In the News - May 2009
Medium grain rice looking good to Arkansas rice producers
STUTTGART, Ark. - Buoyed by good prices, growers of medium grain rice scrambled over the winter
to find enough seed to plant, according to Dr. Chuck Wilson, extension rice
agronomist with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
"The scramble was touched off by favorable medium grain contracts compared to
long grain. Growers have decided to plant medium rice in areas where medium
grain is not normally produced," Wilson explained.
He said medium grain rice can be grown with good results nearly everywhere in
Arkansas. It’s similar to long grain rice to produce.
"As long as there is a market, medium grain varieties are good alternatives
to mix into your cropping plan," he said.
Three medium grain varieties are available to producers: Jupiter, Bengal and
Neptune. Wilson figures Jupiter will grab the largest percentage of medium grain
acreage this year because of the seed supply situation.
Wilson explained that seed producers grew more Jupiter last year because they
figured it would be in demand this year. Jupiter produces higher yields and has
fewer disease issues than Bengal, a variety that’s been around for 15 years.
Bengal has the preferred seed size, but is susceptible to bacterial panicle
blight, according to Wilson. Jupiter has a smaller kernel than Bengal.
Neptune, the newest of the three medium grain varieties, is in short supply.
It has good yield potential and a preferred kernel size but may not have
resistance to bacterial panicle blight, according to Wilson.
Another factor that came into play this year was the high demand for medium
grain rice, which is used in cereals and other food products.
"In a normal year, a few growers raise medium grain rice, and they have their
pick of varieties," Wilson said. "But the high demand for medium grain rice this
year and the favorable market situation caused more farmers to consider growing
medium grain rice and this put a squeeze on seed supplies. Farmers were
scrambling to find seed and some went to California to find seed."
Wilson reminded farmers earlier this year that there is a quarantine on
California varieties because of disease issues.
Meanwhile, the optimum planting date window for all rice is April 1 to May 20
for south Arkansas and April 15 to May 10 for north Arkansas.
"We still have time to get the crop planted in the optimum window," he said,
"but each rainfall seems to push us later and later."
High on a farmer’s list of things to do is make a decision about the seeding
rate.
A Division of Agriculture publication, "RICESEED" (Rice Information Sheet No.
163), is available to help calculate seeding rates for specific varieties and is
also available in a computer program available at
riceseed.uaex.edu.
In addition to calculating seeding rates for specific varieties, these
resources also assist in making adjustments for soil types, planting dates,
planting systems, seedbed condition, etc.
The RICESEED computer version can also assist in calibrating drills by giving
the number of seeds required per row foot, depending on row spacing, to achieve
a given seeding rate.
For more information about rice production, contact your county extension
agent or visit www.uaex.edu and select Agriculture, then
Rice. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of
Agriculture.
May 1, 2009
Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187
ljames@uaex.edu
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