4th April,2017 daily global regional and local rice e-newsletter by riceplus magazine

USA Rice Welcomes Gil Thompson

ARLINGTON, VA - USA Rice Federation is pleased to announce the hiring of Gil Thompson as Manager, International Policy. In this capacity, Gil will be working on international trade issues and producing reports on the American rice industry, including the Rice Executive, and staffing the World Market Price Subcommittee.

Gil comes to USA Rice from the office of Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17), where he worked on issues relating to financial services, veterans affairs, and related appropriations.

Raised in Silicon Valley, Gil received his double B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. He then spent two years working for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, investigating large-scale financial crimes. Afterward, Gil went on to receive his M.A. in Comparative and International Studies from ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

"We look forward to Gil's contribution on preserving and opening up rice markets globally as well as his assistance across USA Rice's program areas," said USA Rice COO Bob Cummings.

           

No need for name calling

Farm Bill Opinions a Mixed Bag at Event

By  William Mencer

WASHINGTON, DC - While most of Washington's agriculture organizations and their memberships throughout rural America are optimistic about farm policy, the future of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the outlook of a strong safety net in the 2018 Farm Bill, recent gatherings here indicate that a resistance effort is brewing.

American University's School of International Service hosted a day-long conference, "Farm Bill 2018: Policy, Politics, and Potential" earlier this week to highlight some of the lesser-seen angles surrounding the farm bill. Speakers included a broad range of academics, civil society leaders, producers, policy makers, and the general public on relevant research and rising issues for the next farm bill.

Kathleen Merrigan, former Deputy Secretary for USDA, drew attention to the agricultural dissenters during her opening remarks that kicked-off the conference. Merrigan encouraged those in attendance not to prejudge USDA Secretary-Designate Perdue. "I am troubled to see the 39,000 signatures on MoveOn.org requesting Senators to vote "nay" on Sonny Perdue," she said.

Merrigan added, "If we wish to get anything accomplished in the next farm bill, it is important that those of us in the agriculture industry strive for some level of unity and understanding amongst one another in order to get a [farm bill] written and passed in a timely manner."

Topics ranging from the Commodity Title through the Nutrition, Credit, and Research Titles were addressed. Panelists discussing commodity and credit programs laid out what they believed would be the key drivers for changes within the 2018 Farm Bill.

Carl Zulauf a professor emeritus in agricultural economics at The Ohio State University and contributor to the Farmdoc Daily blog said, "I believe commodity prices, 2017 crop revenues, the state of U.S. exports, the federal budget, and President Trump's agenda will be the determining factors for the next farm bill."

Another somewhat contentious panel focused on international trade. "Land grant universities have shifted their focus from farmers and have invested their resources into large companies that supply inputs of production," claimed Gerardo Otero of Simon Fraser University. "This kind of research in biotechnology has led to global surpluses and now farmers are facing a qualitative issue rather than a quantitative issue. Farmers are producing too many calories and too little nutrition which is causing obesity in developing countries, furthering their struggles to keep up with the modernized world."

There was no shortage of opposing viewpoints but ultimately the panels agreed that a unified front will be required to move a strong farm bill forward in 2018.

Domesticated rice goes rogue

Weedy rice, which differs genetically from wild and crop rice, is adapted for undercover life in agricultural fields

A new study in the April 3 issue of Nature Genetics describes an ancestry.com-type adventure that reveals the deep history of a family, including some disreputable relatives. But the family in this case is Asian rice (Oryza sativa), and the disreputable relatives are the weedy cousins of domesticated rice.Weedy rice is neither wild rice nor crop rice but rather formerly domesticated rice that has shed some traits important to people. Adapted to human coddling, it does not grow outside of agricultural fields, but at the same time, it is not easily harvested and produces unpalatable seeds.\

Depending on where you are in the world, the reduction in yield of crop rice can be as high as 90 percent because of these weeds, said Kenneth Olsen, professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis and the lead author on the paper. Even in the U.S., weedy rice is estimated to be present in 30 percent of rice fields and leads to crop losses of more than $50 million annually.

There are two major strains of weedy rice in the U.S.: strawhull and blackhull awned. (Awns are the long bristles that give some grasses a hairy appearance). Because the two weedy strains evolved independently, they provide an ideal opportunity to study the genetic basis of weediness and, particularly, whether it always arises through the same genetic mechanism.

For this purpose, a team of scientists from China and the U.S. -- including Washington University -- sequenced the genomes of 18 strawhull weeds and 20 blackhull weeds and compared them to 145 previously published genomes of crop and wild varieties of rice.

Analysis showed that: the two weeds evolved from two different crop varieties; they evolved at different stages in the domestication process; and the genetic basis for weediness differs between the strains. It also revealed that, in both cases, relatively few changes were needed to turn the crop plant into a weed.

Rice, in other words, has a proclivity toward weediness. "It's easy to evolve weediness, and it has happened repeatedly," said Olsen.

No more stoop labor

"The evolution of weedy crop relatives is an under-recognized part of the domestication process," Olsen continued. "Until recently, few of those studying domestication had given much thought to these weedy doppelgangers that were just kind of persisting on the margins of fields."

When rice is planted by hand, each seedling is scrutinized and weedy ones discarded. But the adoption of mechanized, direct-seeded farming has changed the equation. "The weedy relatives look so much like the crop, they blend in and farmers don't realize they have a problem until they have a real infestation," Olsen said.

One of the most noticeable weedy traits is highly shattering seeds. "When cereal crops were domesticated, people selected against shattering because it made the grain easier to harvest, but if you're a weedy species you want to disperse seed. So with the weedy strains there's a re-emergence of seed shattering," Olsen explained.

Weeds also have very persistent seed dormancy, he said. During domestication, there's selection against dormancy, because farmers select for whatever comes up first. But, again, that's a bad strategy for a weed, so dormancy re-emerges as well.

The combination of shattering and prolonged dormancy means there is a reservoir of weed seeds in crop fields that can come up year after year and outcompete the crop.

Deep history of rice

The genetic analysis undertaken by the team of scientists showed that the two strains of weedy are descended from two separate rice varieties, indica and aus, which were domesticated in different parts of Asia.

Most of the rice grown in the U.S. is a third variety, japonica, domesticated in yet another location. For this reason, and because there is comparatively little genetic diversity in the two weedy strains, they were probably introduced to the U.S. as contaminants in grain stocks.

Both weedy strains evolved after rice was domesticated and after some varietal differences had emerged in the crop. But the blackhull weed seems to have diverged from the aus variety of rice much earlier than the strawhull weed diverged from indica.

Crop domestication is a long process usually divided into two stages, Olsen explained. During the first stage, human selection favors "domestication traits" that allow the plant to be cultivated in the first place, such as seedheads that don't shatter easily. Later, human selection favors "improvement traits," such as the popcorn-like aroma and flavor of basmati rice.

The more of these traits a weedy strain possesses, the later it evolved. Both the U.S. weed strains have only the crop variants of three genes that are targets of selection during rice domestication. On the other hand, the strawhull but not the blackhull weedy variety has the genes for most of the widely selected improvement traits.

The blackhull weeds evolved after rice was domesticated but before it was improved, and the strawhull weeds spun off only after rice had been further improved by selection

De-domestication

Having established when weediness evolved, the scientists looked at how it had evolved by comparing the genomes of the weedy varieties to those of their inferred crop ancestors. They were searching for "signatures of selection," evidence of mutations so favorable they spread rapidly through a population.

What they found is that the signatures corresponded to regions of the genome that control weedy traits but not to those affected by domestication. For example, all the weedy rices possess the sh4 mutation that characterizes domesticated non-shattering rices. Eight other gene regions, however, are implicated in the re-acquisition of shattering by the weedy strains.

Moreover, most of the genes for weed adaptation are clustered in genomic islands rather than randomly distributed throughout the genome.

"It's different genomic islands in each weed type," Olsen said. "So changing a crop into a weed doesn't take many genetic changes and it can occur through different genetic mechanisms."

"We should keep in mind the apparent ease with which these agricultural weeds have repeatedly evolved as we shift toward mechanized production practices that promote their success."

"What I find fascinating about these weeds," Olsen said, "is the way they've co-opted the agricultural system. They take advantage of this wonderful environment we're creating by tilling and providing nutrients, and way outcompete the plants that have desirable traits.

                       

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/wuis-drg032917.php

‘Local rice’: The bitter, sweet side of an economy driven by women

 

By Tadaferua Ujorha who was in Kogi | Publish Date: Apr 4 2017 2:36AM

All the rice grown in Ibaji and outlying regions, is conveyed to Shekene for processing.

Shekene rice mill, Idah

‘Forty two mill owners make up the Shekene mill,’ says Ibrahim Mohammed, Vice Chairman Idah rice millers association. The mill is made of wood, and it is  like a work of art, for it has a light brown colour and most of the wooden doorways are similar creating a certain uniformity. This harmony stretches down both sides of a fairly long road and people carry out similar actions on both sides of it. In each mill a lot of activities are going on, and there are women present, many carrying basins of rice or feeding same into the machines. Other women are busy selling bags or tying up the bags of milled rice. They may be carrying the residue out of the mill or selecting the rice. Or the women are waiting to be attended to.

There is something no matter how small it may be, for every woman or man at the mill. Nobody is idle. It is a beehive of activities and vehicles both large and small arrive. Some bring rice from Ibaji, while others come in to remove the husk to a nearby spot where it is worked on by another set of dusty but eager women. Big lorries arrive to convey rice to distant parts of Kogi State and to places further afield. Some transporters also come all the way from Onitsha to buy the rice and convey same into the south east. Boats ply the Niger and travel to Idah. Through the river Niger, the ‘local rice’ also gets to parts of the south east and as far as Bayelsa State in the south-south, Mohammed tells me. An intricate network of routes on both water and land steered by determined transporters and an army of agile female farmers, ensures that the rice is moved  to many parts of Nigeria. There  is a huge economy here and  if it is supported and enhanced through the provision of modern farming tools as well as sprays, fertilizer, pumping and threshing machines and loans etc, it is capable of turning around the economy of not just Kogi state, but large sections of Nigeria because thousands of women are active at the heart of the industry. They give it life and  it makes sense that if their work is enhanced, then their lives would be transformed as well and they  won’t have debilitating eye conditions or body pains to contend with, for instance.

Mohammed adds that it is difficult to ascertain the actual number of bags processed at the mill, but he says that the number is impressive. He explains “Tricycles come in to convey milled bags of rice out of the mill. Other vehicles come in too,and so  the exact number of what we mill cannot be estimated.” N250 is charged for every bucket of rice treated at the mill and four buckets make up a bag. On the volume of work at the mill, he opines  “A lot of work is done here, but there is more work during the harvest which lasts between the months of November and December. Some species of rice do not mature at the same time,but the real harvest occurs between November and December each year.” 

Old machines

He draws attention to the problems the millers face “The machines we use are old.We need a modern mill so that we can cope with the business. Also, we need a rice destoner which removes stones from the rice, and a Chinese machine  which when it mills the rice, will make it look like the popular uncle bens rice.” He refers to “The challenge of capital in terms of getting new machines,or putting the old ones in order. The spare parts are made in India. We get them locally, but it does not serve as expected.” Mohammed draws attention to the pains the women go through, using manual tools on their farms “The threshing machine is more sophisticated than what we have here in Shekene. It removes the rice seed from the stem. When the women beat the rice they apply energy, and also use a lot of force, which causes pain around the shoulder joints and affects their eyes. If they had the threshing machine, it would quicken work on their farms. Because they don’t have a threshing machine, they now spend more time on the farm, and more energy is wasted.” He says that in spite of everything the rice  is popular among Nigerians “People come from Bayelsa, Enugu, Aba, Edo and Benue to buy rice at the Shekene mill.”

Achono Baba, one of the mill owners adds “If the women bring the rice, we mill it. That is to say we remove the jacket and thereby make it more presentable. Then it is taken for sale.” On challenges facing the mill owners, he argues “We need government to assist us. Some of the engines we are using are bad, and they don’t have power to mill the rice well. We need new machines but we don’t have the money to do this,so the government should come in and assist us.” Gas is used to power the machines, he reasons “But if there is no gas we have problems. On 14 December  last year, there was a scarcity of gas. This was not resolved till  February. The rice industry practically collapsed during  that period.”

The men who convey the rice to different locations by lorries or other large vehicles, also have a few things to say.” Every five days I come to Shekene to buy a lorry load of rice. Then I convey these to Anyagba, Ejule Abocho and Itobe, which are  communities in  the state.” Salifu Adamu drives a big lorry and he transports between 50 to 150 bags of local rice with every trip he makes, and he says he has been making these trips for a total of fifteen years. According to him  traders  from the east and west converge at Itobe, Anyagba and Abocho to buy the rice, and that a great number of these traders are women. Adamu shows that there are many problems involved in the transportation of the locally grown rice bought at Shekene “The bad roads in Kogi State affect our work. Our tyres go bad as well as the engine. For instance, the road to Anyagba  and Idah is bad.It takes three hours to make the trip from Idah to Anyagba, but if the road were good, it wouldn’t be longer than an hour and a half. We would deliver the rice in time and make more money.” 

Annual flood in Ibaji 

Onu Ibaji recallls “The flood of 2012 was a trigger which sparked off interest in rice farming, it gave more money to women and  raised their  profile. Sometimes things happen and you have the good and the bad aspects. One good thing is the cropping that has come in after the flood, and as the waters recede they plant along with it and in three months they are harvesting.” He opens up  on the various types of floods in the area “As a riverine area we expect floods every year, but it’s the magnitude that may put us off. When it is of an unexpected magnitude, that’s when we are put off. Otherwise, it is a yearly event,and it comes with good things too. It brings alluvial soil that makes cropping richer and which also brings plenty of fish. The flood, depending on the degree, can be either good or bad. A flood is one thing you cannot control, and it will come between July and October. When it comes too early which does happen, before you even start to harvest your whole farm will be flooded. But there  is a way we feel such disasters can be controlled. When Cameroon built its dam it discussed with Nigeria, and asked Nigeria to build a dam on the river Benue, so that when there’s is full and about to collapse and they release water, it will go into the dam built by Nigeria on the river Benue. To the best of my knowledge that dam has not been built, and when the flood comes, before you know what is happening, it  is sweeping away everything. If the Benue river dam could be built by the Nigerian government, they would be helping those of us down the river. Let them build the dam so that we can relax. We expect the normal flood season,and it will come in bits, and we will enjoy the alluvial soil and the fresh fish that it will bring, and our crops will grow and we will harvest it at the time it matures. A premature harvest is very painful. You see the farm green, but overnight it is gone. It is painful. The construction of the dam on the Benue can help those of us living down the river Niger.”

‘It’s the cornea’

Daily Trust sought an optometrist  to respond to  the claims of the women  who point out that rice seedlings entered  their eyes while they were busy  threshing, and that  from that moment on they began to suffer poor vision. Dr. Osafuomwan  draws attention to  the significance of the cornea in  vision “The dark part of the eye  largely put is called the cornea. The eye is the most intricate, most delicate organ after the brain. You can see that they are intricately linked. Both organs are super delicate. One of the most important parts of the eye is the cornea. When the women thresh the rice, what I think is that in so far as they are certain that there is a contact from the rice seedlings into the eyes, it’s almost a given that it will hit the cornea, especially if it comes with that force.” He continues “You will understand that the cornea is super important to vision. If the seedling hits the cornea, there could be a laceration, like a tear. This is known as cornea abrasion. All of these would significantly impair vision. But if it affects their vision, and they cannot see distant objects properly, and they cannot see the ground when they are working, and there is a discharge and a whitish growth on the eye, I am almost certain it’s the cornea which is affected. I am sure that that whitish opacity is the cornea that has been hit.”

Developing the point, he says “If we are certain that it was soon after  they started threshing, then they started experiencing poor vision, then it is a pretty simple analogy. It is the conjunctiva. For them to have vision impairment, the cornea would have been hit. I think it’s cornea ulcer, cornea laceration or cornea abrasion, and all these could be treated.” He now sheds light on these three conditions “Cornea abrasion occurs when tiny foreign bodies enter the eye, and the example of rice is a perfect instance of this.Cornea laceration is a much deeper cut,while cornea ulcer occurs when the abrasion or lesion is not treated. There is an opening, a tear and the hygiene of the person remains the same. The integrity is compromised. If anything enters it that’s not supposed to enter, it will then form an ulcer.” On the fact that 5% of the women in Ibaji are visually impaired, he responds “That is not a very bad statistic for Nigeria, because our health statistics are not exactly beautiful. In the rural areas of the country, this situation of visual impairment is a very common occurrence. It’s not  very significant  for Nigeria, but in other climes it would be  an endemic situation.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/feature/-local-rice-the-bitter-sweet-side-of-an-economy-driven-by-women/192033.html

Villar thumbs down amendment of law to scrap QR on rice

By Jasper Y. Arcalas

APRIL 3, 2017

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Food and Agriculture is not keen on amending a law that would pave the way for the scrapping of the quantitative restriction (QR) on rice by July.

Senator Cynthia A. Villar said she will not support any measure that seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) 8178, or the Agricultural Tariffication Act, which allowed caps on rice imports.

“I will not support any bill [amending RA 8178]. How can you support such bill if your farmers are not competitive?” Villar told the BusinessMirror on the sidelines of the relaunching of Cedarhills Garden Center over the weekend.

At present, a bill that would amend RA 8178 has yet to be filed in the Senate. Villar also said she agrees with the Department of Agriculture (DA), which pushed for the extension of the nontariff barrier for two more years to make local rice farmers competitive against their counterparts in Southeast Asian countries.“Of course, I am afraid for our Filipino rice farmers because we are not really competitive. So we should work to continue that [QR on rice] until we become competitive,” she added.

Earlier, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said the House of Representatives is poised to block any amendments to RA 8178 as this was promised to him by Speaker Pantaleon D. Alvarez.

“The last time I spoke with the Speaker about the lifting of the QR, the position of Congress is that they don’t want to lift it. Thus, I think, Congress will not move to amend Republic Act [RA] 8178,” Piñol said.

There are already bills filed in the House of Representatives seeking the amendment of RA 8178 in preparation for the lifting of the QR on rice by end-June.

Earlier, the DA chief made an assurance the Philippines will not be flooded with cheap rice imports after the QR on rice expires on June 30. The QR is a nontariff barrier that the WTO has allowed the Philippines to enjoy for more than two decades.

Piñol said RA 8178 would serve as the “saving grace” and “refuge” of Filipino farmers. Under RA 8178, rice is the only farm commodity protected by the QR.

Sans an amendment, Piñol said the Philippines should not be forced to allow the entry of more rice imports. “There cannot be an unregulated entry of imported rice to the country until such time that the law is amended.”

However, the amendment of RA 8178 is included in the priority legislative agenda of the Duterte administration as indicated in its economic blueprint dubbed as the Philippine Development Plan (PDP 2017-2022).

Under PDP 2017-2022, the Duterte administration vowed to allocate all the tariffs collected from rice imports for programs aimed at helping farmers cut production cost.

“Replace quantitative restrictions on rice with tariffs. The tariff proceeds from rice imports will be plowed back to the rice sector,” the PDP read.

While the PDP is cognizant of the adverse impact of the scrapping of the rice QR on small farmers, the government said the tariff collected from imports will be used to help them recoup their losses.

The Duterte administration said it has decided to allow the QR on rice to expire because of its potential impact on rice prices nationwide.

Rice, the government noted, accounts for 30.6 percent of the total food expenditure of the poorest 20 percent of households based on the 2012 Family Income and Expenditure Survey.

“It can help lower the price of rice, and this will benefit the general public, including farmers who are net consumers of rice,” the PDP read.

Under the QR scheme, rice imports within the minimum access volume (MAV) of 805,200 metric tons per year are slapped with a lower tariff of 40 percent, while imports in excess of the MAV are slapped a higher tariff of 50 percent.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/villar-thumbs-down-amendment-of-law-to-scrap-qr-on-rice/

IRRI and FAO step up joint efforts to globally bolster sustainable rice production

from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Published on 30 Mar 2017 

Focus is on food security and helping poor farmers by enhancing crop resilience and adapting to climate change

30 March 2017, Rome - FAO and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have agreed to cooperate more closely to support sustainable rice production in developing countries to improve food security and livelihoods while safeguarding natural resources.

An agreement signed today seeks to better pool the scientific knowledge and technical know-how of the two organizations so that they can expand and intensify their work globally.

The partnership primarily aims to enhance sustainable rice-based farming systems through capacity building activities - including assisting governments draw up and implement national and regional policies and strategies - to the benefit of small-scale farmers, especially women.

"The world faces very significant changes over the next few decades to produce the volume and quality of nutritious food to feed a global population heading for 10 billion people," said IRRI Director-General Matthew K. Morell. "Addressing these issues relies on global partnerships, and today, IRRI is delighted to be reaffirming through this Memorandum of Agreement our commitment to work with FAO to enhance sustainable rice-based production and food systems through awareness raising, capacity development, knowledge exchange, and evidence-based analyses for policy support."

"With over three billion people across the globe eating rice every day, rice is critical to global food security," said Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General, Climate and Natural Resources. "Ensuring sustainable rice production is a key contribution to the global goal of ending hunger. By teaming up with IRRI, already a long-standing partner, we will be able to scale up, complement and amplify our work towards reaching this goal."

Making the rice value chain more sustainable

In many countries around the world rice is a staple crop for food security and consumption trends are growing. At the same time rice production is vulnerable to the increasing impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events such as droughts and floods.

Both FAO and IRRI are actively promoting more sustainable rice practices throughout the value chain - production, marketing and consumption - to optimize its nutritional properties and as a means of improving livelihoods and tackling poverty, particularly in rural areas.

FAO has developed the Regional Rice Initiative for Asia and Pacific which promotes enhanced crop resilience while increasing efficiency and farmers' income. In Africa and in Latin America the UN agency is engaged in scientific and technical cooperation including the sharing of technologies and best practices to increase production and productivity, including reduction of post-harvest losses and improved grain quality.

IRRI is engaged in strengthening capacities of all rice sector actors through its capacity development activities, including IRRI Education and the Sustainable Rice Platform.

The Sustainable Rice Platform is a global alliance to promote resource efficiency and sustainability in trade flows, production and consumption operations, and supply chains in the global rice sector. The Sustainable Rice Platform recently established the world's first standard for sustainable rice. Through the Sustainable Rice Platform, IRRI aims to use environmental and socio-economic benchmarks to maintain yields for rice smallholders, reduce the environmental footprint of rice cultivation and meet consumer needs for food safety and quality.

At the same time, IRRI Education works to build capacity through-out IRRI's extensive partnership network.

Improving varieties, transferring knowledge

FAO and IRRI will together assist rice producing countries to adopt improved and adapted rice varieties, enhance availability of certified seeds and also the transfer of knowledge - including on pest management - through participatory approaches such as farmer fields schools.

The two organizations will also seek to strengthen partnerships for post-harvest handling, and help farmers and other rice producers add value by developing and marketing rice by-products rich in proteins and micronutrients, and explore the appropriate use of rice by-products to generate energy, animal feed and other agricultural products.

In addition, FAO and IRRI will work together to ensure that women farmers can participate in viable, safe and dignified entrepreneurial opportunities in the rice value chain, and that there is an improvement in work conditions in the rice sector

http://reliefweb.int/report/world/irri-and-fao-step-joint-efforts-globally-bolster-sustainable-rice-production

 

Weedy rice, which differs genetically from wild and crop rice, is adapted for undercover life in agricultural fields

April 3, 2017

Weedy rice (the taller plants) is outgrowing and outcompeting crop rice in this Arkansas field. Credit: Ken Olsen

A new study in the April 3 issue of Nature Genetics describes an ancestry.com-type adventure that reveals the deep history of a family, including some disreputable relatives. But the family in this case is Asian rice (Oryza sativa), and the disreputable relatives are the weedy cousins of domesticated rice.

Weedy rice is neither wild rice nor crop rice but rather formerly domesticated rice that has shed some traits important to people. Adapted to human coddling, it does not grow outside of agricultural fields, but at the same time, it is not easily harvested and produces unpalatable seeds.

Depending on where you are in the world, the reduction in yield of crop rice can be as high as 90 percent because of these weeds, said Kenneth Olsen, professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis and the lead author on the paper. Even in the U.S., weedy rice is estimated to be present in 30 percent of rice fields and leads to crop losses of more than $50 million annually.

There are two major strains of weedy rice in the U.S.: strawhull and blackhull awned. (Awns are the long bristles that give some grasses a hairy appearance). Because the two weedy strains evolved independently, they provide an ideal opportunity to study the genetic basis of weediness and, particularly, whether it always arises through the same genetic mechanism.

For this purpose, a team of scientists from China and the U.S.—including Washington University—sequenced the genomes of 18 strawhull weeds and 20 blackhull weeds and compared them to 145 previously published genomes of crop and wild varieties of rice.

Analysis showed that: the two weeds evolved from two different crop varieties; they evolved at different stages in the domestication process; and the genetic basis for weediness differs between the strains. It also revealed that, in both cases, relatively few changes were needed to turn the crop plant into a weed.

Rice, in other words, has a proclivity toward weediness. "It's easy to evolve weediness, and it has happened repeatedly," said Olsen.

No more stoop labor

"The evolution of weedy crop relatives is an under-recognized part of the domestication process," Olsen continued. "Until recently, few of those studying domestication had given much thought to these weedy doppelgangers that were just kind of persisting on the margins of fields." When rice is planted by hand, each seedling is scrutinized and weedy ones discarded. But the adoption of mechanized, direct-seeded farming has changed the equation. "The weedy relatives look so much like the crop, they blend in and farmers don't realize they have a problem until they have a real infestation," Olsen said.
One of the most noticeable weedy traits is highly shattering seeds. "When cereal crops were domesticated, people selected against shattering because it made the grain easier to harvest, but if you're a weedy species you want to disperse seed. So with the weedy strains there's a re-emergence of seed shattering," Olsen explained.
Weeds also have very persistent seed dormancy, he said. During domestication, there's selection against dormancy, because farmers select for whatever comes up first. But, again, that's a bad strategy for a weed, so dormancy re-emerges as well.
The combination of shattering and prolonged dormancy means there is a reservoir of weed seeds in crop fields that can come up year after year and outcompete the crop.
Seeds of blackhull awned weedy rice, which are unpalatable, evolved from a domesticated crop variety. Credit: Ken Olsen
Deep history of rice
The genetic analysis undertaken by the team of scientists showed that the two strains of weedy are descended from two separate rice varieties, indica and aus, which were domesticated in different parts of Asia.
Most of the rice grown in the U.S. is a third variety, japonica, domesticated in yet another location. For this reason, and because there is comparatively little genetic diversity in the two weedy strains, they were probably introduced to the U.S. as contaminants in grain stocks.
Both weedy strains evolved after rice was domesticated and after some varietal differences had emerged in the crop. But the blackhull weed seems to have diverged from the aus variety of rice much earlier than the strawhull weed diverged from indica.
Crop domestication is a long process usually divided into two stages, Olsen explained. During the first stage, human selection favors "domestication traits" that allow the plant to be cultivated in the first place, such as seedheads that don't shatter easily. Later, human selection favors "improvement traits," such as the popcorn-like aroma and flavor of basmati rice.
The more of these traits a weedy strain possesses, the later it evolved. Both the U.S. weed strains have only the crop variants of three genes that are targets of selection during rice domestication. On the other hand, the strawhull but not the blackhull weedy variety has the genes for most of the widely selected improvement traits.
The blackhull weeds evolved after rice was domesticated but before it was improved, and the strawhull weeds spun off only after rice had been further improved by selection
De-domestication
Having established when weediness evolved, the scientists looked at how it had evolved by comparing the genomes of the weedy varieties to those of their inferred crop ancestors. They were searching for "signatures of selection," evidence of mutations so favorable they spread rapidly through a population.
What they found is that the signatures corresponded to regions of the genome that control weedy traits but not to those affected by domestication. For example, all the weedy rices possess the sh4 mutation that characterizes domesticated non-shattering rices. Eight other gene regions, however, are implicated in the re-acquisition of shattering by the weedy strains.
Moreover, most of the genes for weed adaptation are clustered in genomic islands rather than randomly distributed throughout the genome.
"It's different genomic islands in each weed type," Olsen said. "So changing a crop into a weed doesn't take many genetic changes and it can occur through different genetic mechanisms."
"We should keep in mind the apparent ease with which these agricultural weeds have repeatedly evolved as we shift toward mechanized production practices that promote their success."
"What I find fascinating about these weeds," Olsen said, "is the way they've co-opted the agricultural system. They take advantage of this wonderful environment we're creating by tilling and providing nutrients, and way outcompete the plants that have desirable traits."
  Explore further: Plant biologist seeks molecular differences between rice and its mimic

More information: Signatures of adaptation in the weedy rice genome, Nature Genetics, nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/ng.3825

https://phys.org/news/2017-04-weedy-rice-differs-genetically-wild.html.

Rice Benefits altering wet and dry system

Bonnie Coblentz | Apr 02, 2017

Alternating wet and dry production is a radical new way to grow rice, and some Mississippi producers are finding the idea not only seems feasible in theory, but also works well in practice.

Jason Krutz, irrigation specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and a researcher with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said the technique, known as AWD, grows rice without standing water, which reduces water use by about a third while also maintaining yields.

“The economic advantage we have seen in our research and on-farm situations is that AWD fields come in about $50 ahead per acre from water savings,” Krutz said. “AWD rice fields use an initial flood for two weeks to get the crop established and then allow water to subside to 4 inches below the soil surface before refilling to the recommended 2- to 4-inch flood.”

Krutz said the technique repeats this sequence of wet and dry until the field is

drained for harvest. Rice is very sensitive to drought stress during flowering, so a 2- to 4-inch flood is maintained for a week at this time before the AWD cycle is resumed.

“Our experience with alternating wet and dry production shows us that we can grow rice without a continuous flood, and the benefits seem to outweigh the negatives,” Krutz said. “AWD may not be ideal for every situation on every field, but it is a money saver on many fields.”

Carter Murrell

Carter Murrell, a partner in Murrell Farms in Avon, Miss., is one producer who adopted AWD in 2013. His family has been growing rice in Washington County since the early 1950s. Today, they farm between 600 and 700 acres, all grown by alternating wet and dry management.

“We saw no change in yields when we switched to AWD rice,” Murrell said. “In any given year, we’re using from 16 to 23 acre-inches of water, but we were using 20 to 25 percent more than that with traditional rice management.”

Murrell said weed control was a big concern when moving to the new management style.

“We were always taught that growing rice in flooded conditions was for weed control, but we found that by the time the actual alternating wet and dry process begins, we had enough shade in the crop to keep the weeds under control,” he said.

Murrell said the growing method has saved him money, and he plans to keep using AWD on his farm. He recommended other rice farmers consider it on their fields.

“If you’re willing to try, start with small steps as your comfort level allows, and you will see the benefit in those small steps,” Murrell said. “Let the water down some, even if you’re not comfortable in going to a full mud state. If you’re not utilizing multiple inlet irrigation, start there and work forward.”

David Arant Sr.

David Arant Sr., a partner in Arant Acres in Ruleville, Miss., farms in Leflore County. 2016 was the first year he tried AWD on his rice fields.

“I tried it on a limited basis to see how it would do,” Arant said. “A lot of our land is precision graded, and a lot is zero graded. We’ve always watered the conventional way, but I had three fields that we tested on last year.”

Arant’s crop consultant managed one field with AWD, Arant managed another field with side-inlet irrigation, and he managed the third field using conventional flood practices. Both the AWD field and the side-inlet irrigated field used less water than normal, and the AWD field had the highest yield of all three test fields.

“The yield monitor on the combine showed it yielded 4 bushels more than the field I managed and 6 bushels more than the conventional management field,” Arant said. “We used all the same variety, planted at the same time and cut at the same time with the same combine to get these results.”

Arant said he might use AWD on more acreage this year. Dealing with polypipe for irrigation is the only drawback Arant identified, but he said placing the piping is a challenge on any field.

“I’d recommend the AWD program to anybody,” Arant said. “We’re trying to be more conservation minded to save our water, and this can be a good way to do that

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:_5whchNAIcUJ:www.deltafarmpress.com/rice/rice-benefits-alternating-wet-and-dry-system+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=pk

Q1 rice output up 5.34%

ByBusinessMirror

APRIL 2, 2017

Philippine rice production in the first quarter expanded by 5.34 percent to 4.14 million metric tons (MMT), from the 3.93 MMT recorded in the same period last year, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said the increase in production could be attributed to good weather and the use of high-yielding hybrid rice seeds.“The country’s rice farmers harvested 210,668 metric tons [MT] more in the first quarter of 2017 than they did during the same period in 2016, according to the satellite and ground validated data provided by the Philippine Rice Satellite Monitoring [PRiSM],” Piñol said in his Facebook post over the weekend.

“According to the PRiSM satellite data, which were validated on the ground, a total of 4,142,960 MT was harvested from an area of 997,687 hectares in the first quarter, compared to only 3,932,292 MT, from a bigger area of 1,081,096 hectares during the same period in 2016,” he added

 

DA initial data signal record rice yields

    

Posted on April 03, 2017

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said the unmilled rice harvest in the first quarter of 2017 rose more than 5% year on year with hybrid rice seed driving the expansion.

The Department of Agriculture said wider planting of hybrid rice seed led to expanded palay output in the first quarter. -- AFP

Citing data from the Philippine Rice Information System (PRISM) which provides the agency seasonal reports on harvests, among others, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said that output for unmilled rice, or palay, stood at 4.14 million metric tons (MT) in the three months to March, up 5.34% year on year.

Mr. Piñol added that “for the first time in the history of rice farming,” farmers posted a 4.15 ton yield per hectare, breaking the previous record of 3.9 MT per hectare.

Mr. Piñol attributed the rise to expanded use of hybrid rice seed.

The highest average yield per region of 4.84 metric tons per hectare was recorded in Central Luzon which includes some of the top-rice producing provinces in the country -- Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, Aurora, Zambales and Bataan.

“The higher average yield in the Central Luzon area is credited mainly to the increasing number of farmers who are using hybrid rice seed,” Mr. Piñol said in a Facebook post published over the weekend.

Mr. Piñol said that the agency “is promoting the nationwide use of Hybrid Rice Seed which have been proven to produce (up to) double the production average of inbred rice seeds.”

The agency’s promotion of hybrid rice seed, along with other interventions such as small-scale irrigation systems, greater mechanization and the availability of easier credit and financing for the farmers, is expected to boost rice production and achieve rice sufficiency by 2020.

“The PRISM satellite-generated data validated my earlier projection based on ocular appreciation that the country will enjoy a bumper harvest this planting season,” Mr. Piñol said.

“I made the projection following the travels I made all over the country over the last few weeks where I saw vast fields of healthy growing rice.”

In last week’s briefing with reporters, Mr. Piñol said that he expects a “bumper harvest” for the first quarter.

However, when asked for figures, he said he could not quantify as his estimates were merely based on “visual appreciation.”

Asked yesterday over the phone on estimates how agricultural growth for the period may look, Mr. Piñol said he is yet unable to give estimates.

The Agriculture secretary earlier expressed hopes for 2% agriculture output growth in the first quarter.

Such a target, if realized, would reverse 2016’s first and fourth quarter declines of 4.53% and 1.11%, respectively, due to the severe El Niño in 2016’s first three months and storms in October-December. -- Janina C. Lim

http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Economy&title=da-initial-data-signal-record-rice-yields&id=143171

Vietnamese prefer Thailand’s expensive rice to Vietnam’s cheap rice

VietNamNet Bridge - Instead of buying Vietnam’s rice at just VND10,000 per kilo, Vietnamese are willing to pay higher to buy rice from Thailand or Japan.

Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, director of the Institute for Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, commented that many Vietnamese now don’t eat Vietnam-made rice, priced at just VND10,000 per kilo. The rice products are just for export, not for domestic consumption.

Tuan also noted that Vietnam exports rice as food for people, but rice can also be used to make essential oil, rice milk, cosmetics, by-products and processed animal feed.

While Vietnam focuses on trying to export as much rice as possible, it cannot improve rice quality. The country mostly exports low-priced rice and has been relying on the Chinese market.

Explaining the current policy on rice exports, Pham Chi Lan, an economist, commented that food security problems in the past have left their mark. Vietnam tries to produce as much rice as possible, both in the past when it lacked food and now when it can export millions of tons of rice every year.

Instead of buying Vietnam’s rice at just VND10,000 per kilo, Vietnamese are willing to pay higher to buy rice from Thailand or Japan.

Lan stressed that Vietnamese policymakers need to outline a new policy on rice production and export.

While Vietnam focuses on making high-yield and low-cost rice, more and more Vietnamese only want high-quality products. The choosy consumers accept to pay higher prices to buy delicious rice from Thailand, Japan and Cambodia.

An analyst said Vietnamese people’s income has improved, so they have become choosier about rice price.

“They don’t need much rice; they need high-quality rice,” he commented.

Nguyen Quoc Vong, who works for the New South Wales (Australia) Agriculture Ministry, confirmed that Vietnam has to import rice from Cambodia, Thailand, Japan and Taiwan, though Vietnam can produce rice itself.

According to Tran Duy Quy, former Director of the Institute of Agricultural Genetics of Vietnam, Thailand keeps fragrant rice output stable to have 12 million tons of unhusked rice for export every year and 8 million tons of rice for export.

The country exports high-quality products to Europe and the US, sells mid-tier products to Vietnam and also sells low-cost products. Thailand’s rice products are classified and sold at supermarkets at five different price levels.

“I think there is something in Thailand’s business model for Vietnam to learn from, or Vietnam’s agriculture will face big difficulties and cannot compete with products from neighboring countries,” he said.

In the domestic market, Japanese Sushi, Koshihikari and Furi Sakura rice are priced at VND170,000-200,000 per 5 kilo bag. Thai Hommali and Pathumthani Na siam VND200,000-250,000. In general, imports are 2-3 times more expensive than Vietnam’s products

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/business/175470/vietnamese-prefer-thailand-s-expensive-rice-to-vietnam-s-cheap-rice.html

Mali expects 8 pct increase in rice output to 3 mln T in 2017/18

Sat Apr 1, 2017 1:28pm GMT

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali expects to increase its rice output to 3 million tonnes in the 2017/18 season, about 8 percent more than the previous crop, figures from the Agriculture Ministry showed on Saturday.

Mali is Africa's second biggest rice grower after Nigeria, thanks to the vast Niger river that runs through its otherwise mostly dry, landlocked territory.

The ministry figures showed 2.78 million tonnes of rice were produced in 2016/17. The forecast of three million would be over an area of 947,878 hectares cultivated, it said.

Namory Diabate, chief statistics officer in the ministry, told Reuters the improved forecast was down to more land being cultivated, a government drive to improve irrigation and the distribution of motorised water pumps and new varieties of rice.

Rice is the main staple in Mali, but the West African country also frequently produces a surplus. The ministry figures showed a rice surplus of 535,448 tonnes of grain.

(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Tim Cocks; editing by John Stonestreet)

http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFKBN1733J2-OZABS

FG to procure 200 rice mills for farmers

Posted By: Justina Asishanaon: April 02, 2017In: NewsNo Comments

The federal government will introduce 200 rice milling machines to farmers across the nation, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Audu Ogbe has declared. This, he said, would boost production of rice and ensure high quality of rice in the country.Audu spoke to newsmen during the FG/IFAD Assisted Value Chain Development Programme Learning Route tagged ‘Maximise dry season production and innovative tools for value chain’ at the Kanko Rice Production Cluster in Wushishi Local Government of Niger state.
The minister, who was represented by his Senior Adviser International Donor Partners, Appeh Auta, expressed confidence Nigeria will soon achieve self-sufficiency in food production with ongoing efforts by agencies.
National Coordinator International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), Dr. Ameh Onoja, said N6 billion has been earmarked for rice production.
He added Nigeria has scaled up its rice production capacity to over 400 million metric tonnes through collective efforts of the federal government, IFAD/ Value Chain Development Programme and CBN Anchor Borrowers Scheme.
Onoja said this was achieved through the combined effort of 12 rice producing states, currently making Nigeria the second world largest producer of rice.
If the states embrace dry season farming, importation of the commodity would be a thing of the past, he assured.

He commended Niger state Government for paying the sum of N63.5m as part of its counter funding for the IFAD programme.
The Niger State IFAD Programme Coordinator, Dr. Mathew Ahmad said the purpose of the six states coming together under the IFAD programme was to allow for cross fertilisation of ideas to enhance rice production in the country.
He explained 300 hectares of rice had been cultivated by rice farmers in Kanko.
Last year, Ahmad stated Niger produced 15, 000 metric tonnes of paddy rice with production expected to increase to 25, 000 tonnes in 2017.

http://thenationonlineng.net/fg-procure-200-rice-mills-farmers

Rice smuggling booms at border towns

Posted By: Oluwakemi Daudaon: April 03, 2017In: BusinessNo Comments
A SMUGGLER WITH 3 BAGS OF RICE AT ILLELA IN SOKOTO STATE ON THURSDAY. Photo credit: NAN Photo
Nigeria’s bid to be self-sufficient in rice production is being threatened by smugglers, The Nation has learnt.
Lagos and Ogun states are flooded with smuggled rice daily. From Idi-Iroko to Atan and Sango Ota, all in Ogun State, smugglers use bush paths to smuggle the commodity into the country.The smugglers, Idi-Iroko border sources said, were taking advantage on the high price of the item, which is Nigeria’s staple food, to smuggle it.
Findings revealed that smugglers collect N1,500 to smuggle the item from Owode in Ogun State to Ido and Oyingbo markets in Lagos.
A bag of smuggled rice now sells for between N13,000 and N14,600 at Owode and Seme.
Many of the smugglers, it was gathered, were smiling to the banks with their huge financial returns.
The illicit rice business, investigation revealed, is booming because the Federal Government has discouraged rice importation through the land borders, while it is alleged that some Customs officers are conniving with the smugglers.
Investigation revealed that the smuggled rice is kept on top of motor cycles, passenger buses and specially refurbished vehicles heading for Lagos, Ifo and Sango area of Ogun State.
A rice trader at the popular Lusada Market in Ado-Odo Ota area of Ogun State, who refused to give her name, narrated the reason they were dealing on imported rice from Cotonou.
“I lost a lot of money when the vehicle bringing my rice to Lagos was impounded by Customs in April along Seme border. My experience is that there is not much Customs attention on rice in this area, and the profit we make is higher.
“If you use Seme axis, the highest profit anybody can make on rice is between N500 and N700 per 50kg bag, while we make between N1,200 and N1,350 on 50kg bags of rice throughLusada area,” she said.
She said rice’ demand is so high that ‘business people’ continue to travel long distances from inland towns and risk being arrested to smuggle rice into those axis.
Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, she said, men and women flock to Cotonou and other neighbouring countries to buy rice and smuggle them in mostly on Sundays.
Investigation conducted by The Nation at the week-end revealed that there were no Customs cheek-points between Agbara and Atan and from Lusada to Alapoti and Ado-Odo Ota areas of Ogun State.

Findings also revealed that there was no effective policing of all the paths leading to the border by Customs to check the menace.

MAR 28, 2017

Louisiana rice planting gets off to a good start

Warm weather means rice ‘just jumped’ out of ground

Bruce Schultz 1 | Apr 03, 2017

Louisiana rice farmers have taken advantage of warm weather to plant their 2017 crop exceptionally early.

“We had a lot of people that started planting in mid-February,” said Steve Linscombe, director of the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station.Some farmers with large acreage had completed planting by the first week of March, Linscombe said, estimating that as much as 70 percent of the crop had been planted by March 28.All off-station research trials in south Louisiana have been planted, and the first plots at the station were planted Feb. 17. “It just jumped out of the ground.”

Warm temperatures since February and dry fields that allowed drill seeding have made planting easier for farmers to get started on this year’s crop. “The environmental conditions we are dealing with are ideal.”

Most stands look good, even in fields where farmers used seed with low germination rates.

Normally, seed has a germination rate of 80 percent or better, but environmental conditions last year affected the seed crop and reduced the germination percentage. In response, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry issued an emergency ruling to lower the seed germination standards.

“It’s really been a great start to the season,” said Dustin Harrell, AgCenter rice specialist.

By now, a little less than half of the crop would be planted in south Louisiana, but farmers have eclipsed that because of the warm weather. “The only reason it’s not 100 percent planted is because people are holding out to space out their planting for harvest,” Harrell said.North Louisiana farmers are waiting for their fields to dry to start planting.Linscombe said acreage planted with hybrid seed from RiceTec is down because the company had decreased seed production last year.A considerable amount of two new varieties -- CL153, developed at the Rice Research Station, and CL172, developed by the University of Arkansas -- have been planted. “I’ve been very impressed with the vigor and germination of the two new lines,” Linscombe said.

The new Provisia line of rice, also developed at the Rice Research Station, has been planted on 500 to 700 acres of farmers’ field for seed production. “This is with the expectation that the technology will be available on a limited basis for commercial production in 2018,” he said.Charles Reiners, who farms near Crowley with his sons Cole and Clint and brother Pat, planted almost 300 acres of Provisia rice. That crop will generate seed for the expected release of Provisia next year.

The herbicide-resistant Provisia technology is needed on many farms, including the Reiners operation. “I think it’s going to be well received,” Reiners said.Provisia also is being planted on 350 acres of the 2,000-acre farm of Philip, Bill, Paul and Fred Zaunbrecher, also near Crowley. “We’re eager to see what it does,” Fred Zaunbrecher said.

Yields may be low in the first versions of Provisia, just as yields were low in the initial Clearfield releases, Zaunbrecher said. “The technology is definitely going to have a fit for helping us with resistant red rice.”

The Zaunbrechers also are growing the new varieties CL153 and CL172. All varieties planted on the farm have established good stands, with no problems evident from low germination.

The good planting season is welcome news in light of low prices. “We need an outstanding crop because we don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel for a significant increase of prices,” Linscombe said.

South Louisiana acreage probably will be equal to last year’s total, but north Louisiana farmers who have more flexibility in what they plant may decrease their rice planting. Louisiana rice farmers planted 432,000 acres last year.

Planting is just getting underway in north Louisiana. This time last year, that area was dealing with major flooding that complicated planting for many farmers.

Todd Fontenot, LSU AgCenter county agent in Evangeline Parish, said about two-thirds of the crop is planted there.

“We usually have some acreage in the north part of the parish that’s planted late,” he said. A large percentage of fields were water-planted because more farmers have switched to conventional varieties to save on seed costs.

Fontenot expects the acreage to be about the same as 2016.Andrew Granger, LSU AgCenter county agent in Vermilion Parish, said farmers are almost finished in his area. “Just about all the drill-planted rice has been planted.”Granger doesn’t expect much of an acreage decrease for Vermilion.Blackbirds eating rice seed has been a big problem in Vermilion Parish in prior years, but that doesn’t seem to be the case this year. “I haven’t heard a single farmer complain about it down here,” Granger said. The bird repellent AV-1011 appears to be working.

The widespread use of the product south of I-10 could explain why the birds have become more of a problem north of the interstate where farmers haven’t used the chemical as much, Linscombe said.Birds have been a problem, Zaunbrecher said, especially in one field that was flushed. “Those birds were pulling the sprouts up and eating the seed.”A few pounds of seed treated with the bird repellent AV-1011 were flown onto a field, and the birds left after a few hours, Zaunbrecher said.

Jeremy Hebert, county agent in Acadia Parish, said one farmer who planted 700 acres in mid-February had to replant much of the crop. “A good percentage got beat up real badly by birds.”Acreage in Acadia Parish should be about the same as last year’s 83,000 acres. “I don’t think the acreage is going to fall off much,” Hebert said.Frances Guidry, county agent in Jefferson Davis Parish, said it’s likely that rice acreage there won’t drop much below the 81,000 acres of 2016. “I guess it will be about the same.”

Vince Deshotel, LSU AgCenter county agent in St. Landry Parish, estimated 50 to 60 percent of the acreage there is planted. He said more farmers are returning to water-seeding conventional varieties to save money on seed costs.

USDA offers renewal options for expiring Conservation Stewardship Program contracts

USDA’s largest conservation program helps producers improve health, productivity of working lands

USDA | Apr 03, 2017

A contract renewal sign-up is underway for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), USDA’s largest working lands conservation program with more than 80 million acres enrolled. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) made several updates to the popular program last fall. These changes help producers better evaluate conservation options that benefit their operations while improving the health and productivity of private and Tribal working lands.

“The changes made to CSP are providing even greater opportunities for stewardship-minded producers across the country to participate and bring their conservation efforts to a higher level,” said Acting Deputy Agriculture Secretary Michael Young. “The new tools and methods for evaluating operations, expanded options to address the producer’s conservation and business objectives, and the focus on local resource priorities have resulted in a 30 percent increase in applications for this widely 

popular program.”

Participants with existing CSP contracts that will expire on Dec. 31 can access the benefits of the recent program changes through an option to renew their contracts for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional activities to achieve higher levels of conservation on their lands. Applications to renew expiring contracts are due by May 5.

Through CSP, agricultural producers and forest landowners earn payments for actively managing, maintaining, and expanding conservation activities like cover crops, buffer strips, pollinator and beneficial insect habitat, and soil health building activities -- all while maintaining active agricultural production on their land. Benefits to producers can include:

·         Improved cattle gains per acre.

·         Increased crop yields.

·         Decreased inputs.

·         Wildlife population improvements.

·         Better resilience to weather extremes.

“CSP is for working lands,” said Young. “Thousands of people have made the choice to voluntarily enroll in the program because it helps them enhance natural resources and improve their business operation.”

   

Copyright © 2017 Penton

http://www.deltafarmpress.com/usda/usda-offers-renewal-options-expiring-conservation-stewardship-program-contracts