I mentioned last week that a small amount of rice had been harvested where growers planted a handful of acres in mid-February. Yields, I'm told, were in the mid-40s (barrels/acre). Again, that's a small part of the crop. The bulk of harvest in this part of the state will begin in the next couple of weeks (from 7/25).
"When growers decide when to start harvest, they will have to adjust to variable stands across a wide part of the crop down here. Uneven emergence left us with a range of plant sizes, and that's carried through to maturity and harvest planning.
"People are asking when they should drain those fields. We're advising them to drain when the bulk of the rice is ready. Don't hold off until that later-emerged rice has fully matured. If you wait for it to finish, you jeopardize milling and quality with the more mature rice."
Ashley Peters, Peters Crop Consulting, Crowville, Louisiana:
"Our oldest fields have been heading for 2 weeks and our latest rice was planted in mid-July, so the crop has a wide maturity gap. Most of the rice is fine, although we're fighting grass and are starting to see blast. We're applying fungicides and top-dressing some of the later fields.
"Rice stink bugs have been showing up. In the earliest crop, we had to spray and will likely treat certain fields again."