Arkansas Corn Harvest Accelerating, Rice Finding Its Stride

MARY HIGHTOWER

JONESBORO, ARKANSAS

Harvest has begun in Arkansas and corn growers are moving ahead of last year’s pace, while rice growers are starting to find their stride, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

 This week’s report showed corn was 17 percent harvested compared to 15 percent at this time last year and the 7 percent five-year average.

“Corn harvest has really picked up over the last 10 days, spurred by warm temperatures and overall lack of rainfall,” said Jason Kelley, extension agronomist-wheat and feed grains for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “The greatest harvested acres are in the southern half of the state, but harvest has started statewide. 

“Harvest should steadily increase over the next two weeks as grain moisture drops to levels that grain can be directly shipped to grain terminals or stored in bins without drying,” Kelley said. “Overall yields have been good so far, with some variability from field to field, based on the timeliness of inputs and overall field drainage during the wet spring.”

Rice was 4 percent harvested compared to 8 percent last year, but ahead of the 3 percent five-year average.

“Harvest continues to pick up speed south of I-40, while north of I-40 is at the very beginning,” said Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “Next week we'll begin to see a larger jump in progress with much more rice ready for harvest. 

“Results so far are variable, matching the overall appearance of the crop throughout the year,” he said.

Cotton was 100 percent squared – meaning they have buds that will eventually become bolls. That’s on par with last year’s rate.

Ninety-four percent of the crop is setting bolls, slightly behind last year’s 96 percent and the five-year average of 97 percent.

Zachary Treadway, extension cotton and peanut agronomist, said there’s not much going on at the moment with either of those crops.

“The majority of the cotton and peanut crops were late getting planted, so we expect a later harvest,” Treadway said. “I will say, we need a long, late summer and a kind hurricane season to finish the crop. We need to continue to accumulate heat units into October and dodge any major storms.” 

The Atlantic hurricane season peaks in September.

NASS said 96 percent of soybeans had set pods, compared to 95 percent last year and the 92 percent five-year average.   ∆

MARY HIGHTOWER

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS