HORIZON AG REGIONAL REPORTS
Dry Weather Aids Planting, But Showers Expected In Some Areas
Tremendous progress has been made with planting this spring thanks to good weather.
Texas
On the west side of Texas, we're about 80% finished with planting, while on the east side, we're around 60% planted. According to the latest crop report from the USDA for March 17–23, planting has reached 36%, which is up 16 points from last year and 23 points from the average.
We've been able to progress efficiently due to favorable weather conditions over the last couple of weeks in March. Farmers have been actively planting, flushing, and spraying fields. However, we started to see some areas on the west side lose moisture, and we could have used a good rain before the most recent showers we received. Overall, we've experienced good seed emergence, and I'm very satisfied with our 2025 crop so far.
Overall, the Texas rice crop is experiencing good emergence.
With the recent rain, farmers on the west side of Texas received about 3–5 inches, while the east side received less and experienced more spotty rain showers. This is beneficial as it allows them to get back to planting by the middle of the week, and the acres that were planted received enough rainfall to get the rice going. That said, we need to pray for consistently good weather conditions, and I'm looking forward to seeing how our varieties perform as we progress through the season. Contact me with any questions or concerns.
Hunter Brown
District Field Representative
(337) 546-7288
Grand Prairie Arkansas
Planting season started in full swing the past couple of weeks across central and south Arkansas. March has been one of the driest we can remember, and some growers have already planted nearly half of their rice crop. I think my region is averaging around 10–15% planted so far.
Although planting in the Grand Prairie has made good progress, like this rice being planted in Roe, Arkansas, wet weather is expected to slow things down.
There has been a ton of ground preparation happening, with many getting last season’s rice straw worked up and smoothed off. Those who chose to keep working on ground preparation made considerable strides and have most all their ground ready for any crop they choose to plant.
The forecast for April 2–5 has everyone slowing down their planting and preparing for the expected heavy rainfall. It looks like we will switch from a very dry stretch to a very wet one. If you have rice in the ground, now would be a good time to get a residual herbicide out and get it activated.
William “Hutch” Hutchens
District Field Representative
(870) 273-9291
New Provisia® Varieties On The Way
The rate at which university rice breeders have steadily brought varietal improvements to market has been nothing short of phenomenal.
The 2025 season has two top-performing Horizon Ag Provisia® varieties – PVL03 and PVL04 –being planted on a considerable number of acres throughout the region, with both offering farmers the potential for competitive yields, excellent milling quality and outstanding control of weedy rice and grasses.
In addition, farmers will have the opportunity to see two new Provisia varieties – PVL05 and PVL06 – in university trials, field days and seed production plots this season, ahead of limited launches in 2026. Both varieties are expected to provide a step up in yield potential and could drive even greater adoption of the Provisia Rice System in the South.
This parent seed field is being planted with new PVL05 at the LSU AgCenter station in Crowley, Louisiana.
“You have to take your hat off to the rice breeders and the work they’ve done to bring high-yielding Provisia varieties to market so quickly,” says Dr. Tim Walker, Horizon Ag CEO. “We’re just 12 years from the original Provisia cross in Louisiana, and new PVL05 will be the LSU AgCenter’s fourth release in that time.”
PVL05 and PVL06 will be planted in strips alongside PVL03 and PVL04 on the farm of Christian Richard in Kaplan, Louisiana, which will be the site of the 2025 Horizon Ag Louisiana Field Day on June 23.
“We hope to see a lot of our Louisiana friends at the field day and share more news about the exciting developments that are helping Louisiana rice farmers be more productive and profitable,” says Walker. “We’ll be providing more details about the field day closer to the date. In addition, farmers wanting more information about our current and new Provisia varieties can contact their District Field Representative.”
The Horizon Ag Productivity App, Developed For Rice Country
If you’re planting Horizon Ag varieties, we strongly encourage you to download the Horizon Ag Productivity app. It’s loaded with detailed information about everything from variety characteristics and suggested management practices, to seeding calibration and fertilizer rates.
In addition to updated calculators for ROI and milling yield premium, the app has a new feature that enables us to send alerts and the latest information on in-season developments that can impact your bottom line.
The Horizon Ag Productivity App is available to download in the App Store or Google Play.
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