The LSU AgCenter will hold a series of meetings to help rice farmers prepare for their 2019 crop.
Don Groth, resident coordinator of the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station, said farmers will be able to get advice on choosing varieties, land preparation, controlling pests and the new farm bill.
Farmers also will hear updated information on new technologies. “We’ve got a much better understanding about how to use new herbicides, fungicides and insecticides that were released to the market last year,” Groth said.
The sessions, which will include lunch, will be held on the following dates:
— Jan. 3 in Crowley at the Acadia Parish extension office, 157 Cherokee Drive. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. and the meeting begins at 8.
— Jan. 8 at the Welsh Community Center, 101 Palmer St., with registration at 8 a.m. and the program at 8:15.
— Jan. 9 at the Ville Platte Civic Center at 704 N. Soileau St. Registration at 7:30 a.m. and the program 8.
— Jan. 10 in Abbeville at the Vermilion Parish Farm Bureau meeting room, 3139 Veterans Memorial Drive. Registration at 8:30 a.m. and the program at 9.
— Feb. 14, the Northeast Louisiana Rice Forum at Iona Golf Course, 10 Country Club Lane, Rayville. Registration at 8:15 a.m. and the event at 9.
— A meeting for central Louisiana growers is anticipated in late February in Mansura. The date and time are pending.
Also on Jan. 9, the Rice Council and Louisiana Rice Growers Association will hold their annual joint meeting in Jennings at the Grand Marais at 919 N. Lake Arthur Ave. The trade show begins at 4 p.m., followed by the meeting.