News Release Distributed 07/06/10

The Vermilion Parish Rice Field Day that was to be held July 6 has been rescheduled because of bad weather and will be July 13, according to Stuart Gauthier, LSU AgCenter county agent.

“We hope for drier weather next week,” Gauthier said. “At this point we are planning to have the same speakers and itinerary for the event.”

The event will begin at 3 p.m. at the Alden Horton Farm at the corner of La. Highways 14 and 711, to view rice water weevil control plots.

At 3:30 p.m. the tour will move to the Dwight Hardee Farm on Burnell Road, where Ronnie Levy, LSU AgCenter soybean specialist, will give an update on this year’s soybean crop.

The event moves to the Lounsberry Farm, off La. Highway 14, a quarter mile from the Lake Arthur bridge, where Steve Linscombe and Xueyan Sha from the Rice Research Station in Crowley will discuss new rice lines in development. Dustin Harrell will talk about rice fertilization and zinc deficiency.

At 5 p.m., the field day moves to the Lounsberry Farm shop where Ernest Girouard, director of the LSU AgCenter Master Farmer Program, will make a presentation on irrigation efficiency. Mike Salassi, LSU AgCenter economist, will talk about the current rice market, and Randy Jemison of the USA Rice Federation will give a legislative update related to rice farming. A meal will be served.