Planting plots at LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station
Mar 20, 2025
MID-SOUTH RICE REGION – Rice planting got off to a delayed start this year in Texas and southwest Louisiana because of wet and cool conditions early, but it is pedal to the metal this week as growers work to get seeds in the ground.
In Texas, planting progress west of Houston is all over the board with some farmers finished (L.G. Raun in El Campo, and Allen Anderson in East Bernard) to some who have not yet started. A common theme is lack of ground moisture, with several farmers saying they delayed planting because of lack of soil moisture, but with no rain in the forecast, they will plant dry and plan to flush fields for seed germination.
Timothy Gertson said that his operation in Lissie is about 10 days behind a normal year’s timeline. “Three months of wet weather came to an abrupt end at the tail end of February. Fields still needed to be worked, which has now been done, but now soil moisture is gone. We will now plant and flush with no rain in the forecast, and hope to be 35 percent planted by the end of the week.”
Another Texas farmer, Terry Hlavinka, echoed Gertson’s experience. His last field was planted dry and they will soon start flushing. He thinks his operation will have 85 percent of their rice planted by week’s end.
East of Houston, planting is just starting. Dorsey Jones, with Helena in Raywood, said that most of his rice farmers’ fields were dry enough to start planting on Monday and he predicted 30 percent of the crop will be planted by the end of the week.
Across the Sabine River in southwest Louisiana, it is a mixed bag as well. Acadia and parts of Vermilion Parish have progressed nicely, with a number of farmers finished or close to it. Wyatt Hardee, who farms around Wright, has finished planting his crop other than 50 acres he is leveling. He still needs to custom plant about 1,400 acres for neighbors but thinks that will move quickly. John McLain, in southern Vermilion Parish, south of Abbeville, should be finished by the end of the week and his dad and brothers should be 90 percent finished.
Christian Richard, in northern Vermilion Parish, is well into planting his crop, as well as his custom planting acres. Jackie Loewer said his operation north of Crowley is 90 percent done and early planted rice was slowed by cool weather, but recent sunshine will help. Cole Reiners, west of Mowata, is close to being finished on his family farm, and Thibodeaux Brothers, one of the largest rice operations in the region west of Crowley, should be 60 percent planted by week’s end.
The Zaunbrecher Brothers, near Rayne, should be finished planting rice by the end of the week. “Our earliest planted rice just emerged yesterday after a flush,” said Fred Zaunbrecher. “That rice was planted two weeks ago. Last year, our earliest planted rice, planted in February, was emerged in a week.”
Michael Fruge, who farms with his father north of Eunice, should be 85 percent planted this week. He is concerned that planting so much rice in a short period of time will stress his drying capacity but wants to get it planted because of the disease issues, mainly cercospora and kernel smut, he experienced in last year’s later planted crop.
Further north, in the Mamou area, Kane Fontenot was hopeful the planting in his region will be 75 percent completed this week. Kane did note more blackbird pressure this year than in recent years. Even further north, Jeffery Sylvester, near Whiteville, was 35 percent finished on Monday.
To the west, Jeff Davis, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Allen Parishes were moving a little slower. Eric Unkel, near Kinder, started planting on Monday and hoped to be at 40 percent this week. John Denison, with Sweetlake Land and Oil, was just getting started. Paul Johnson in Jeff Davis Parish is 80 percent done but all of his rice is water seeded, which is not as impacted by wet conditions as drill seeded rice is. Paul did say that he had to replant a 50-acre field that was completely destroyed by a flock of geese in one night.
Checking in with crop consultants, Rustin Gilder, with Crowley Grain, predicts that his customers will be 75 percent planted this week. Justin Nix, with Helena south of Midland, said that operators west of the Mermentau River were way behind those east of the river in drill seeding but after this week, his entire customer base should be 60 percent planted. B.D. Fontenot, in the Elton area, said that by week’s end 70 percent of water seeding and 60 percent of drill seeding should be completed.
On the LSU AgCenter research station near Crowley, Drs. Adam Famoso and Manoch Kongchum are well into the planting of their research trials. Famoso has about 65 percent of his breeding material planted and Kongchum will finish his station plantings this week. They have also planted several off-station sites. Dr. Felipe Dalla Lana planted his first rice pathology research plots on Tuesday.
Dr. Ronnie Levy, the rice specialist at the LSU AgCenter, feels the crop is off to a good start. "We were a little late getting started planting due to early wet and cool conditions. However, we have planted a very large number of acres recently, and weather conditions look favorable for the next few days. It appears that most of the southwest Louisiana crop will be planted within our optimum planting window."
According to growers Scott Franklin, Marley Oldham, and John Owen, essentially no rice has been planted in north Louisiana. In Mississippi, rice specialist Will Eubank said the rice growing region of the Delta received a significant rain this past weekend, but rice planting will start as soon as it dries up. In Arkansas, rice specialist Jarrod Hardke said a few fields were planted in the Prairie and northeast last week and a few more farmers were starting this week. He added that by the weekend, it will be the “Wild West,” with wall to wall planting as farmers hustle to get this year’s crop in the ground.
In the bootheel of Missouri, Rance Daniels reports that field prep was occurring in Dunklin and Prescott counties and some rice would probably be planted next week. Zach Tanner, near Bernie, said that he was currently planting soybeans and may plant some rice this week.
Across the region, the recurring story was rice seed shortage as well as isolated incidents of poor seed germ and appearance, with especially significant levels of kernel smut in some varieties.