Posts Tagged: Rice
California rice growers reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Butler is participating in a pilot program funded by the Environmental Defense Fund. Though it’s too early to measure, he has seen promising signs from the project.
“We’ve had good results with yield and water conservation, which really was our goal,” says Butler. “We’re happy that greenhouse gases go down as a result of that, but they weren’t the initial reason why we do that.”
Of the global GHG accumulation for all sectors, 0.001 percent comes from California rice fields, according to data compiled by Luis Espino, UC Cooperative Extension rice farm advisor for Colusa County.
“It’s such a new issue I don’t think much has been done in that area,” says Espino. “Right now UC Davis is doing the research, doing the modeling, trying to understand what goes on in the soil.”
Cass Mutters, UC Cooperative Extension advisor for Butte County, noted that California rice growers realize that being environmentally sensitive is part of their responsibility. Since the 1980s, changes in irrigation management and other practices have led to a 98 percent reduction in pesticide residues entering public waterways from rice fields. Along with water quality, the rice industry supports an air quality monitoring network that enables the Air Resources Board to model how many acres can be burned without exceeding federal air quality standards.
Rice harvest expected to be good
"It looks like it's going to be an OK harvest," said Butte County rice farmer Michael Arens.
Yields should be "somewhat average," the article quoted Chris Greer, UC Cooperative Extension advisor for Yuba, Sutter, Placer and Sacramento counties.
A hot spell in August limited flowering in some cases, but the warm weather also helped control the fungal plant disease rice blast.
"In a year like this, unless we start getting heavy rains, (harvest) is probably going to turn out fairly good," Greer said.
A Chico farmer reported a problem with weeds this year. Luis Espino, UCCE advisor for Glenn, Colusa and Yolo counties, said UC researchers confirmed last year that smallflower umbrella sedge has become resistant to one of the main herbicides that growers use to control it.
"We'll probably see more of (the resistant weed) as time goes by," Espino said.
Rice pest problems were minimal in 2012
Godfrey reached that conclusion even though he trapped 10 times more rice water weevils in his control trials this season than in 2011, the article said.
Tadpole shrimp populations also were high this season and damage was evident. Godfrey believes they were excessive due to the winter dry period. It took longer for growers to flood fields due to the dry spring soil conditions and that contributed to the higher shrimp population.
Godfrey is testing insecticides Coragen and Belay to control these pests. Coragen is several years from registration. Belay is entangled in a honey bee kill issue so the state and federal governments are asking for more testing.
Godfrey was a presenter at a recent rice field day at the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation, Inc., Rice Experiment Station. World demand for rice, the article said, will only grow more voracious.
$1.3 million donated to fund UCCE specialist
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to share some exciting news. The California Rice Research Board has agreed to fund a UC Cooperative Extension specialist position for six years.
This is a pioneering step in a new direction for funding public research. This innovative partnership between the agricultural community and UC Agriculture and Natural Resources recognizes the immediate importance of rice research and the need for this new funding model. I want to thank the California Rice Research Board for being the first.
The $800 million rice industry makes California the nation’s second largest rice producer. UC conducts research on weed control, pest management and variety testing for rice crops to keep California growers competitive in the world marketplace.
As many of you know, the rice specialist was identified as a priority position in our position planning process, and the Rice Research Board has taken a bold step to enable us to launch this position sooner rather than later. This generous gift by the Rice Research Board will enable us to begin recruitment immediately and the six-year commitment gives the position stability. After six years, ANR will assume financial responsibility for the position.
The board will donate $212,000 each of the next six years for a total of $1.272 million to support a UC Cooperative Extension specialist to conduct rice-related research. The Rice Research Board is funded by grower assessments that are based on the amount of rice each grower produces. This specialist position, which will be based in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, will help ANR fulfill its mission as well as serve the rice industry’s needs.
Dana Dickey, executive director of the California Rice Research Board, said, “The Rice Research Board recognized the value of having a rice specialist serving the industry. This service includes acting as a bridge for the efforts of the rice ‘team’ at UC Davis and ANR, performing research on issues vital to the industry, being a resource for linking new research directions with researchers, and overseeing the variety trials for the industry. The Rice Research Board chose this avenue to ensure the position will continue without interruption and be filled in coordination with the retirement of the present specialist.”
Hiring outstanding academics to do research and deliver new knowledge is critical to the sustainability of farmers and to the future of California. This new funding model will enable us to act now to work on needed research and deliver science-based solutions.
If you know stakeholders who would like to discuss potential partnership opportunities to fund academic positions, ask them to contact Cindy Barber at Cynthia.Barber@ucop.edu or (510) 987-9139.
Barbara Allen-Diaz
Vice President
View or leave comments for the Executive Working Group.
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
Entomologists profiled in LA Times
Reporter Amina Khan with the LA Times profiled husband-and-wife entomologist team Christina and Mark Hoddle of UC Riverside (Mark is also a UC Cooperative Extension entomology specialist). The pair travel the world seeking parasitoids that can serve as biological control to invasive California pests and then test the results at the Center for Invasive Species Research at UC Riverside. "Bugs don't take weekends," Christina Hoddle told the reporter, "so neither do we."
Weed threatens rice-growing areas
Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise Record
Photos and more details about the weed are also available from Luis Espino on the UC Rice Blog.
Autumn is for Apples: An Interview With Carol Fall
Jennifer Jewell, aNewsCafe.com
As apple season approaches, this article examines the Trinity Heritage Orchard Project through an interview of Carol Fall, program representative for UC Cooperative Extension Trinity County. The project has identified and mapped century-old apple trees from Gold Rush-era homesteads that are now on public lands and available for gleaning. Fall also evaluates how fruits of these heirloom varieties are best picked and used—whether for baking, cider-making, eating fresh or storing for winter months—and takes cuttings from the most significant varieties to plant elsewhere in the community. The article says Fall will provide apple samples Oct. 8 at Weaverville's annual Salmon Festival.