REGIONAL CROP REPORT

Francine Leaves Her Mark on Rice Across South

September 19, 2024

North Central Arkansas

Harvest has come to an abrupt halt thanks to Hurricane Francine. Most of the upper delta has received rain every day since last Thursday, which has resulted in rainfall totals around 4-6 inches depending on location, with some outlying areas receiving above 7 inches.

Although we are just mid-way through September, several growers feel as if they are falling behind, but many are exponentially further along than is typical. Growers harvested around the clock leading up to Hurricane Francine and were able to get more acres harvested than expected. To date, we are approximately 70% harvested in my territory. The remaining acres to be harvested will have some areas that are lodged but, overall, the wind was not as severe as predicted.

CLL18 and CLL16 have continued to yield in the 190-200 bushel/acre range, and due to the excellent stalk strength of those varieties, they appear to have been less affected by Hurricane Francine. Rice yields overall have been above average to excellent at this point, but the milling has suffered substantially in some instances.

Our newer premier varieties have continued to perform well, with CLL19 staying in the 180 bushel/acre range. CLL16 has outperformed expectations and is yielding above the 190 bushel/acre benchmark, but CLL18 continues to be the highest-performing variety we offer with yield reports above the 210 bushel/acre mark.

There have been some instances where the CLL18 did not perform well, but after inspecting the field and investigating the agronomic history, it was determined that both sheath blight and neck blast were present in the field due to no fungicide being applied. Harvest should resume later this week and only time will tell how the yields and milling will be affected.

There are still some fields that are waiting to reach maturity and be drained, but they make up less than 2% of the acres in the upper delta. As always, if you have any questions, concerns or comments please do not hesitate to contact us. We look forward to a safe and bountiful harvest. God Bless all of you.

Chase Kagen District Field Representative (870) 273-9283

---

Grand Prairie And South Arkansas

Harvest was well underway for most of the territory until Francine came to town and put a halt on progress throughout the rice-growing regions in the Southeast and Coastal regions.

I estimate my territory to be around 60% harvested at this point. Some growers have finished harvesting around the Grand Prairie and there are some in far south Arkansas that have only been harvesting for about a week.

Yield reports have been strong this season so far. I have had reports from the Grand Prairie and south Arkansas on CLL18 that have been consistently in the 190-200+ dry bushel/acre range. CLL19 reports have been 180-190 bushel/acre range. PVL04 reports have been in the 170-210 bushel/acre range. CLL16 also has been performing well this season, with results coming in at the upper end of its yield potential. I have heard that milling yields have not been where growers and millers wanted them or thought they would be.

Before Francine, harvesting activity had been fast and furious, and we hope that it dries out quickly and growers can get back to harvesting. But Francine has added to the amount of down rice that growers have, and progress will be much slower now. It is still raining as of this writing (9/16), and I honestly thought the remnants of Francine would have moved out by now. Rain totals range from 3-7 inches across my territory. Hopefully, growers can get back in the field mid-week and get the rest of the rice out.

William "Hutch" Hutchens District Field Representative (870) 273-9291

---

From Our Field Day

	The future for rice in Missouri is bright, says Dr. Justin Chlapecka, University of Missouri rice specialist, speaking at the recent Horizon Ag Arkansas Field Day. Dr. Chlapecka says field days are an important way growers can get industry updates. WATCH NOW

Horizon Ag is proud of our partnership with universities and the benefits it brings to growers and the industry, says Dr. Tim Walker, CEO of Horizon Ag. WATCH NOW

---

Let’s Be Social

Check out the Horizon Ag Facebook and Instagram pages for industry news, product updates and good conversations about rice and the industry. We’d like you to join our “community” as we share the latest from rice country.