A rice expert says there has been a shift in parts of the U.S. to dry-seeded row rice as growers look to improve production and profitability.
Thacher DeStefano with UPL says the uptick has been primarily in northeast Arkansas and the Bootheel of Missouri. “Mainly due to the simplicity of labor,” he says. “If you look at traditional rice farming practices, levy management, water management, it’s very labor intensive. The row rice cultural practices essentially cut a lot of that out.”
He tells Brownfield herbicide resistance has been a long-standing battle for rice growers and as they prepare for the 2023 growing season the biggest take-away is residual control. “Overlap residuals and keep rotating modes of action,” he says.
