HORIZON AG REGIONAL REPORTS

Draining Begins in the Upper Delta, Strong Yields Coming Out of South Louisiana

Grand Prairie Arkansas

This has been a year of extremes. The planting season was plagued by relentless rains and flooding that lasted into June. Since mid-June, the pendulum has swung the other way, and we have been extremely dry and hot. This weekend (August 1-3), we have been blessed with a break in the heat with some very comfortable temperatures and rain hitting some areas of the state. 

The early-planted crop has faced nearly every extreme this season—from early flooding and rain delays that impacted pre-flood fertilizer applications, to setbacks in pulling levees and getting fields flooded, and now, intense heat during flowering and grain fill.

I’ve received several questions and concerns about how these extremes have impacted the crop. The honest answer is—I’m not entirely sure. I expect they’ve had some effect, but we won’t truly know until the combines start rolling.

Draining has begun across my territory, with more acres expected to follow each week. I’ve also heard that draining is underway in parts of the Mississippi Delta, which may be slightly ahead of our pace. This is a welcome development for the Upper Delta, where limited rainfall failed to recharge surface water supplies, and some areas were beginning to experience tight water conditions.

That said, don’t be in too big of a hurry to shut the water off. Drain like it won’t rain again before the combine rolls. We recommend following the University of Arkansas drain timing guidelines for our varieties:

• For long grain rice: drain 25 days after 50% heading.

• For medium grain rice: drain 30 days after 50% heading.

• On silt loam soils, look for two-thirds straw-colored kernels.

• On clay soils, wait for one-third straw-colored kernels before draining.

If you’re growing furrow-irrigated rice, plan to irrigate at least once more than you would for a flooded field to ensure the crop has enough moisture to finish strong.

Some corn and soybean harvest has already begun in Southeast Arkansas, and I expect the first rice fields could be harvested later this week or early next week.

As always, feel free to call if you have any questions.

William “Hutch” Hutchens
District Field Representative
whutchens@horizonseed.com
(870) 273-9291

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South Louisiana

Harvest in south Louisiana is progressing at a steady pace. Combines began harvesting for a few growers shortly after July 4th and really got cranked up around the 20th of July. At this point, I’d estimate that harvest is about 50-60% complete. 

Most of the PVL03 yield reports I've received are in the mid-40s bbl/acre, with a range from 35 to 54 bbl/acre. CLL19 has also performed well this season, with many reports around 50 bbl/acre and several in the low 50s. 

Milling on both varieties has been very good. Overall, the crop appears to be holding up well, and Horizon Ag varieties are once again performing solidly this season.

Disease pressure seems to be lower in most areas compared to previous years. However, one consistent observation—both from others and in my own experience—is that disease pressure is higher in fields that had soybeans in 2024.

I’ve received several calls about smut in PVL03. While it’s not as widespread or severe as last year, it is still present. In some fields, I’ve noticed a “camo” pattern, and in these darker, more vegetative areas, smut pressure tends to be higher. Cercospora has not been widely reported so far. Hopefully, we’ll have access to a more effective fungicide option sooner rather than later. 

The earliest harvested fields are showing good ratoon growth. Unfortunately, some fields have sustained significant rutting, which could impact second crop production. 

Thank you all for your support of Horizon Ag.

Corey Conner
District Field Representative
cconner@horizonseed.com
(337) 249-9523

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Horizon Ag Arkansas Field Day

We hope you’ll come to our upcoming Horizon Ag field day next week. It’s a chance to visit with farmers and consultants in the region and hear about industry developments, variety performance and promising Horizon Ag rice varieties which will soon be commercially available.

The Arkansas Field Day will be held at Northeast Rice Researchand Extension Center (NERREC), located at 15327 Highway 1, Harrisburg, AR 72432, on August 12, 2025.

• Registration begins at 4:30 p.m.

• The program starts at 5:00 p.m.

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There’s An App For That!

The Horizon Ag Productivity app provides easy access to critical management recommendations and tools, including seeding rates, fertilizer recommendations and other suggested management practices to help you get the most out of our varieties. Updated for 2025, the app is available in the App Store and on Google Play.

Whether you are a long-time Horizon Ag customer or growing our Clearfield and Provisia varieties for the first time, the Horizon Ag Productivity App can be a valuable tool. Available in the App Store or Google Play.

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