Rain delays rice harvest

Mother Nature has nudged local rice farmers back a week.

Just as some were preparing to enter their fields, rain forced them to wait a few more days, according to University of Arkansas Co-op extension agent for Mississippi County Jason Osborn.

"They're just now getting into the rice," said Osborn. "It's a little behind. It was probably getting close to harvest and then it rained."

Osborn said he had not heard any yield reports as of Thursday.

Despite the delay, Mississippi County farmers are among the fortunate in Arkansas to not be pushed further back by flooding.

Jarrod Hardke, rice extension agronomist with the UA Extension state office, reported some counties in Northeast Arkansas have seen flooding that has resulted in multiple-week delays.

"In Randolph, Lawrence, Craighead and Clay Counties roughly 40,000 rice acres have been affected by floodwaters from the Black, Current, and Cache Rivers," Hardke wrote. "More flooding seems possible downstream as all converge on the White River, but more rainfall would probably be needed to make those concerns a reality."

Corn, meanwhile, is nearly half complete in Mississippi County, with Osborn recounting 46 percent harvest as of Thursday.

"I haven't heard anything solid on the yield yet," he said.

Cotton picking - even defoliating - remains in the distance for the county's farmers, Osborn said, adding picking "depends on the year. This year it will probably be the end of September or early October."

Soybeans also remain weeks from harvest due to the summer rain. Osborn said he has not received any reports on grain sorghum in Mississippi County.