HORIZON AG REGIONAL REPORTS

Rice is in the Ground!

Northwest Arkansas and Missouri

After a long, hard fight, I’d say rice planting has finally crossed the finish line for 2025. Last week gave us the perfect window to wrap up fieldwork and get those final acres planted in the Northeast Arkansas and Missouri Territory — just in time for a heavy downpour (2–4 inches) in parts of Southeast Missouri late Wednesday evening (June 4).

The weather’s finally bringing us what rice loves: heat and humidity (or, as I like to call it, the warm fuzzy blanket). While this season might not be everything we hoped for, it’s definitely given us a masterclass in rolling with the punches. The grit and resiliency of our growers never fails to impress.

March Madness… in June?

This year’s planting has been unusually spread out compared to past seasons. So, let’s take a moment for fertility management for rice planted back in March.

If you’ve been spoon-feeding nitrogen (N) applications just to buy time before pulling levees, now’s the time to calculate how much N you’ve already applied. Subtract that from your total target rate to see what’s left to apply. Here are a couple of scenarios, values are shown in pounds of N per acre:

Goal: 2-way Split N Application

Total N Rate	Spoon-fed	Preflood N Rate	Mid-season
150	—	105	45
150	45	60	45

Goal: Single Preflood N Application

Total N Rate	Spoon-fed	Preflood N Rate
130	—	130
130	45	85

These tables show how to adjust your pre-flood N rate depending on whether you’ve spoon-fed early applications. Just a quick reminder: remember to convert pounds of N per acre into your nitrogen fertilizer source. For example:

Urea needed (lb.) = [lb. N recommended × 100] / 46

PVL06 Seed Production Update
Watching the new Provisia variety PVL06 grow under seed producer Zack Tanner’s care has been a real treat. Most of it went in during late March, so it’s been through the same slow growth and wild weather as everything else. Even so, it continues to show promise — and we’re excited to see how it finishes the season.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out — we’re here for you.

Robyn Chlapecka
District Field Representative
rchlapecka@horizonseed.com
(870) 672-1291

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Grand Prairie Arkansas

We haven’t had more than three consecutive dry days to get herbicide or fertilizer out in the last month and a half — until this past week. Growers took advantage of the dry weather and pushed hard to get rice to flood. They’ve been pulling levees, butting fields and getting gates in just as fast as they can. I hope everyone made the most of the window we had last week (June 2-6) to get things accomplished.

Most of the crop is not at or past the final nitrogen (N) date at this point, and it’s time to get that fertilizer and water on. If we can get preflood N out on dry ground and turn the wells on, that is the most efficient and best use of our N. That said, with the wet spring, many fields got preflood N put out on just firm ground and had the well turned on or caught rain. We could see some N loss this way, but some N is better than none.

I would certainly come back with a midseason shot of N at 100 lbs. of urea on these acres. I know of some fields that just would not dry up and preflood N had to be spoon fed. If this is the way you had to put your N out, then we recommend 4–5 weekly shots of 100 lbs. of urea. The 5th shot will likely be your midseason shot, and I would stop there.

Planting is all but over at this stage. There is some rice being planted here and there, including parts of Mississippi and North Louisiana but for the majority, planting is over. Some acres are getting replanted now since we are finally able to get back into the field.

Some of the March-planted rice will be at green ring in a week or two. Growers that were able to get some of that rice flooded on time will be thinking about midseason N very soon. Remember we want it to be 3-4 weeks after preflood N is incorporated (flood established) and at or past green ring. If both conditions are met, then we can go with our midseason N.

As always, feel free to give me a call with any questions. I am glad to answer questions and help with any situations you are having in the field.

William “Hutch” Hutchens
District Field Representative
whutchens@horizonseed.com
(870) 273-9291

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Horizon Ag 2025 Field Days

We hope you’ll come to one of our two Horizon Ag field days this summer. It’s a chance to visit with farmers and consultants in the region and hear about industry developments, variety performance and promising Horizon Ag rice varieties that will soon be commercially available.

The Horizon Ag Louisiana Field Day is scheduled for June 23 at Richard Farms, located at 632 Louisiana Highway 700, in Kaplan, Louisiana. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by presentations from Horizon Ag, university and rice industry specialists.

The Horizon Ag Arkansas Field Day will be held on August 12 at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center in Harrisburg, with registration also beginning at 4:30 p.m. 

Both events will end with a fantastic dinner and time to visit with friends – the best way to wrap up a great field day in Rice Country. For more information, please call Horizon Ag at 866-237-6167.

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Reminder: Rice Industry Awards Call For Nominations

Horizon Ag and USA Rice need your help to identify candidates worthy of being honored as recipients of the prestigious 2025 Rice Industry Awards at the Rice Outlook Conference in December 2025.

The awards for Rice Farmer of the Year, Rice Industry Award and Rice Lifetime Achievement Award recognize those rice leaders who have demonstrated dedication, determination and innovation to the industry.

More information about each award, nomination forms and instructions can be found at www.horizonseed.com/rice-awards.

The deadline for submitting nominations is July 15.

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There’s An App For That!

The Horizon Ag Productivity app provides easy access to critical management recommendations and tools, including seeding rates, fertilizer recommendations and other suggested management practices to help you get the most out of our varieties. Updated for 2025, the app is available in the App Store and on Google Play.

Whether you are a long-time Horizon Ag customer or growing our Clearfield and Provisia varieties for the first time, the Horizon Ag Productivity App can be a valuable tool. Available in the App Store or Google Play.

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