The UC Rice IPM Workgroup is holding a grower meeting on February 16^th to provide research updates and exhibit a new decision-support tool under development. The meeting is relevant to rice growers and other rice industry experts throughout California. This event will primarily focus on the economics of crop rotations and the decision-support tool. There will also be a short segment on the Rice IPM Workgroup (updates and next steps).  

The presenters will be Sara Rosenberg, UC Davis Ph.D. student in Horticulture and Agronomy, and Whitney Brim-DeForest, UCCE Rice Advisor.

Rosenberg will present on crop rotation economics and on the web-based cost calculator developed for rice growers to explore the costs and benefits of switching over to selected rotation crops. There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and provide feedback on this decision support tool and for individuals to test it on their own. All are welcome.

“We are looking for grower and industry input for further developing this economics of crop rotations calculator”, Brim-DeForest says. “We hope to have lots of participation”. For those unable to make it in person, the tool itself will be posted on the rice.ucanr.edu website, as well as the soon-to-be-launched UC Rice IPM Workgroup website.

This in-person meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 16^th, at the UCCE Sutter-Yuba office, 142A Garden Hwy, Yuba City, from 8:30 AM-12 PM.  Registration will begin at 8:30. (2 CCA credits have been granted). This local event is FREE. For more details, visit http://rice.ucanr.edu. If you have questions, contact Whitney Brim-DeForest [wbrimdeforest@ucanr.edu or call the UCCE Sutter-Yuba office at (530) 822-7515].

RESCHEDULED

2022 Annual Rice Grower Meetings

Sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension

-------------- 5 Locations --------------

NEW: Virtual Option

WHERE & WHEN

 

Richvale: Monday, March 14, 8:30am, Evangelical Church, 5219 Church St., Richvale

Willows: Monday, March 14, 1:00pm, Glenn County Office of Education, 311 South Villa Avenue, Willows

Colusa: Tuesday, March 15, 8:30 am, Community Center, Colusa County Fairgrounds, 10^th Street (Hwy 20), Colusa

Yuba City: Tuesday, March 15, 1:00 pm, UCCE Office, 142 Garden Highway, Yuba City

Woodland: Wednesday, March 16, 8:30 am, Norton Hall, 70 Cottonwood St, Woodland

VIRTUAL OPTION: Thursday, March 17, 8:30 am, register here for virtual meeting

 

TIME:   Doors open at 8:30 am and meetings start at 9:00 am at Richvale, Colusa, and Woodland.

            Doors open at 1:00 pm and meetings start at 1:30 pm at Glenn and Yuba City.

            Virtual meeting (Zoom) check-in at 8:30

 

Program

8:30 am (1:00 pm) -- Doors open, sign-in, coffee  

9:00 am (1:30 pm) -- Call meeting to order - Agricultural Commissioner Updates

9:15 am (1:45 pm) -- Rice Research Board Introductions and Nominations – Dana Dickey, Rice Research Board

9:25 am (1:55 pm) -- Introduction of New Rice Experiment Station Director and Roxy Overview – Dustin                             Harrell, RES director, and Kent McKenzie, Albaugh Consultant

9:35 am (2:05 pm) -- Roxy Rice Production System Research Update – Kassim Al-Khatib, UC Davis

9:50 am (2:20 pm) -- Weedy Rice Research Update – Whitney Brim-DeForest, UCCE

10:05 am (2:35 pm) -- Invertebrate Research Update – Ian Grettenberger, UC Davis

10:20 am (2:50 pm) -- Disease Management Research Update – Luis Espino, UCCE

10:35 am (3:05 pm) -- Fertility Research Update – Bruce Linquist, UC Davis

10:50 am (3:20 pm) -- New Herbicides in Weed Management Research Update – Kassim Al-Khatib, UC Davis

11:05 am (3:35 pm) -- Variety Update and Yield Contest – Bruce Linquist, UC Davis

11:20 am (3:50 pm)         — ADJOURN —

 

****Applied for DPR and CCA CE credits****

2022 Annual Rice Grower Meetings

Sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension

-------------- 5 Locations --------------

WHERE & WHEN

 

Richvale: Monday, Jan. 24, 8:30am, Evangelical Church, 5219 Church St., Richvale

Willows: Monday, Jan. 24, 1:00pm, Glenn County Office of Education, 311 South Villa Avenue, Willows

Colusa: Tuesday, Jan. 25, 8:30 am, Community Center, Colusa County Fairgrounds, 10^th Street (Hwy 20), Colusa

Yuba City: Tuesday, Jan. 25, 1:00 pm, UCCE Office, 142 Garden Highway, Yuba City

Woodland: Wednesday, Jan. 26, 8:30 am, Norton Hall, 70 Cottonwood St, Woodland

 

TIME:   Doors open at 8:30 am and meetings start at 9:00 am at Richvale, Colusa, and Woodland.

            Doors open at 1:00 pm and meetings start at 1:30 pm at Glenn and Yuba City.

 

Program

8:30 am (1:00 pm) -- Doors open, sign-in, coffee  

9:00 am (1:30 pm) -- Call meeting to order - Agricultural Commissioner Updates

9:15 am (1:45 pm) -- Rice Research Board Introductions and Nominations – Dana Dickey, Rice Research Board

9:25 am (1:55 pm) -- Introduction of New Rice Experiment Station Director and Roxy Overview – Dustin                             Harrell, RES director, and Kent McKenzie, Albaugh Consultant

9:35 am (2:05 pm) -- Roxy Rice Production System Research Update – Kassim Al-Khatib, UC Davis

9:50 am (2:20 pm) -- Weedy Rice Research Update – Whitney Brim-DeForest, UCCE

10:05 am (2:35 pm) -- Invertebrate Research Update – Ian Grettenberger, UC Davis

10:20 am (2:50 pm) -- Disease Management Research Update – Luis Espino, UCCE

10:35 am (3:05 pm) -- Fertility Research Update – Bruce Linquist, UC Davis

10:50 am (3:20 pm) -- New Herbicides in Weed Management Research Update – Kassim Al-Khatib, UC Davis

11:05 am (3:35 pm) -- Variety Update and Yield Contest – Bruce Linquist, UC Davis

11:20 am (3:50 pm)         — ADJOURN —

 

****Applied for DPR and CCA CE credits****

In most years, farmers manage their winter straw by flooding a field where the rice straw has either been chopped or chopped and incorporated. In these cases, the flood water helps to ensure good decomposition. This year however, is different. Many growers are faced with the fact that they will have no water to flood their fields over the winter. Good straw decomposition is important as it will impact nitrogen management decisions the following year. It may also affect the survival of stem rot and aggregate sheath spot sclerotia, the fungus resting structures, in the soil. Too much straw will tie up nitrogen fertilizer early in the season and will also serve as a host for stem rot and aggregate sheath spot. So, what are the options besides burning?

First, removing straw is an option. Driving around, I have seen a lot of straw bailing going on. Bailing rice straw removes about half of the rice straw. This is a good start, but it would still be nice to make sure the rest of it gets decomposed by following the suggestions in the second option.

The second option is to do the best possible to make sure rice straw decomposes without winter flooding. Simply chopping the rice straw and leaving it on the surface will likely not do the trick – especially if there is not much rain over the winter. It is really important to make sure there is good soil-water-straw contact to ensure good decomposition. For this to occur you need to incorporate your rice straw. Studies were conducted here in California in the late 1990s which compared burning, bailing, incorporation and rolling of rice straw. They found that incorporating rice straw resulted in the greatest amount of straw decomposition and the least straw remaining the following spring. This result was seen in both fields that were flooded and those that were not. When the fields are not flooded, rainfall can provide water for good decomposition.