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Rice farmer says fields still flooded

A farmer in northeast Arkansas says he’s still waiting to replant after several thousand acres of his cropland flooded earlier this month.

Jeff Rutledge says flood recovery is a long process and there’s more rain in the forecast.

“For now, we’re just trying to make due and salvage what crop we can, salvage the field prep we’ve done and try to get a crop in as quick as possible.”

Rutledge says several hundred acres of rice are still underwater. And while rice can survive for awhile…

“It really depends on the stage of the rice. In previous years where we’ve had flooded rice fields for a month, the rice had already sprouted and was up a little bit,” he says. “If the crop is up above the soil it tends to stretch the rice out if it grows above the water.”

But he says this rice was still in the ground and it’s unclear how long it will survive.  If Rutledge must replant, he says seed supplies are short.

“If we get later on in the year and some people don’t end up planting some for prevent plant, there will be seed available, but that’s a later planting date, after the final planting date for crop insurance.”

Rutledge says the final planting date for rice is May 25 and there’s still time for farmers to replant, but with economics of agriculture, farmers didn’t need to do anything twice.

And if rice can’t be re-planted, he says farmers will change up their acreage, but there’s not a good crop option available that provides a decent return to farmers.

Rutledge raises corn, soybeans and rice in Jackson County, Arkansas.

Photo credit: Jeff Rutledge