Spotlight on Circles for Rice Cooperator Campbell Coxe | by Kelly Cackin

Campbell Coxe | Darlington, SC

In 2011, the Valley Circles for Rice team worked with Campbell Coxe, a rice grower and owner of Carolina Plantation Rice in Darlington, South Carolina, USA. He produced aromatic rice under a Valley center pivot, and it yielded a very profitable 116 bushels per acre.  As aromatics traditionally produce fewer bushels per acre than varieties and hybrids, this yield exceeded Campbell’s expectations.

During an interview last year, we asked Campbell why he decided to grow rice under a center pivot. “We wanted to expand our acreage, as well as rotate our rice crop with other crops,” he said.  “I think the most exciting thing about growing rice with a center pivot is being able to spoon feed our nitrogen and our fertilizer inputs, which we can do ourselves through the pivot.  We feel like the rice has really responded to the gradual increase in nitrogen.”

Tyler Fields of Guess Irrigation, the local Valley dealership in Hartsville, SC, led the team that provided the design and construction of the Carolina Plantation center pivot. Soil moisture monitoring and remote communication equipment were also installed, which enabled Campbell to utilize the latest Valley technology to ensure a successful result for his rice under center pivot.

“Campbell is a great example of how an innovative grower can combine traditional practices (good crop management) with modern concepts (center pivot irrigation) to produce a good crop, conserve resources, and be profitable,” stated Circles for Rice team member Kelly Downing.  “His 2011 rice yield under the center pivot exceeded his expectations and was profitable for his operation. For a first-time center pivot owner, we are impressed with his dedication to the Circles for Rice project.”   

Campbell has been an active member in the rice farming community for 20 years. In addition to operating Carolina Plantation Rice, his work includes rice plot research with the USDA Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, SC, as well as co-development of a blast-resistant rice with his seed breeder in Beaumont, TX.  He is currently helping in the effort to bring rice production back to the state of South Carolina, the birthplace of rice in the United States.  With this effort, Campbell has expressed interest in working with other South Carolina growers to produce rice under center pivots.

For the 2012 growing season, Campbell has decided to produce a soybean crop under his center pivot, with the intention of rotating back to rice in 2013.

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Circles for Rice Update | by Kelly Downing

This week, I went to Missouri and Arkansas, and visited a few cooperators’ fields on Tuesday. Dennis Robison’s rice was at the V3 (three-leaf) stage. Chad Price’s rice was not quite as developed, probably V1 stage. It was a very windy day in the region, and many fields were exhibiting wind erosion, as the sandy soil started to blow. These two guys have experience with this issue, so I am confident they will be proactive in watering to suppress the sand-blasting that can occur under these conditions. Dennis and Chad farm a couple miles apart, on each side of the Missouri/Arkansas state line near Corning, Arkansas. 

Our primary mission was to install soil moisture monitoring equipment, but it was also good to get an early view of crop development and field conditions. The three fields we visited provided a range of early-crop status, from not-quite-emerged to V3. There is one additional cooperator a few dozen miles away, near Charleston, Missouri, who is about to plant, so we will include that site in our updates as the season progresses. 

S3 stage rice | prophyll has emerged

We met with Jeremy Baltz at his field near Pocahontas, Arkansas. As you can see in the photos below, by the middle of the afternoon the wind was intense, and there was a lot of soil moving. Conditions were as bad as any I have seen in the high plains of Texas through Nebraska, where we usually expect windy conditions like these. 

Jeremy planted around April 26th. His rice was at the S3 stage; not emerged from the soil, but the prophyll has emerged (see picture on right).

He began watering in an attempt to suppress the blowing sand, but it takes a few hours to make any progress. He mentioned that it is pretty difficult to out-guess Mother Nature and predict when to start this operation. Conditions were benign in the morning, but then “went to heck” at mid-day. He is fortunate that the rice has not yet emerged; keeping its “head down” has actually provided the crop protection from the natural sand-blaster.

Blowing soil

I have to admit, after taking the photos with my cell phone camera, the pictures do NOT accurately reflect the severity of conditions. Standing there, we could barely make out the edge of the field through the blowing sand. Even with wrap-around sunglasses, I got lots of dirt in my eyes. The bottom line is that he is fortunate the rice had not emerged, and he has the capacity to apply water to get the blowing soil under control. The seeds had adequate moisture; it was just the very top layer that had dried out and begun to blow.

Next week, I will be at a cooperator’s field in Texas, and will let you know how things are going there.

Circles for Rice Update | by Kelly Downing

In the Northern Hemisphere, spring is here and rice is in (and out of) the ground! We have been waiting and preparing all winter for the new crop; now, finally, we get to start growing again. I have to admit, I prefer autumn, with the harvest and sense of completion and accomplishment it brings. However, it is really nice, after a long winter, to get into the field and get the new crop going.

This year, Valley Irrigation has a total of five cooperators in three states: Texas, Missouri, and Arkansas.

In the Missouri and Arkansas areas, much of the new rice crop has been planted, and is now emerging, while planting moves north. This week, we will begin installing soil monitoring instrumentation into the rice fields of our cooperators. Dennis Robison and Chad Price farm right along the Missouri/Arkansas state line; they got into the fields early and their rice is up and growing. Both are “old hands” at this process—Dennis grew rice under his Valley center pivot in 2010, and Chad did it last year. Both produced excellent results, and are primed for another good crop this year. This week, we will install soil water sensors in their fields, which will be used to schedule irrigation. Other growers will be added to the system as they get their crop up and growing.

Soil Moisture Monitors | installed on a rice field

This is one way we increase our knowledge of the process—we monitor soil water status of rice under pivots in several fields each summer. This helps us fine-tune our irrigation recommendations. It is a great management practice for any irrigator to use, but is especially critical with rice, due to the shallow root zone and resulting small margin for error.

We all have biases, and one of mine is toward data-based irrigation management. Estimating evapotranspiration (ET), or crop water use, and using sensors to verify this information is critical for effective, efficient irrigation. Effective irrigation means making sure the crop gets all the water it needs to maximize production. Efficient irrigation means using the least possible resources (water, energy, labor) to accomplish this. Using ET data helps calculate when, and how much, to water the crop. Since these are estimates, we also recommend using sensors to periodically verify that, over time, the estimates are correct.

So, the (generally) warm spring has given most producers the chance to finish field operations in a timely manner, so planting and other activities seem to be proceeding at a pretty optimum pace. I hope you have a safe, enjoyable spring, and I look forward to sharing our progress with you as we work through the summer. Check back and let us know what is going on in your part of the world.

Wind Erosion Recommendations | by John Robison

Click play to watch the video.

Hi, this is John Robison with Valmont, on-site. It's real early in the season on a pivot rice site.  It's very sandy here, and I know you can tell from looking at me that the wind is blowing quite a bit.  But, what I'm seeing around me is wind erosion.  The crop is so small, we don't actually need to irrigate it yet, but the sand is blowing everywhere and is pushing small seedlings right out of the ground.  And, we're seeing a lot of crop damage from this wind.  So, the recommendation at this point in the growing season is to run the pivot just 1/10 of an inch, not something major at all.  But, just to keep the soil in place, just to keep the root zone in place and the top soil from rushing out.  That's what I'm observing right now in the crop growing cycle, and that's my update for the week.

Wind Erosion Recommendations | by John Robison

Click play to watch the video.

Hi, this is John Robison with Valmont, on-site. It's real early in the season on a pivot rice site.  It's very sandy here, and I know you can tell from looking at me that the wind is blowing quite a bit.  But, what I'm seeing around me is wind erosion.  The crop is so small, we don't actually need to irrigate it yet, but the sand is blowing everywhere and is pushing small seedlings right out of the ground.  And, we're seeing a lot of crop damage from this wind.  So, the recommendation at this point in the growing season is to run the pivot just 1/10 of an inch, not something major at all.  But, just to keep the soil in place, just to keep the root zone in place and the top soil from rushing out.  That's what I'm observing right now in the crop growing cycle, and that's my update for the week.

Soybeans After Rice | by John Robison

Dennis Robison | Missouri

Dennis Robison of southeast Missouri grew rice with a Valley center pivot on his rolling sand hills in 2010; his yield was extremely good, at 186 bu/ac. In 2011, he rotated the rice for a soybean crop, and it was the best soybean crop he had seen on the site in years. The improved soybean yield is attributed to increased organic matter and overall better soil condition, both effects from the previous year’s rice crop. “This farm has been in wheat-soybean rotation for at least a decade,” stated Dennis. “Adding rice has really helped it.” He reported a soybean yield increase of 10 bu/ac across his 40 acre field. 

Dennis is currently planting rice in this field, which he will irrigate with a Valley center pivot. We will keep you posted on his progress throughout the summer!

Circles for Rice 2012 | by Kelly Downing

As we prepare for a new growing season in the Northern Hemisphere and enter harvest season in the Southern, it's worthwhile to look back to see how far we have come in the Valley Circles for Rice project. I think it reflects what we all know about agriculture in general—lots of variability, cyclical swings and many challenges; but it is, ultimately, very rewarding.

For those of you new to our Circles for Rice project, we began working several years ago with a family farm in Brazil. Due to extreme water shortages, these rice farmers needed to find a new way to conserve water and maintain profitability. Through hard work and innovation, they were encouraged that high-yielding rice could be grown under center pivots.

At this point, I will digress a bit. Some of you may recall a 1997 movie, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin, titled “The Edge.” It is a survival tale of two men in the Alaska wilderness, being stalked by a Kodiak bear. The reason I bring this up is there are two enduring phrases from the movie, which they use to remind themselves what is necessary to survive: first, “What one man can do, another man can do”; and second, “Kill the bear!” I like using this analogy because it reminds us of how we can adapt and be successful—success in one area can be adapted and repeated, and we must maintain focus on primary objectives (prioritize) to obtain that success.

At Valley Irrigation, we have been working to adapt this early work to other locations, working in areas like Brazil, the United States and Pakistan, among others. Last season was a bit of a low point, to be frank. Both weather and market conditions in the United States reduced the number of rice farmers who participated in our project, although those who did were generally successful. The relatively low market value of rice affected participation this past growing season in Brazil, as well. However, the results have once again been very encouraging.

Over the years, we have established a few general principles. First, we try to minimize the hyperbole. As Sergeant Joe Friday said, “Just the facts.” Second, from our experience, we continually observe a reasonable yield goal is on par with the yield of flooded rice. Third, we observe better profitability from center pivot rice, due to decreased production costs. Water use (i.e., pumping cost) has been recorded to be about half of flooded rice. Herbicide and fertilizer costs are very similar. Labor can be greatly reduced. Fungicide and disease management may be slightly higher, which is why we strongly recommend the use of hybrids or varieties that are strongly resistant to Blast.

So, now we find ourselves ready to begin another growing season in the Northern Hemisphere. Rice prices have been trending up a bit, and forecasts are for competing crop prices (corn, soybeans, etc.) to soften a bit by harvest. We have several cooperators set to work with us this year in the United States, as well as many interested parties in other locations, such as Africa. We are excited about what will happen in 2012! We invite you to stay in touch with us as we go through the season.