Arkansas Rice Update 3-31-23

by Jarrod Hardke, Rice Extension Agronomist - March 31, 2023

Arkansas Rice Update 2023-02

March 31, 2023

Jarrod Hardke

“I ain’t askin’ for a miracle, just a little bit of luck will do.”

We’ve Only Just Begun

Turning the corner into April, everyone has the itch to get rice in the ground.  Fortunately, drier and breezier conditions over the past week made that possible for some folks.  Though the majority were taking advantage of the first window in a long time to focus on tillage and getting fields ready for planting.

It doesn’t look too promising that next week will deliver a big jump in progress as the weather pattern looks unsettled at this point.  Here’s what we know so far about next week’s weather:

It is definitely still early, but it has felt like everyone is ready for an earlier start to a year this season.  It’s been a little while since we’ve seen one of those early start years, so maybe our luck will change soon.  While it’s good to squeeze in some planting here and there and make progress, it’s important to note that from an overall perspective our average yields for the past several years have been very good.  Essentially the planting windows that nature has given us have turned out to be very good for rice.

On a separate note, hopefully everyone made it through Friday’s storms safely.  Areas of Little Rock and Wynne suffered severe damage, but it will still be days before we know the full extent of damage in those and other areas.  Check on your friends and neighbors.

Fig. 1.  NOAA 7-day precipitation forecast.

New on Arkansas Row Crops Radio this week:

Weeds AR Wild Series, S3 Ep2:  Inversions

Weeds AR Wild Series, S3 Ep3:  2023 Rice Weed Control

Thoughts on Prospective Plantings Report

From a total acreage (Table 1) perspective there don’t seem to be any surprises in the report.  1.3 million total for Arkansas has been the target for a while, and at least at the time of this survey in early March, nothing much has changed.  In general, all states other than Texas show acreage increases in line with early expectations.  Texas will see acreage lowered due to water limitations in 2023.

Table 2 shows long-grain acreage intentions while Table 3 shows medium-grain.  For long-grain, a 14% increase in Arkansas appears as though it will carry a 155,000 acre long-grain increase for the U.S.  April planting conditions will typically dictate how much of those acres end up planted.

For medium-grain, an Arkansas increase was expected, though 160,000 acres is lower than what some estimates suggest is possible.  California’s increase in acreage was expected as they have seen major improvement in their water situation.

Table 1. U.S. Rice Planted Acreage, 2022 and March 2023 Prospective Plantings.

Source:  USDA NASS.

Table 2. U.S. Long-Grain Planted Acreage, 2022 and March 2023 Prospective Plantings.

Source:  USDA NASS.

Table 3. U.S. Medium-Grain Planted Acreage, 2022 and March 2023 Prospective Plantings.

Source:  USDA NASS.

Arkansas Medium-Grain Rice Demand Prompts Unique Program

Due to the increased demand for medium-grain rice and a shortage of certified, medium-grain rice seed, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will consider allowing rice mills to gift commercial grain of Titan and Lynx to Arkansas rice producers as planting seed provided the seed meets specific requirements.

Titan and Lynx are medium grain rice varieties developed by the Arkansas Rice Breeding Program with funding from the Arkansas Rice Check-off Program. Titan and Lynx have intellectual property protections prohibiting their sale as non-certified seeds. Other medium-grain rice varieties are not included in this agreement because the Division of Agriculture does not own them.

Rice Mills needing Titan or Lynx planting seed to help their contract growers should contact John Carlin, director of the Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program (jfcarlin@uark.edu) for details. Stipulations of the one-time, case-by-case agreement include, but are not limited to:

• The agreement applies only to Titan and Lynx

• Commercial grain will be held to similar standards as certified seed to ensure the planting seed is of high quality.

• Gifted grain must be planted in Arkansas.

• The grain must have been bought at grain prices.

• The seed must be gifted (not sold) to contract growers.

• The gifter must buy the resulting crop planted from the gifted seed.

• The gifter must enter into an agreement with the Division of Agriculture.

This action is intended to help millers fill and retain medium-grain rice contracts. Rice millers with such need are encouraged to contact Carlin at the earliest possible time since seed for quality testing must follow a set protocol from sampling through testing and may require two or more weeks to complete.

The Division of Agriculture’s Variety Testing Program provides unbiased information about the adaptability and performance of varieties in Arkansas’ diverse environments, thereby allowing producers to make informed decisions.

Use the Arkansas Rice Advisor Internet App!

The Arkansas Rice Advisor site https://riceadvisor.uada.edu functions like an app on your mobile device.  There you can readily access the DD50 program, rice seeding rate calculator, drill calibration, fertilizer and N rate calculators, publications, and more.

Additional Information

Arkansas Rice Updates are published periodically to provide timely information and recommendations for rice production in Arkansas.  If you would like to be added to this email list, please send your request to rice@uada.edu.

This information will also be posted to the Arkansas Row Crops blog (http://www.arkansas-crops.com/) where additional information from Extension specialists can be found.

More information on rice production, including access to all publications and reports, can be found at http://www.uaex.uada.edu/rice.

Acknowledgements

We sincerely appreciate the support for this publication provided by the rice farmers of Arkansas and administered by the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board.

The authors greatly appreciate the feedback and contributions of all growers, county agents, consultants, and rice industry stakeholders.