Circles for Rice Update | by Kelly Downing

You might recall I had a wedding to attend on July 7. On Monday, July 9, I flew to China for the rest of the month. Among other duties, I met with researchers at Ningxia University, who are working with us to study the implementation of center pivot rice in their province. Like the USA, China is faced with some significant challenges in the water resources arena, and they are keenly interested in finding ways to conserve water use and improve irrigation efficiency.

Fertility problems

My visit to Ningxia began on July 18, with a visit to the center pivot rice field established this spring. I must be blunt: it is a disappointing field. This field has seemed star-crossed from the beginning. There were delays in ordering and, as a result, installing the center pivot, and further delays in getting power and water supplied to it, so planting was delayed. Finally, the farmer temporarily abandoned the idea in favor of just getting the crop in the ground; he planted and flooded the crop as in his typical operation. There have also been problems with weed control and fertility (see photo).

As a result, we do not expect great results at harvest. The crop has not quite reached panicle differentiation, so some of my co-workers stayed a couple of extra days to help install and operate a chemigation unit, to apply some N fertilizer. Also, there was a crew hand-weeding the field (see photo), so nobody has completely given up. Mainly, we are using the problems experienced this year to guide our efforts toward success in 2013.

We did have a good meeting, to discuss what went wrong and begin the process of correcting the problems for next year. I think the take-home lesson here is: seldom do we succeed in our first attempt at anything. That’s why babies start learning to walk while they are still in diapers—it gives them a cushion to land on when they fall during their early attempts! So, we are not too discouraged, because we can learn and improve. However, the caveat is: we MUST learn from our mistakes.

Hand weeding field

It is said that wisdom comes with age. However, that is not necessarily true—I know some people who prove that sometimes age comes alone. So, the burden is on the team to identify and rectify the issues that led to a disappointing result this year. This project is a collaborative effort between the university, the local government and the farmer, so one of their challenges will be to establish an effective, efficient management system to improve performance. The good news is that motivated, intelligent people who work together can accomplish great things.

I have a couple of other things to attend to this week here in China, before heading home. I am helping to host some Brazilian rice researchers the first week of August, in Arkansas and Missouri. I hope to see you at our field day on August 7 near Neelyville, Missouri. 

If you have been reading these postings, introduce yourself!  Have a great week, and watch out for heat stroke!

Recipe Card | by Kelly Cackin

photo by Simply Fresh Cooking

This week's Recipe Card features Mediterranean Chicken and Artichoke Stir Fry, originally posted by Simply Fresh Cooking on food.com.

Yield: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 12-16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Mixed Italian herbs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaf, julienned
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions: 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (about 4-6 quarts). Add rice and boil for 30-40 minutes, or until rice is tender. Drain and set aside. Cut chicken into thin strips. Lightly season on cutting board with italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix chicken with tongs until meat is coated evenly with seasonings. In a large non-stick skillet heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add green pepper and saute for 30 seconds; add onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Next, add garlic, lemon juice, and artichoke hearts; cook and stir until artichoke is heated through. Stir in chicken, basil, and parsley. Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Recipe Card | by Kelly Cackin

photo by Simply Fresh Cooking

This week's Recipe Card features Mediterranean Chicken and Artichoke Stir Fry, originally posted by Simply Fresh Cooking on food.com.

Yield: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 12-16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Mixed Italian herbs
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaf, julienned
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions: 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil (about 4-6 quarts). Add rice and boil for 30-40 minutes, or until rice is tender. Drain and set aside. Cut chicken into thin strips. Lightly season on cutting board with italian herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix chicken with tongs until meat is coated evenly with seasonings. In a large non-stick skillet heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. In the same skillet, heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add green pepper and saute for 30 seconds; add onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Next, add garlic, lemon juice, and artichoke hearts; cook and stir until artichoke is heated through. Stir in chicken, basil, and parsley. Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Circles for Rice Update | by Kelly Downing

Hey, everybody. It has been a while since my last update, and even this one is not extremely timely. Things have been a little hectic for me the past couple of weeks, as my lovely bride and I were busy marrying off our youngest, Joe, to the beautiful Katie on July 7. I have to admit, I wondered a bit at their judgment, planning an outdoor wedding in Nebraska in July! Everything went well, except for me fighting off a heat stroke.

Anyway, the preceding week l was able to visit the rice field of our cooperator in Texas, Dean Schieffer.  In general, his rice looked pretty good—vigorous growth and well-tillered. On the West side of the field, there were still some weeds, but this area had just been sprayed. The East side had been sprayed a few days earlier, and it looked much better. I have since heard that the West side also improved dramatically. There was a little leaf burn on the tips of the rice plants, but that was probably due to the herbicide treatment, and is likely not serious.

I was a bit concerned that the soil was so dry, but Dean needed to let it dry a bit so he could get the sprayer through the field. It looked to me like the crop was getting ready to enter its reproductive growth stages, so Dean and I talked about increasing the irrigation frequency, and he seemed ready to do that. I looked at the data from the soil sensors today, and it does appear pretty wet, but that may be due to four inches of rain, as much as anything!

Rice field | TX

At any rate, according to what I saw and what I have since heard from Derrol Grymes of RiceTec, the crop looks good and we are very optimistic. I hope to hear more from Derrol this week, and I will pass along his impressions. I have included a photo to this post, to give you an impression of the field conditions, as of June 28. The most critical thing going forward, now that he has all his fertilizer applied and the weeds under control, is to keep the root zone well-watered as the grain develops.

Currently I am in China—we are working on a couple of projects in Inner Mongolia, and part of my trip will include visiting a rice under center pivot field in Ningxia Province. I will let you know what I see in my next report.

Don’t forget (or, if you hadn’t heard about it, be aware), our Rice under Center Pivot Field Day will be held at Dennis Robison’s farm on Tuesday, August 7. His farm is located near Neelyville, Missouri, virtually on the Arkansas state line South of Poplar Bluff, MO. We will start with my favorite breakfast — doughnuts — then have a few speakers through the morning and a free lunch. Go to the www.CirclesForRice.com to get directions, see the program, and register. Remember, your early registration helps us plan so there is plenty of food (and FABULOUS gifts)!

Let’s talk again soon. Have a safe July, and try to stay cool.

Recipe Card | by Kelly Cackin

Last week, my soon-to-be husband and I went to a hibachi grill to celebrate our anniversary.  The fried rice was nothing less than amazing!  So, last night, we decided to try to replicate this popular side dish at home!  The ingredients below are exactly what we used; however, feel free to experiment with different rices and vegetables!

Yield: A lot...no other way to put it!

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of RiceTec rice (or other non-instant rice)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1/2 bottle of low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or other preferred oil)
• Water

Directions:

Cook the rice thoroughly in a very large sauce pan or skillet, as directed on the package. While cooking, finely chop 1 large carrot; set aside.  In a separate skillet, scramble the eggs; set aside. Once the rice is cooked, add the carrot, eggs, soy sauce, and oil.  Simmer for at least 10-15 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld together.  Carrots should be slightly crunchy, but not raw.

What We Paired With It:

Teriyaki chicken,  fresh mango, stir-fried yellow squash and broccoli

Circles for Rice Update | by John Robison

Turn on your speakers!

Hi, John Robison here, at Chad Price's pivot rice location. We're looking at a simple machine here: three drive units, a full-circle, diesel powering, a Classic panel. This is Chad's second year (continuous rice) at this particular location. Last week, we were at green ring, so now we're moving into joint movement, and at this point in the growth, fertility and irrigation are of paramount importance. Chad is doing a fantastic job of staying on top of that, and it really is a beautiful field out here. It's looking really good.

Circles for Rice Update | by John Robison

Robison's field

Dennis Robison’s rice field in Neelyville, Missouri, USA, is still looking great. His Irrometer® WATERMARK (soil moisture monitoring equipment) chart shows poor numbers on his hillside location.  These numbers represent the driest areas of his field. There are a few areas in the field that do show stress before the rest of the field. Since the soil moisture transmitter site does not accurately represent a sizable portion of the field, I will be installing another transmitter this week.

To help combat the soil moisture disparity in the field, I installed Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) Speed Control software on Dennis's Valley Pro2 control panel last week.  With use of the VRI Speed Control, we aim to see more consistency in the field's hillside. With the software update required to use VRI Speed Control, Dennis also acquired Cruise Control™, which will improve the accuracy and ease of management for fertigation and chemigation.

Chad Price's rice field in Arkansas, USA, is experiencing some issues with pigweed. However, the crop still looks good, and should be profitable for Chad.