Circles for Rice | Weekly Update

Well, it's been a few weeks since my last update!  Unfortunately, I don't have much to report this week.

In the United States, rice harvest is wrapping up.  Most of the Circles for Rice fields have been harvested, and the Rice Team is collecting data.  We will have this data analyzed by next week; at that time, I will report dry weight yields and water usage.

Until then, take care, and have a wonderful week!  

September is National Rice Month

Happy 20th anniversary, National Rice Month!

The U.S.A Rice Federation explains:

"Initiated by an act of Congress in 1991, NRM helps increase awareness of rice and recognizes the contribution the U.S. rice industry makes to America’s economy. NRM celebrations will take place across America in grocery stores, restaurants, schools, and rice-growing communities."

To learn more about National Rice Month, please watch this video produced by the U.S.A. Rice Federation.






For more information on the U.S.A. Rice Federation, please visit their website.

To help celebrate National Rice Month, I will be posting my favorite rice recipes from now until October 1!  

Stuffed Peppers | Yield - 3-4 servings

You need:

• 3-4 large green bell peppers
• 1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice (uncooked)
• 1 cup water
• Sharp cheddar cheese (shredded - for topping)
• Ground sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1-2 large sauce pans, with lids
• 1 shallow baking dish

To do:

• Wash and core green peppers; cut 3 of the peppers in half length-wise.
• Fill a large sauce pan with water and bring to a boil; add the 3 peppers.
• Boil peppers for 4-5 minutes, or until blanched.
• Remove peppers from the water and place them upside down on a paper towel or plate until all water has been drained.
• Finely chop the last pepper.
• In a large sauce pan, brown ground beef/turkey, chopping finely; add chopped green pepper.
• Cook ground meat and green pepper together until the green pepper is about half-cooked, salt and pepper as needed.
• Stir in 1 can tomato sauce and 1 can water.
• Add rice (uncooked); put a lid on the pan.
• Cook mixture until rice is tender.
• Place blanched green peppers in a shallow baking dish and fill with meat/rice "stuffing." 
• Top with cheese and microwave at 50% for about 6 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Circles for Rice | Weekly Update

United States Harvest

Harvest information continues to come in to the Circles for Rice team as farmers collect their data.

Scott, Arkansas

A couple of week ago, we reported an overall field average of 173 bu/ac (8.3mt/ha) dry weight across a field of 137 acres (55.4 hectares). This was RiceTec hybrid Clearfield XL746. The predominant soil type is silt loam. This field had more potential, but suffered moisture stress during grain fill due to problems with wheel tracks in an area where no changes had been made to the center pivot.

Neelyville, Missouri

This field has a variety of soils ranging from silt loam to fine sand. On some of the hill tops, the preliminary yield averaged 186 bu/ac (8.9mt/ha) dry weight on a field of 37 acres (14.9 hectares). This was RiceTec hybrid Clearfield XL729. This field has considerable slopes in some areas. The nearby flooded field to the southeast of the center pivot yielded just under 200 bu/ac (9.6mt/ha)


More fields are being harvested this week and we hope to have some details next week.

How is your harvest going?  Share your thoughts in the Comments box below!

2010 Farm Progress Show | Boone, Iowa, USA

Hello, everyone!  Valmont Irrigation attended the 2010 Farm Progress Show this week in Boone, Iowa, USA.  Both Jake and I helped staff the booth, and we talked about Circles for Rice whenever we had the chance! 

Thanks to all the Valley booth staffers who helped make this trade show a success!

Please look for us at Husker Harvest in Grand Island, Nebraska, USA, in two weeks!

Rice Taking an Important Role in Schools

Judy Rusignuolo of the USA Rice Federation recently published an article about improving nutrition in schools. Not only will rice be used to help make meals more nutritious, but also will children be educated about the advantages of rice in general.


To read the article in its entirety, please click here.

Circles for Rice | Weekly Update

Demonstration of center pivot on rice. Wheel tracks are very shallow - less than 2 inches deep.

Templeton | Wyatt, MO

Wheel tracks, Sikeston, MO | 18.4 x 26 tires

 Wheel tracks, SIkeston, MO | different soil

The photo to the right is of a center pivot near Wyatt, Missouri. This is the only Circles for Rice field in the United States that used a non-hybrid rice seed, a relatively new release from Arkansas called Templeton. It looks good and is maturing a little slower than a nearby field with RiceTec Clearfield XL729.


Historically, late in the season, center pivot wheel tracks have been a challenge. The Circles for Rice team has observed that matching the right drive unit hardware with the right management can help the center pivot successfully travel around the field for the entire growing season.

 

U.S. Harvest

As I mentioned in last week's post, harvest has begun in the United States and slowly continues as the center pivot rice fields continue to mature.

The wide range of soil types in a particular field is a unique characteristic present in center pivot-irrigated rice, and not present in traditionally flooded rice. Some of this year’s Circles for Rice fields have soils ranging from fine sand to silt loam within the same field.  Depending on the soil type(s), the rice matures at slightly different rates across the board.

Initial yield data under the center pivots has started to come in; these numbers have not been finalized, but final numbers will be reported later this year both on this blog and on the www.circlesforrice.com website. Two fields have so far been cut: our field near Eagle Lake, Texas, and our field in Scott, Arkansas.  Later this week, another field will be cut, and one or two more fields will be cut the week of August 30th.

Eagle Lake, Texas
Initial yield data has indicated a range from 149 bu/ac (dry weight, and where weed control was not optimum) to 172 bu/ac (dry weight, and where there was better weed control).

Scott, Arkansas
Initial yield data has indicated a range from 135 bu/ac (dry weight) to over 185 bu/ac (dry weight).


How is your harvest progressing?  Share with us in the Comments box!

Circles for Rice | Weekly Update

Harvest | David Feilke's Field in Scott, AR, USA

Harvest has started in the United States!  Initial yields have started to come in from two fields, and we will have specific data in the next couple weeks.

So far, in fields where weed control and irrigation was consistent, we have observed yields approaching nearby flood irrigation yields.  Initial water use numbers, where we can compare to flood fields, indicate savings of 40% to 60%.

Irrigation is being cut back on the remaining fields as they range from late milk stage to approaching hard dough.  Irrigation cycles are being changed from every 1-2 days to every 3-4 days.

We anticipate harvesting the rest of the fields within the next three weeks.

Soft Dough Stage

Please visit the www.CirclesForRice.com often, as 2010 field and harvest updates will be consistently posted throughout the coming weeks.


How is your growing season progressing?  Share with us on our Comments board!