Analyzing Rice Production in Arkansas

Rice Production in Arkansas

Rice production in the U.S.A. is reported to have started in Arkansas. It stated with a single acre of the crop that was planted in Lonoke County. Other indications suggest that the crop was grown in some locations in Arkansas prior to WWII. official record keeping by the state started in 1905. These reflect the yields in acres and the respective prices per unit weight (Arkansas Rice -- Commercial Row Crops -- Production Practices).

Acreage of rice rose until 1955 when the government control on acreage peaked the production of the crop at 500 000 acres. Marketing quotas were stopped in 1974. The acreage of rice rose and hit the peak in 1981. 1.54 million acres were harvested. This amount of harvest was not exceeded until 1999. The highest harvest ever harvested in Arkansas was realized in 2010 in which 1.785 million acres were harvested. Arkansas produced 1.286 acres of rice in 2015.The average production of the state measuring 163bu per acre came as the fourth highest on record. Arkansas also accounted for almost half of the total rice production in the U.S.A. at 49% and half of the total acreage under the crop in 2015. The crop is planted in 40 of the 75 counties in Arkansas (Arkansas Rice -- Commercial Row Crops -- Production Practices).

It is one of the top three highest earning crops in Arkansas. The Eastern half of Arkansas provides the rice producing region. The crop is produced in such other areas as Arkansas River Valley, Ouachita and Red River Valleys. The latitude of the state is 33o N. Louisiana is Arkansas' neighbor to the south at 36o N. it is located on the border to the north. Missouri is also along the northern border. Arkansas neighbors are Mississippi and Tennessee towards the east that is shared with Texas and Oklahoma.

The Independent Rice Farmers

Rice growing requires soil that can hold water for long. The clay soil just below the surface of grand Prairie is suited for rice farming. Rice is normally grown between the later dates of March and the subsequent April and harvested in August or September thereabout. The crop is threshed by combine harvesters and delivered for storage and milling through the year. Flooding is normally done shortly after harvesting so as to prevent erosion, control weeds and protect soil nutrients. The right topography and sufficient water are necessary ingredients for growing rice according to Keith Glover, CEO of Producers Rice Mill in Stuttgart. The miller handles over fifty million bushels of rice every year (Madlom).

Glover reports that Arkansas has over 40 inches of rain each year. He says that the state also has abundant surface water reservoirs and river channels that flow across the state to assist with irrigation efforts. Glover reports that rice production started in the Southern part around coastal southern Louisiana and the state of Texas. Rice production gradually moved to Arkansas; which was discovered to present even more conducive conditions. Glover reports that the movement towards the north came with Fuller's hunting trip in 1896. He was headed to Louisiana and saw the ideal rice growing fields. He imbibed a few lessons about rice growing and settled on the Grand Prairie in the state of Arkansas for planting rice in the initial year.

There are some major rice farmers such as John Kerksieck who are almost draining the largest aquifers of Arkansas. That turn of events is worrisome in a state that gets 50 inches of rain per year. The situation is a dilemma for the farmers. They do not know what they should do about it. A lot of farmers have been advocating for the government to supply them with water from the White River (Jehl).

The incurred cost thereof adds up to about $300,000 per farmer. They argue that the plan is even overdue. They say that the government should also do the same for other states. The West is known for such programs. They provide irrigation for farmers with limited choice. Farmers in Arkansas Grand Prairie view the issue differently. Mr. Kierksieck says that they really do not have a water problem. He is a hunter and is waiting for a bumper duck hunting season. Duck hunting competes favorably with rice production in Grand Prairie (Jehl).

Mr Kierksieck traces his ancestry and origin from the early farmers who tapped water from the aquifers at unsustainable rates for over a century from 1900. Kerksieck claims that there is a lot of water in the river. He says that all the authorities need to do is to license the use of river water for irrigation purposes. Lynn Sickel is yet another farmer aged 51. He reaffirms that he is a conservative and points out that if that is the cost of securing rice production for the country, then it is best to leave it to the tax payer to bear the burden. The fields in South East Arkansas are under water deluge. The state has been left behind in as far as the rice planting season is concerned. Farm machinery like tractors are getting stuck in the farms. Now that things are stuck, farmers are reminded of the delay of their crop this year. The same farmers had a jump-start in 2012 (Arkansas Rice Farmers Race against the Calendar).

One of the farmers acknowledges that last year was a great year for rice farmers. He points out that they would be behind in similar circumstances and still be at the 75% mark. The farmers state that they have covered only 40%. There has been serious flooding in spring. The lower ends of the fields have grown real thin, weak and therefore relatively less productive. Although the farmers are still pushing, they are traditionally used to planting by March 25th. They eventually have to plant their crop this year at the end of April. Stevens says that the more you push into September; there is a real risk of a tropical storm growing in the Gulf. It has a habit of blowing the rice flat in the fields. When you plant late, you are likely to experience lots of crop disease. That raises rice quality issues that have been a concern for the U.S. consumers for long now.

Looking at the Business Side

The state of Arkansas leads in rice production in USA. it accounts for over 46% of the total rice production in the country, and for nearly 47% of all the acres under rice. The cultural practices around rice vary across cultures in the U.S. The shifting political and social circumstances and the demanding economic times call for a dynamic approach. A study was conducted in 2002 to find out how the rice farmers were adopting to changing times to sustain their livelihood. The study was done by the polling County Extension Agents (Wilson and Branson).

The questions in the survey included such aspects as the tillage practice, methods of seeding, irrigation, water sources and precision leveling. Information was provided from the University of Arkansas as a summary of the variety acreage distribution in the Arkansas. Overall, the state's rice production came as the third highest in USA. Arkansas had a total rice production of 96.8 million CWT. This figure is 46% of the 210.96 million cwt produced in the U.S.A. in 2002. The total state production fell slightly below the 106.9 million cwt mark attained in 2001. The state average yield has gone up by approximately 2000 lb per acre. This increase is attributable to better management and improved varieties. It stretches to cover such items as herbicides, insecticides, better water management via precision leveling and several polypipe inlet options. Collecting information from such surveys helps research teams to better understand the use of specific practices and the impact they have on rice production. It also helps us understand the practical challenges that we have with regard to our parents. The production of rice in Arkansas is valued at $2 billion per year. Rice is the top export in the state. The farmers registered record harvests in 2012 when they produced a record with 7.340 pounds per acre. This was an increase of about 8% from the harvest in 2011. The rice acreage is also noted to have increased from 1.2 million to 1.3 million (Madlom).

The world population is projected to grow to over 9 billion by 2050. It is estimated that half the world relies on rice as a primary diet component. Production of rice will keep rising so as to meet the increasing demand. It is also estimated that America consumes about 60% of its own rice. The U.S. produces about 12% of the world's total rice production. This makes it the fourth largest rice producer for the international market. Arkansas alone exports about $billion worth of rice to international destinations including Mexico, Canada, Central America, Saudi Arabia and Haiti. Bill Reed, a company official at Riceland cites Riceland Foods as a world leader in the production of rice. It has a local focus. He reiterates that the company is a union of local farmers with an aim to market their rice produce. He is proud that Arkansas farmers are able to produce a lot of rice and sell. The company celebrated 90 years since its inception. The company is reported to deliver large amounts of rice for storage and milling.

The construction of Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, is a confirmation of the recognition that Arkansas is a serious rice producing region. The company operated in the Stuttgart region in 1998. The center is funded by the federal government through the state department of Agriculture. There are many scientists that specialize in different areas working at the center. They all seek to help the farmers in Arkansas to get better yields and benefit more from rice production by prying and probing for the best options possible. The center is also sensitive to the environment and seeks to intervene in any negative effects that rice production may have on the environment. The total rice acreage under rice in Arkansas in 2010 was 1785 acres spread across 2752 farms (Rice Industry - Encyclopedia of Arkansas).

The average on the farms came to 72.4 bushels for every acre. The yield is 6930 pounds of rice for every acre. The industry produced rice worth $1,231,118,000. Approximately 80% of all the rice grown in America is grown in Arkansas, California, Texas and Louisiana. Arkansas is known for growing long grain rice. Other states specialize in short grain rice. 60% of all the rice produced in the U.S.A. is consumed within the country. It also happens that the U.S. is one of the largest exporters of the commodity. There was an incident in which a genetically modified strain of rice from Bayer was found mixed in Arkansas rice. Although it was safe to eat the rice, the European Union, Japan and a couple of other countries had banned the strain. It had therefore been only intended as animal feed. Arkansas suffered major price drops following this incident. Several countries banned the import of rice from Arkansas for a while. After a long court duel, Arkansas farmers were awarded over $750 as compensation for loss of income (Rice Industry - Encyclopedia of Arkansas).

Rice did not directly replace cotton. Usually, rice was grown on land that had been utilized as livestock grounds or one that had been cleared of timber. Several machineries were required to uproot stumps and prepare land for rice growing. The seasonal flooding of Cache and St. Francis made the areas unusable for other crops but great for rice production. Fuller, among other rice farmers are noted to have been recent immigrants to the state of Arkansas (Rice Industry - Encyclopedia of Arkansas).

A survey conducted in 1930 in Arkansas revealed that most of the farmers originated from Illinois, Ohio, Indiana and Iowa. The farmers abandoned sharecropping; a practice that was common in cotton farming. They preferred to pay their laborers wages directly. Most of the laborers were migrant workers. Others were residents in the neighborhood of the places where rice was grown. They were effective in providing the necessary labor for the rice planting and harvesting cycle. Jeff Routledge, a Newport rice farmer reports that congressman Rick Crawford is set to address Arkansas Rice Annual Meeting for 2016 on Friday. The venue is reported to be the Arkansas State University Convocation Center.

The president for the rice Federation, Betsy Ward and the secretary for Agriculture Wes Ward are set to address the congregation. Rutledge reports that there is going to be breakout sessions, some of which will address the issues of the farm Bill; an aspect of which will specifically have to do with regulation. Vice-President of the U.S.A. Rice Federation is tasked to address that aspect. Rutledge, a sixth generation farmer advocated support for the two breakout sessions of the day (Davis, 2016). There will be two more breakouts after that. Edward Swaim from the Natural Resources Commission will highlight progressive efforts to adopt recommendations from the process of planning. There will a special focus on the planning of drought and the improving the data for water use.

Dr. Mike Daniels will address water quality and development issues from research on Discovery Farms across Arkansas State. Farmers have an opportunity to learn how to make use of and gain from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Insights on farming with an aim to get profit will be provided by Dr. Jarrod Hardke. He will address simple ways for farmers to raise their profits in their operations. the American Carbon Registry will address the part that farmers need to learn about selling carbon credits. The Master of Ceremonies will be Steve Wilson from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (Davis, 2016).

The CEO of Producers Rice Mill point out that Arkansas is expected to produce over half of America's rice. Approximately 1000 people participated in activities that lasted half day. The activities included touring research plots, cooking fairs and rice tasting shows held at the Fourth Annual Arkansas Rice Expo held on Friday. Ethan Sikeston who attended the Expo all the way from Missouri acknowledged that it was a great day filled with information on varieties and the chemistries of rice production (Nanda).

Mike got the news of the Expo from his friend in Arkansas and from the System Division of Agriculture of Arkansas University. He was eager to learn new methods of production and varieties of the crop. The Rice Expo is an evolution from the traditional field day that featured researchers showing farmers the results of work done in demonstration fields. Rice constitutes a large part of Arkansas' economy. It forms a great part of the $20 billion worth agricultural industry in Arkansas. Mr. Mark Cochran; who is the head of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture points out that the Rice Expo event is a celebration of Arkansas farms and the big role that rice plays in the lives of the people of the state.

The Issue of Diseases

Pyriculeria grisea is responsible for rice blast. This is a critical rice disease (Oryza sativa) in the southern part of the U.S. The disease spreads like wild fire and reaches epidemic levels on vulnerable cultivars in fields covering wide areas across Arkansas State. The main sources of infection include infected seed, infected rice stubble and related host species. Seed transmission is taken with particular seriousness because it has the greatest survival chance and that the disease pathogens remain alive much longer in seed samples in vegetative areas of the soil. The results show a relationship between planting naturally infected seed and the infection of seedling.

In order for the strain P. grisea to be passed around in the seed, in needs to infect the seeds at inoculums levels in enough amounts to trigger rice blast after the plating activity. The potential of the transmission of P.grisea in seed in the field and the determination of disease levels still needs further research. More evidence regarding how the fungus infiltrates rice paddies, seed, and plant structures is essential to establish how the infected seed initiates the cycle of the disease. P.grisea has been cited as a significant seed borne disease.