Brazil Farmers Remain Optimistic, Embrapa Trials | by Kelly Downing

I was in Brazil a couple weeks ago, meeting with rice growers and researchers. The market for rice was relatively weak in Brazil this season, similar to that in the USA in 2011. As a result, most of the commercial growers we have worked with in the past reduced rice acreage in favor of soybean and corn production. However, as I visited with them, they are still optimistic about growing rice under center pivots, and intend to return to the crop next season, as part of their regular rotation.

On March 6, I attended the Expodireto agricultural show, in Rio Grande do Sul state, which was very impressive. Lots of ag equipment manufacturers, including center pivot companies. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, and the streets are paved, which is a big change from most farm shows here in the USA, and it cuts down greatly on the dust. Although it was extremely hot (>90 F), there was a large crowd. It seemed to me to reflect great optimism among the Brazilian farmers—prices are good, profits are up and they are investing in the future.

I also met with researchers who are working on several projects and attended a field day. Embrapa is a Brazilian federal ag research corporation, and they have a temperate climate research center near Pelotas. Their rice field day on March 9 was very well attended. They devoted one of the four main tour stops to the work they are doing under a linear. These studies include variety trials, fertility studies, irrigation scheduling strategy, greenhouse gas production and their efforts to transfer nitrogen-fixing bacteria into rice roots.

At another of their research stations, near Bage´, they are working on variety trials and rotation studies, to help farmers optimize crop rotations that include rice, soybeans, and forage crops. This is a region with a historically strong cattle industry, but rice and soybeans are beginning to expand acreage in the area, so this research is very important to the future of the ag economy there.

The rice harvest was just beginning, and will probably last at least through March and into our spring. The plots at Pelotas will be harvested by the end of this month or so, and we will have some data to improve our knowledge of how things went. Although their plots looked great and appeared very productive, it is always good to have the real data to confirm your expectations.

So, here we are at the cusp of spring in the USA. A new growing season is almost upon us and everyone is again optimistic. We anticipate several new cooperators who will plant rice under center pivots this year in the USA. I look forward, like you do, to seeing how things play out, and I am excited about working our way through the season together.

Circles for Rice | Brazil Update by Kelly Downing

Sáo Borja

Sáo Paolo

I was able to visit several fields in Brazil during a visit November 8 - 15. We really covered a lot of country. Once again, I was struck by the wonderful people, as well as by the great beauty and agricultural potential of Brazil. It was a great pleasure to be hosted by Embrapa Professor Jose Parfitt during part of the trip.


Pelotas and Bage areas:
Embrapa: Unusually cool, wet spring, so delayed emergence (planted September, just now emerging). Jose Parfitt (Pelotas) and Naylor Perez (Bage) leading the research, focused on variety, irrigation scheduling, and fertility issues, as well as rotation into forage system.

São Borja area:
Farrouphilha: Professor Marcelino Knob is researching rice in rotation under a pivot. The rice is just emerging, due to cool weather. There may be some interaction with antecedent crop/herbicides.
Renam Toniazzo: São Borja area, rice looks very good. No disease or weed problems. Good crop last year, expects another successful year.
A first-year Circles for Rice grower farms 2,000 ha of rice at this location with his brother and father. Rice planted in September and looks wonderful - thick and lush. A few spots of clomazone damage, but will recover. Some areas of the field should be monitored for wheel track issues.

São Paolo state:

Lagoa Bonita: volunteer wheat from previous crop dominates the field. They planned to use Aura (profoxydim). I hope it works.
Lagoa Farm: in this field, volunteer edible beans from antecedent crop has taken over most of the field. It is tough to treat, since bordering fields contain both edible beans and soybeans. Volunteer beans are infested with anthracnose, so their agronomic consultant has advised them to wait for the volunteers to die.
First-year Circles for Rice grower: very nice crop, planted in late September. We saw some spots with stunted plants, may be iron chlorosis, zinc, or sulfur shortage.

Welcome to the Valley Circles for Rice blog

The Valley Rice Team has developed this blog in order to better communicate with people interested in producing rice under center pivots or linears, whether farmers, developers, researchers, consultants - whoever has a passion for conserving resources and providing better management options for rice production.

We hope to update this blog weekly, and we welcome your comments and feedback.

Now for what is currently happening - The weather has not been helpful this week in either Brazil - to get the next rice crop under the center pivots planted - or in the US, to get the center pivots harvested.

The rice crop in Pakistan under the center pivot is developing well with the transplanted rice looking better than the direct seeded rice.