|
Farmer Says New Weed Technology, Greater Awareness Of Issues Can Help Industry Better Meet Today’s Challenges
Tim Walker, Horizon Ag General Manager, left, and Christian Richard, Kaplan, Louisiana farmer.
Photo supplied
KAPLAN, LA.
Experienced rice farmers like Christian Richard are no strangers to adversity. But the last few years have been particularly challenging due to persistent weather problems, extremely weedy fields and marketability issues with U.S. rice.
“We are used to battling economic issues, like low prices and high equipment and input costs,” he said. “We find a way to weather those storms. But the last three years have been emotionally really hard for farmers. The weather has been horrendous, and the last two years our crops have been really weedy, dirty.”
At the same time, the development of new tools and a better understanding of the issues facing them can help farmers successfully address some of these challenges.
Richard, whose Kaplan, Louisiana, farm was the site of the recent Horizon Ag Field Day, is hopeful, for instance, that newer weed control technology like the Provisia Rice System will help farmers overcome costly problems like weedy rice that have grown worse over time.
“Having varieties like Horizon Ag PVL01 in the Provisia Rice System is a big plus in helping us manage our rotations,” he explained. “In South Louisiana, we don’t have many rotation crop options. The lack of an ability to switch to a good corn crop or sorghum crop means we can’t really change up our chemistry. Provisia rice really allows us to continue to use an older technology like Clearfield rice to change up modes of action. Having Provisia rice will benefit us in the long run.”
Richard first planted PVL01 two years ago and while it didn’t yield as well as other varieties he plants, it “did a fabulous job of cleaning up the weedy rice in the field.” There also were learning curves with disease management and flowability problems in the bin attributed to the variety’s long grain. “But end users are also telling us PVL01 has very good cooking properties. Some Central American countries prefer a long, slender grain with its cooking characteristics.”
Richard is particularly hopeful that the second Provisia variety, PVL02, which is set for commercial release next year, will offer a step up from the PVL01. His 12-acre plot of PVL02 was one of the main points of interest during the Horizon Ag Field Day.
“PVL02 is a little more like the normal long grain we grow here, so it should flow a little better, have a little better yield potential and disease package,” said Richard. “I’m excited about it. We’re waiting to see how it turns out in a few weeks.”
Richard and other rice farmers at the field day also heard Horizon Ag General Manager Dr. Tim Walker talk about how important it is that new varieties like PVL02 meet the quality demands of important global buyers, many of whom are no longer willing to pay a premium for U.S.-grown rice. He believes the marketability of the U.S. crops could be improved by understanding what the buyers need from a cooking standpoint and then providing the consistent quality they want.
“If you look at the numbers on the national level, half of what we grow is exported,” he said. “However, some of our traditional markets are buying less of their total purchases from the us compared to 10 to 15 years ago, when U.S. rice was at the top of the list and they would pay top dollar for it. Other countries who are consistently providing the quality the customer wants are taking market share from the U.S., even when those other countries are priced slightly higher than the U.S.
Many Central American countries and a growing segment in the Mexican market have a preference for loose-cooking rice that has minimal chalk. Typical southern USA long grain rice cooks stickier than the high-amylose, low gel temp rice that originates in many Central and South American countries.
The increasing amount of rice inputs coming into the U.S. is another sore point for Richard. Although much of what is imported is Thai jasmine and other specialty rice types or aromatics, “we are capable of producing that rice here,” he said. “There is no reason we should be importing the amount of rice we do from halfway around the world. We can grow it and be good at it.”
He said he appreciates Horizon Ag’s commitment to producing varieties that give farmers the opportunity to achieve the excellent grain quality the industry needs to be healthy today and for the future.
“Horizon Ag is committed to the marketability of our rice,” he said. “They are looking at the sustainability of this industry, not just from producing as many pounds per acre, but producing as many pounds as the end user wants to buy, and the quality the end user wants to cook.”
Richard said he is happy to offer his farm to Horizon Ag for its field day each year because it is important for farmers to have a place they can come and learn about new technology and solutions in an informal setting.
“Anyone can pick up a microphone and say what experience they’ve had,” he said. “It’s not structured. This is a lot more real.”
It’s also an important way to help get out the story of agriculture, and in particular rice farming, to a broader audience. He said he and his wife have an “open door policy” when it comes to persons interested in finding out more about farming.
“Since I started farming 19 years ago, I’ve been saying if we don’t tell our story, someone else will, and they aren’t going to tell it as good as we can,” said Richard. “We want to get people to our farm and help them understand what we go through, the actual day-to-day operation, and the fact my kids are here with us. This is not some kind of big factory. We are a legitimate business and go through some of those struggles that regular businesses go through. It all comes together in a field day like this.”
He credits much of his awareness of the industry’s broader messages to his experience as a 2005 participant in the Rice Leadership Development Class. “It had a profound impact on my life, in terms of giving me exposure to the industry and the networking opportunities it created. We’re a small industry. With only 3 million acres of rice, we need a strong coalition and a unified voice.” ∆
|
|