Hurricane Hurts US Rice
9 September 2008 Hurricane Gustav, which struck the US Gulf coast the first week of September 2008, has caused major damage to the US rice crop. While only 10% – 15% of southwest Louisiana’s rice belt remained in the field before the storm hit, only about 20% of the northeast Lousiana crop had been harvested.
The plants were mostly damaged by high winds, which damaged the rice by shattering the grains off the heads and causing the plants to fall over. This "lodging," as it’s called, inhibits harvest. However, some areas received severe rainfall of up to 20 inches, leaving rice completely under water. Experts warn that if the fields are not drained soon enough, the rice will begin to sprout. As many fields were at harvest maturity when Gustav came through, they will need to be harvested as soon as the water is off the fields. Combine tracks – which provide more flotation and permit harvesting in boggy conditions – will be in great demand, says Steve Linscombe, rice breeder and director of the LSU (Lousiana State University) AgCenter’s Southwest Region.
Linscombe reports additional issues being lack of electricity in some areas, and threats of flooding to several rice-drying and storage facilities.
"Sandbagging is occurring to minimize this threat. Initial estimates are that the storm will cause a cumulative loss of 20% to 30% of the north Louisiana rice crop. We can only hope that these estimates are on the high side," Linscombe said.
Loss estimates are higher in nearby Arkansas, where roughly 30% – 40% of the rice crop in southeast Arkansas was hit hard by the storm, according to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Again, most damage was due to lodging.
With the crop delayed because of spring flooding, only 2% of the crop had been harvested before Gustav struck, according to the Arkansas Agricultural Statistics Service.
Ralph Mazzanti, an Extension rice research verification coordinator, reports farms with as much as 30% of their rice lodged. In this case, says Mazzanti, "The farmer … will have to run his combine slowly to pick up the rice plants so the grain can be harvested. He’ll use much more fuel. They were already out the additional expense this year of fuel and fertilizer, and now this is another big time blow."
One grower, with 1,800 of his 4,500 acres of rice lodged and flooded, said the storm “has the potential for putting us out of business.” Regarding the flooding, Chuck Wilson, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, warns: "This will slow the harvest, cause increased wear and tear on machines, use more diesel fuel and take three to four times longer to get out the crop. Running equipment through wet fields will cause rutting, which will cost farmers more money to get fields worked up for next crop."
Get The Newsletter Today!
