CALIFORNIA
Field Crops A SPECIAL GROWERS’ REPORT OF AG ALERT ®
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Colusa County farmer George Tibbitts harvests rice at his farm in Arbuckle. Tibbitts, who grows rice and row crops, says he can increase yields and control disease and weed pressure by rotating crops. A new University of California calculater helps rice growers decide which crops make the best economic sense to use as part of a crop rotation.
New tool helps rice growers plan rotational crops By Vicky Boyd
developed the calculator. It may be found at https://rice-rotation-calculator.ipm.ucanr. edu/. A mobile version also is available. “I think as a first draft, it’s excellent because they try and point out all of the things that growers should consider when making a decision about pulling a field out of rice,” Tibbitts said. One thing growers may want to consider is using more custom work, which can ex- pand rotational opportunities, Tibbitts said. The cost calculator provides this scenario as an option. “They have a mindset that they want to do everything themselves,” he said. “But if you’re willing to make that switch in thinking, that expands your options to head in another direction.” From an agronomic standpoint, Brim-DeForest said crop diversification is fundamen- tal to long-term agricultural sustainability. Rotation has been shown to provide several benefits that help manage pests and pesticide resistance issues and improve soil health. U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show that only about 10% of California’s rice acres are rotated to a different annual crop. Over the years, Brim-DeForest said she had heard anecdotes from rice growers
The University of California has launched an online tool to help rice growers and pest control advisors decide whether continuing to farm rice in the coming season or rotating to another field crop makes better economic sense. The Rice Rotation Calculator was developed using grower surveys, UC Cooperative Extension cost studies, grower focus group input and PCA suggestions, said Whitney Brim-DeForest, a UCCE rice advisor for Sutter, Yuba, Placer and Sacramento counties. With rice as the base crop, the tool allows users to explore different rotational scenarios for safflower, sunflower, dry bean and processing tomato production. George Tibbitts, who farms rice and row crops near Arbuckle, is a strong proponent of crop rotation and uses it himself. “If I have a field that’s been in a row crop, like tomatoes, in general I believe I have higher yields with the following rice crop, because to a certain extent, I’ve controlled disease and weed pressure by rotating out of a terrestrial crop into an aquatic crop,” he said. If the drought continues, Tibbitts said rotating a field out of rice and into a row crop is a way to reduce water consumption and keep a field in production. He said he’s fortunate to have soils that hold water needed for a rice crop but also allow percolation for row crops. But not all rice growers have soils that offer the same flexibility. Tibbitts was a member of the grower focus group that provided input as the researchers
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October 19, 2022 Ag Alert 7
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