(Distributed 01/15/08) Southwest Louisiana farmers are hopeful that rice prices will remain strong, but their optimism is tempered by increased production costs. In a series of rice forums across South Louisiana, LSU AgCenter experts advised farmers on techniques of managing their 2008 crop.

An independent lab has determined that rice seed to be sold this year by the LSU AgCenter’s Rice Research Station is free of Liberty Link.

Louisiana rice producers have approved five-year renewals of check-off fees on their crops to fund research and promotion.

Developing disease-resistant varieties is the best approach to help farmers fight diseases that afflict rice, said Don Groth, LSU AgCenter plant pathologist at the Rice Research Station in Crowley.

Will the South American rice leaf miner be affected by salt water pushed ashore by Hurricane Rita? LSU AgCenter entomologist Dr. Boris Castro said it’s possible the rice pest’s population could have been weakened by the high salinity, but there’s no way of knowing yet.

South Louisiana rice fields contaminated with salt from Hurricane Rita’s storm surge have shown some improvements, although not as much as expected, and salinity levels actually have increased in some sugarcane fields.

The data provided is from the sites that were sampled in the Salt Water Intrusion Maps. Each site is numbered the same as it is on the maps that are provided.

The following maps consist of sites that were sampled, analyzed and then ranked, post Hurricane Rita.

Farmers are facing uncertainty with expected changes in U.S. farm policy, high energy costs and World Trade Organization talks, a Washington agricultural analyst told rice producers last week (Jan. 26).

Rice farmers whose fields have high salt levels from Hurricane Rita’s storm surge should avoid plowing their fields, according to experts with the LSU AgCenter.