Arkansas Rice Update 8-29-25

by Jarrod Hardke, Rice Extension Agronomist - August 29, 2025

Arkansas Rice Update 2025-23

August 29, 2025

Jarrod Hardke, Scott Stiles, Nick Bateman, & Bob Scott

“I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in.”

Change Will Do You Good

Temperatures drop, rainfall arrives, harvest slows.  Most of these are good things.  We were in desperate need of a drop in temperatures that will hopefully smooth out rice maturity as we progress further through harvest.  The rain was probably less welcome from a rice harvest standpoint (except for irrigation needs on later rice) but was welcome for a lot of soybeans.  We are on a good pace at this point from a harvest standpoint.

The heavy rainfall forecast for this week was accurate in the amount and the general direction but not so much on the location.  Leading up to the storm’s arrival, it looked like northeast and upper central areas would receive the most rain.  The storm had other ideas and has tracked more over central and southeast while sparing the northeast from much rain at all.  So, we will see a greater uptick in rice harvest in the northeast in the coming days than originally anticipated.  The extended forecast looks like an excellent weather run.  This past Sunday we were at 15% harvested and I expect with the missed rain in the northeast we could see a jump to 25-30% harvested through this weekend.

From a yield standpoint we could call this the year of the “Ping Pong” harvest with yields bouncing back and forth.  Some good and above average, while the next field is not so good and below average.  An excellent field here, a terrible field there.  Why?  Late to apply nitrogen, auxin herbicides applied too late, heat and water issues – take your pick.

A positive!  Milling yields remain better than last year and some are now notably higher than last year to where we hope they’ll always be (in the mid to upper 50s for head rice).  We have a long way to go to see how that holds up, but more moderate weather conditions sure have to make use feel better about our chances.

Read on below for more information on Keenali herbicide, rice delphacid, and markets.

Let us know if we can help.

Fig. 1.  NOAA 7-day precipitation forecast.

Fig. 2.  2012-2025 Arkansas rice harvest progress by week (USDA-NASS).

Bobbing and Weeding

Bob Scott

By now, most of you are probably aware that FMC has a herbicide making its way through the registration process called Dodylex® to be sold as Keenali Complete™.  This herbicide will be sold as a co-pack with Command and is scheduled to be fully commercialized by late fall of 2026 or early 2027.  Dodhylex or Tetflupyrolimet is the first new herbicide mode of action registered for use in US crops in over 30 years.  It will be classified as a group 28 herbicide or a DHODH-inhibitor.  This product has a limited spectrum of weed control in rice; however, it does control some important weeds including barnyardgrass and sprangletop, and suppression of large crabgrass and broadleaf signalgrass.  When combined with Command it is a very powerful residual program.  Once registered it can be applied pre and early post, rate depends on soil type.

Due to the increased number of rice acres in Arkansas with barnyardgrass that is resistant to multiple herbicide modes of action, weed scientists, led by Dr. Jason Norsworthy, with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, have requested that FMC and the Arkansas State Plant Board consider an emergency use Section 18 label for the use of Dodylex during the 2026 growing season.  The application process for this Section 18 label is underway.  At the time I am writing this article, no further progress can be made on the Section 18 until this product completes a few more steps in the registration process at EPA including going through the Endangered Species Act evaluation.  We are hopeful that we can get this label in time for the 2026 season but there are several criteria that must be met and worked out.  More to come.

The Weed Science program monitors weed resistance in rice through a voluntary sampling process that is funded by the Division of Agriculture and the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board.  Contact your county agent for more information on how to submit samples.

Rice Delphacid Knocking on the Door?

Nick Bateman and Jarrod Hardke

First – to date Rice Delphacid has NOT been confirmed in the state of Arkansas.  However, it has been confirmed in northeast Louisiana in Tensas, Richland, and Morehouse Parishes (at least); and in south LA in Calcasieu Parish.  For those keeping score at home, Morehouse Parish is on the Arkansas border.

This pest has become a major issue in Texas rice production over the past several years and is now reaching critical mass.

Below we share some information provided to us by Sam Rustom, Texas rice specialist.  At the end we have also provided links directly to some of his newsletters that cover rice delphacid.

What to look for:

Fig. 3 shows symptoms of “hopperburn” in the left and center panes.  In the right pane are nymphs congregated in the lower one third of the canopy.  Basically, this insect uses its piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on rice, drying it out causing burn symptoms and potentially plant death.

Fig. 4 shows the appearance of adults and nymphs.  Control of this pest is limited and made difficult by the fact that it concentrates in the lower canopy where it is difficult to get insecticides late in the season.

***While the majority of our rice has reached a point this may not be of serious concern this season, we need your help to stay ahead of this insect.  Take note of the injury and identification pictures below and please CONTACT US if you believe you may have found it.***

If (when?) this pest makes it into the state, we need to immediately begin evaluating control options in the event that it arrives earlier in the year in the future.  Certainly, we’re hoping it can’t survive this far north, but it seems that hopper species are on the rise in multiple crops (cotton, corn) and this one is after rice.  Of additional concern is the fact the rice delphacid is known to vector the Rice Hoja Blanca Virus which can infect plants leading to reduced growth and yield losses.

Fig. 3.  Hopperburn symptoms in Texas rice in 2024 and 2025, and rice delphacid nymphs in the lower rice canopy in a field in Texas.

Fig. 4.  Rice delphacid adults, noting the dark brown male (A) with a spot at the end of the wing; yellowish to light brown females (B); and white to pale yellow nymphs with two longitudinal stripes (C).

Texas Newsletters:

Texas Rice Extension Newsletter #8

Texas Rice Extension Newsletter #9

Market Update

Scott Stiles

Not much excitement in the rice market this week with trading confined to a 46-cent range.  At this writing Friday morning, the November contract trades at $12.04 and looks to gain about 20 cents for the week.  Monday’s Crop Progress had Louisiana’s harvest at 69% complete and Texas 68% harvested.  Both states are likely more than 75% complete at this point.  Industry sources indicate milling yields and field yields in Louisiana are favorable.  Texas is seeing inconsistent milling results.  As of last Sunday, Arkansas was 15% harvested, Mississippi 20% harvested, and Missouri 2% harvested.  Overall, U.S. harvest is ahead of the 5-year average and slightly behind last year.

Table 1.  Rice Harvested - Selected States (%).

Thursday’s Export Sales offered little market support.  There was one long-grain rough rice sale last week to Honduras of 499 tons.  The U.S. had an 8,000-ton sale of long-grain milled rice to the U.K. last week.  However, that sale was largely offset by a 9,184-ton cancellation by Haiti.  There were smaller milled rice sales last week to Canada and Mexico which kept the milled rice sales total marginally positive for the week ending August 21^st.  Long-grain sales to all destinations as of Aug 21^st are roughly ½ of last year.  Needless to say, this year is off to a slow start.

Chicago ag futures will be closed Monday, September 1 for Labor Day.  Energies will trade on Labor Day, but close early at 1:30 pm Central and re-open at 5:00 pm Central.

Labor Day Trading Hours, CME Group.

Fig. 5.  CME November 2025 Rice Futures, Daily Chart.

Farm Economy

The concern about the economic crisis facing agriculture is becoming more visible and vocal.  Various national ag organizations such as the American Soybean Association and National Corn Growers Association are urging the President and Congress to complete trade deals that include agriculture or act to increase demand for ag commodities (i.e., Biofuels, higher blends of ethanol).  Concern is also being raised about input costs.

Continue to visit with your elected officials, industry and agricultural representatives to identify problems and propose solutions that will improve the economic situation for production agriculture and the many businesses and communities that rely on it.

Recent articles on the farm economy

• KAIT ‘We can’t sell’: Farmers face difficulties ahead of harvest
• TB&P Arkansas on the verge of agricultural disaster
• Arkansas Rice Growers Association Letter to the Community and Farmers
• DTN Farmers Could See Aid for 2025 Crops

DD50 Rice Management Program is Live

The DD50 Rice Management Program is live and ready for fields to be enrolled for the 2025 season.  All log-in and producer information has been retained from the 2024 season, so if you used the program last year you can log in just as you did last year.  Log in and enroll fields here:  https://dd50.uada.edu.

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.