By Adam Russell
The Texas rice harvest is in full swing, and growers hope a good second crop can bring a positive end to a challenging season, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert.
Sam Rustom, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agronomist and assistant professor in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Eagle Lake, said it’s looking like an average year for Texas rice despite some challenges. Overall, rice production dropped 6,000 acres to around 143,000 acres.
Rustom said producers planted rice early this season and are therefore harvesting earlier. Yields look about average – 8,000-9,000 pounds per acre – for the state, and it is too early to estimate rice quality because mills are still drying down rice kernels.
Rainy weather and high temperatures during peak flowering in late-June and early July impacted yield potential, he said.
Rice delphacid, a piercing-sucking insect pest that also can spread disease, likely contributed to lower-than-expected yields in some fields that experienced major infestations, Rustom said. The invasive planthopper can also impact kernel quality.
Rustom said delphacid appeared in 2015, but last season was the first time they were found in the main crop. Historically, they have only been a pest in the ratoon crop. This season, rice delphacid was an issue in all rice-producing areas of the state during the main crop.
“It’s been a pretty rough year dealing with them,” he said. “We’re still seeing solid yields coming out. It’s been better than expected in fields with rice delphacid, so that is a positive.”
Rice growers look for strong second crop
Rustom said the primary concern around delphacid is its potential impact on the ratoon crop. Ratoon rice crops are a second crop of rice that is produced from plant regrowth following a cutting. Many producers break even with the main rice crop and find profits with the ratoon crop.
Growers should be “extremely aggressive” with scouting and treatment regiments against delphacid, he said. Main crop stubble should be mowed back to 8-10 inches and treated as early as possible. Rustom said growers can reach out to him or their AgriLife Extension agent for the latest delphacid control recommendations.
Other than delphacid concerns and ongoing challenges controlling barnyard grass in fields, Rustom said conditions are trending positively for a strong ratoon crop due to the early harvest.
“I expect our growers will do a good job of protecting their ratoon crops,” he said. “That is really what is keeping us in business right now.”
Prices down, but rice acres could go up
Rustom said rice prices, like most agricultural commodities, were down. Prices were sitting around $12.75 per hundredweight, whereas prices are typically closer to $14-$17 per hundredweight.
The impact of tariffs on imported rice has been minimal for U.S. producers so far, he said. Rustom said consumers, especially those in ethnic markets, are willing to pay the higher price to get the aromatic rice they prefer.
Rustom did note that U.S. rice growers would see better price assistance from agricultural provisions in the latest federal funding bill. That change could help growers when facing break-even rice prices.
Water could be another incentive for Texas rice production next season.
Though rice acres declined this season, Rustom expects them to rebound in 2026. The increase could be significant – 20,000 to 40,000 acres – because heavy rainfall refilled surface water sources that have been off limits to agriculture producers for years.
“Those lakes are at levels that they will allow irrigation water for agriculture,” he said. “That’s going to be something big for rice farmers in the Eagle Lake and Bay City areas.”
Source : tamu.edu