Acephate found on exported rice
A detectable a level of acephate (an organophosphate insecticide) was identified in a recent shipment of rice by a receiving country’s grain inspection service. This is the third time acephate has been detected in U.S. exported rice the past three months.
In Louisiana, acephate is labeled for use for control of stinkbugs, corn ear worm, salt marsh caterpillar and the threecornered alfalfa hopper in soybeans. It is also labeled for use to control thrips, plant bugs and stinkbugs in cotton. One advantage of acephate has over pyrethroid insecticides for control of stink bugs is its longer residual. However, acephate is not labeled for use in rice to control stink bugs.
The origin of the acephate on the exported rice is unknown. It is very possible that a drift event from a nearby soybean field being sprayed with acephate (Orthene) to control stinkbugs occurred, which contaminated the rice. Although the exact origin of the acephate is unknown, one thing that we do know is that if acephate continues to show up in U.S. exported rice, it will surely undermine our efforts to promote and sell our high quality rice to export markets. So please, make every effort to ensure that acephate does not find its way on U.S. rice in the future. The future of our industry depends on it.
2014 Louisiana rice crop worth over $670 million
Every year the LSU AgCenter tabulates the value of Louisiana agriculture commodities and publishes this information in the Louisiana Agriculture Summary of Agriculture and Natural Resources. This publication serves as a historical record of the Louisiana cropping season and estimates how agriculture industries contribute to our state’s economy. The Agriculture Summary for the 2014 cropping season is still being put together. However, the preliminary rice data has been completed.
Rice acreage in Louisiana increased from 410,902 acres in 2013 to 456,047 acres in 2014. Medium-grain production increased from approximately 4% in 2013 to 14% in 2014. Much of this increase in medium-grain production was due to the decrease in rice acreage in California. The variety Jupiter was the predominant medium-grain grown.
The 2014 rice crop began with a cool and wet March. This delayed much of the drill-seeding and caused a slight increase in water-seeded acreage. The cool March also slowed the early season growth and development. Disease and insect pressure were average to below average in 2014. Daytime and nighttime high temperatures were not excessive during grain fill. Harvest season was again marred with wet conditions, which led to delayed first crop harvest and postponed the onset of the ratoon crop. The wet conditions also slightly decreased the ratooned acres in southwest Louisiana. The mild temperatures coupled with below average disease and insect pressure led to high crop yields with excellent milling and grain quality traits. Average yield in 2014 was 7,539 pounds per acre, slightly lower than the record yield of 7,600 pounds per acre set in 2013.
The 2014 Louisiana rice crop was harvested by 1,040 producers. The gross farm value of the state’s rice crop was $515.7 million for 2014, $21 million (4 percent) more than the year before. The higher acreage, combined with high yields, accounted for the significant increase in overall farm-gate value in 2014. Value added of $154.7 million, when combined with farm-gate value, brought the total value of rice production in Louisiana to $670.4 million.
The Louisiana Agriculture Summary of Agriculture and Natural Resources publication from 2000 to 2013 can be found online on the LSU AgCenter’s website at: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/agsummary/.
Do you know which parishes grew the most rice in 2014?
Twenty-nine Louisiana parishes grew rice in 2014.Table 1 below indicates the total estimated acres per parish.
Rice Base Program Survey 2014
We will wrap up the rice extension base program summary this Friday. So if you have not responded and you want your voice heard, be sure to fill out a survey. Remember, the purpose of the survey is to determine your thoughts and get your input on the Louisiana Rice Extension Program. Do you enjoy reading Louisiana Rice Notes? Do you attend field days? Do you use the DD50 program? Do you use the RiceScout mobile application? Should we make more mobile applications? Do you like the Rice Verification Program? All in all, what can the statewide rice extension program do to improve our service to you in the future? Let us know your thoughts. If you misplaced your original e-mail you can use this link ( 2014 Rice Program Survey) to take the survey. Thank you in advance for your participation.
Feb. 10 Louisiana Rice Council & Louisiana Rice Growers Association Annual Joint Membership Meeting, Jennings
Feb. 11-13 Louisiana Agricultural Technology & Management Conference, Marksville
Feb. 12 Northeast Louisiana Rice Forum, Delhi
Feb. 25 Stored Rice Insect Management Workshop. Crowley.
July 1 Rice Research Station Field Day, Crowley.
Random Rice Facts
Did you know that the Rice Research Station was established in 1909 in Crowley, LA? Well, did you know that Crowley was not the only town in Louisiana that wanted to be the home of the Rice Experiment Station? It is true. When the announcement was made in 1908 that a rice Louisiana Agriculture Experiment Station was to be established in southwest Louisiana, most of the citizens in the area were thrilled about the project. Formal proposals were made from three southwest Louisiana towns for the honor to be selected as the home of the experiment station. The proposals contained generous donations of land, resources and money to begin the experiment station. Special committees from each town pitched the advantages of selecting one of the locations in their district as the home of the station. Eleven potential tracts of land were offered in all. In the end, it was a 60-acre tract of land located one mile west of Crowley that got the final nod. Several attributes made Crowley the selected destination: 1) the soil was representative of the rice belt, 2) the land was well-drained, 3) the town was readily accessible because it had “a public wagon road that could be traveled by many people, on two sides, and can be observed from trains on two railroads, and one railroad having a spur already located on the property,” and 4) because the site was favorable for studying rice rotational crops. The Police Jury of Acadia Parish appropriated $3,000 toward the purchase of the land, and the citizens of Crowley and the surrounding vicinity donated another $3,500, in cash, for construction of necessary buildings and infrastructure…Can you name the other towns who gave formal proposals?
The Section 24 (c) for AV-1011 (the bird repellent seed treatment) application was officially withdrawn on Friday morning. A section 18 application was submitted to EPA on Friday afternoon. As you know, part of this application required documentation of economic loss from the 2014 season to establish need. It would be very unlikely that the Section 18 would be granted without this information. Thank you all who contributed testimonials and examples of economic loss to include the application. EPA has assured LDAF officials they will expedite processing the application since we are rapidly approaching the season. I will let you know as soon as we hear something new.
Jennings and Lake Charles. A canal company offered to donate all the land needed if the experiment station was located on its land. State Senator H.C. Drew of Lake Charles offered land he owned near Edgerly and financial support for the establishment of the Rice Experiment Station.
Louisiana Rice Notes is published biweekly to provide timely information and recommendations for rice production in Louisiana. If you would like to be added to this email list, please send your request to email@example.com.
This information will also be posted to the LSU AgCenter website, where additional rice information can be found. Please visit www.LSUAgCenter.com.