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.
‘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
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
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
Rice Benefits altering wet and dry system
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
Q1 rice output up
5.34%
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
Rice smuggling booms at border towns
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
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
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
