[Image: Breeding Crew Planting]Rice planting season will soon be upon us. We normally plant the first planting of our annual seeding date study here at the Rice Research Station on the last day of February, which will be February 29 this year because of leap year. This is normally a little on the early side because rice planting in southwest Louisiana normally does not commence on a large scale until about March 10. Most rice in the southern part of the state is planted between early March and mid April, while the North Louisiana crop is typically planted between late March and early May.
There is a tempered sense of optimism among rice farmers going into the 2008 planting season because prices received for rice are currently higher than they have been for years. That optimism is tempered because the cost of production of a rice crop is at an all-time high. Rice in the United States is grown as a flood-irrigated crop. This necessitates the operation of either deep wells or low-lift pumps to keep the crop flooded for 90-120 days during the crop production season. Most of the irrigation systems are operated by diesel-driven engines, and everyone should be aware of the current cost of diesel.
In addition, the production of high yields of rice requires the application of substantial amounts of commercial fertilizer. Fertilizer costs also are at all-time highs. Dr. Dustin Harrell (agronomy research scientist at the Rice Research Station) recently reviewed fertilizer costs. The major fertilizer additions to produce a rice crop are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. When comparing costs for these fertilizer components, Dr. Harrell reports that the costs for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium have increased by 15%, 36% and 43 %, respectively, for the 2008 crop when compared to the costs for the 2007 crop. The costs for most other inputs – seed, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides – are at least as much as last year and, in most cases, higher. The bottom line is that while the projected prices our rice farmers will receive for the crop they produce in 2008 are up somewhat compared with what they have received in recent years, this will be a very expensive crop to produce.
Rice seed was an issue in 2007 because we essentially lost two of the predominant 2006 varieties – Cheniere and CL131 – due to the Liberty Link adventitious presence issue. This should be much less of an issue for the 2008 crop because the seed of most varieties should be fairly readily available.
Louisiana produced about 370,000 acres of rice in 2007. This acreage will probably go up slightly (but not dramatically) in 2008. The projected prices for most agronomic commodities in 2008 are fairly high compared with recent years. The price for soybeans (the major rotational crop in the rice area of southwest Louisiana) appears to be at an all-time high going into the 2008 planting season. That would normally mean that soybean acreage would be greatly increased in this area of the state. However, weather issues caused a soybean seed quality problem in 2007, and that will mean that soybean seed will be in short supply for the 2008 crop. So, while the soybean acreage will be up in this region in 2008, it will not be up as much as it could be if seed were not in short supply. Because of this and the projected increased prices for rice, many producers will increase rice acreage somewhat in 2008.
These factors may also influence the crawfish season in 2008. Normally, our producers will continue to fish a crawfish pond as long as it is producing crawfish. However, because the prices of the agronomic crops are higher than they have been in recent years, this may cause producers to discontinue crawfish harvest in marginal ponds earlier than they normally would in order to drain those ponds to get the crop (rice or soybeans) planted in a timelier manner. Therefore, get your crawfish early (and often) as they may be in short supply toward the end of the season.
Permission granted by B. Leonards (LA Farm & Ranch) on February 4, 2008 to republish article on www.lsuagcenter.com.