AgFax Rice - Louisiana

By AgFax Media LLC, AgFax.com

OVERVIEW

Rice harvest has started – barely – in Texas. That's according to Friday's update on the Texas A&M rice crop survey website. The site reported that 1% of Wharton County's crop had been cut so far. No other harvest activity was listed. Heavy rains also were cited as issues in parts of the state's rice belt. Texas farmers are draining more fields now.

While a bit more rice has been harvested in southwest Louisiana since our last report, rains have mostly kept combines out of the field. See comments by Dustin Harrell.

More rice is heading in the Midsouth.

Rice stink bug numbers continue to jump in early heading rice in Arkansas. In places, counts quickly rebounded after the first insecticide application. Fall armyworms are still turning up in some Arkansas rice and a few also are being reported in Mississippi fields.

Disease pressure continues to be relatively light in the Delta states, based on this week's calls. The main question continues to be whether to make preventive fungicide applications. 

LOUISIANA CROP COMMENTS

Harold Lambert, Independent Consultant, Innis, Louisiana

"All of my rice this year is in hybrids and all of it is behind crawfish. We're probably at 3-inch stem elongation now. Things are quiet."

Dustin Harrell, Louisiana Rice Extension Specialist, LSU Rice Research Station, Crowley

"Frequent rains through southwest Louisiana have pretty much stalled harvest this week. Some rice is ready to go but rains have been hitting us almost every day and the forecast calls for a 50% to 60% chance for the next 7 days (from 7/13).

"At this point we don't want to start running combines and rut up fields, especially where growers will ratoon some portion of the crop. It's still early, so we can hold back right now.

"Any yield reports that have come in since last week are average, no bin busters. On the other hand, we haven't seen any really low averages, which is good. Hopefully, we'll move into a drier pattern soon and get harvest underway in earnest down here.

"The northeast Louisiana crop seems to be doing really well. Much of it is in late boot to early heading. No real disease outbreaks have turned up, just things here and there."