HORIZON AG REGIONAL REPORTS

Strong Early Progress Is Setting the Tone for 2026

Grand Prairie Arkansas

Growers have been doing ground prep and burndown applications for a few weeks now with the extended dry period we have had. The entire state of Arkansas is in a drought, and it will take quite a bit of rain to get us out of it. I see some rain in the forecast this weekend, and if we get it, it will be a blessing. Many reservoirs need replenishing, or some will not have enough water to irrigate.

I believe that we are 5% planted across the territory, and I expect that number will increase until it rains this week. While there has been some rice planted in the territory, most growers have been focused on soybeans and corn. I think we will start to see more rice planted in the weeks to come, but grower uncertainty remains high.

I do not know of any rice that has emerged in the territory yet. The above-normal temperatures have the soil temps higher than usual, so we will likely see some rice emerging in the next 10 days or less.

Let's make sure that we are getting some residuals out ahead of a rain, if possible. Keeping weeds from emerging is the cheapest way to control a lot of our hard-to-control weed problems.

Mississippi has been planting in earnest this week, and District Field Rep. Garland Melton says they are between 30-50% planted. If the weather holds up, they could be done in the next week.

As planting ramps up here, give me a call if there's anything you want to talk through.

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South Central Louisiana

The 2026 South Louisiana rice crop got off to a fast start due to ideal planting conditions. Planting started full force in the third week of February and was wide open for about ten days. I would estimate that around 50% of the crop was planted in that time frame.

As the calendar turned to March, Mother Nature decided to give us a few problems to contend with. Two storm systems provided strong winds for the entire region and heavy rainfall for portions of the region. The second system brought cold temperatures, as areas had frost and strong north winds that lasted for a few days. The earliest planted rice that had emerged and had put on one or two leaves really got battered with the strong winds. These fields showed signs of cold damage as they started to grow after the cold snap. The rice that was planted later was just emerging or was about to emerge did not sustain the wind damage, but the strong north winds caused crust to form, and fields had to be flushed pretty quickly to promote emergence.

I have received reports that PVL03 handled the adverse conditions very well and was quick to get out of the ground on the earlier planted acres. As this year is off to a running start, I do expect fields that were drill planted to have a permanent flood applied within the next seven to ten days.

As most of you have heard, the Rice Delphacid was found in quite a few fields in Louisiana last year. LSU AgCenter Rice Specialist Tyler Musgrove has published a notice with information about Rice Delphacid and the Section 18 Emergency Use Label for Courier insecticide. This information is only for Louisiana, so if you are in a different state, please contact your extension service for the state that you are located in. A link to the publication is HERE.

According to Texas District Field Rep. Hunter Brown, Texas growing conditions have been similar to South Louisiana. Growers have battled strong winds and a cold snap. Hunter expects the crop to start moving along as favorable conditions are becoming more prevalent. Planting kicked off the third week of February, and he estimates Texas is now around 80% planted.

​If you need anything as planting season continues, don’t hesitate to reach out.

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