Uncertainties Remain as Planting Begins in South

By Corey Conner

Horizon Ag

Planting in southern Louisiana and the Texas Rice Belt cranked up the week of Feb. 28. Dry conditions from October until now allowed fields to be prepared for drill seeding in the region and set the stage for a quick start to the planting season. Progress slowed down last week due to the cold temperatures that were forecasted for this past weekend.

I think we are about 25% or so planted in southern Louisiana and 20% or so planted west of Houston. Very little, if any, rice is planted east of Houston. In southern Louisiana, PVL03 has been the most popular of our varieties, with CLL17 a close second. So far, CL153 continues to be our most popular variety in Texas.

Speaking of dry conditions, in southern Louisiana, rainfall is about 10 inches below a normal year to date. Encroachment of salt water in the coastal parishes needs to be watched closely. Normally, saltwater encroachment is not an issue until later in the season. It is hard to believe that last year’s rainfall was far above normal, and now we are basically in a drought.

Uncertainty seems to be the constant with respect to the planting mix throughout the Upper Delta (North Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri). Just as it seemed fertilizer prices had softened a bit (though still very high), the Russian invasion of Ukraine sent already high fuel and fertilizer prices even higher. It’s no secret that diesel continues to climb, with local over-the-road diesel at the pump eclipsing the $5.00 mark in the Midsouth this week.

In December, many in Arkansas projected rice acreage to be flat to up slightly. The tone doesn’t seem to be as bullish today as we head into the final pre-planting stretch. Some have suggested 1M acres in Arkansas may be hard to come by. Needless to say, unless something changes fast, this very well could be the first consecutive down planted-rice acres, year over year, in well over a decade.