2025 season recap

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In this episode, Sarah Marsh Janish gives a recap of the 2025 rice season, looking ahead to the 2026 season.

Links

Armyworm Monitoring Network

Upcoming Events

Rice Production Workshop (registration required - REGISTER HERE)

March 18-19, 2026

8:30 am - 3:30 pm

Lundberg Family Farms, 5311 Midway, Richvale, CA

Other Resources

UC Rice Blog

UC Agronomy - Rice

Rice Briefs (Colusa/Yolo)

Rice Notes (Yuba-Sutter)

Rice Leaf (Butte/Glenn)

Rice in the Delta

Mention of an agrichemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings. Always follow the label. The label is the law. Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Transcript

00:00:10 Sarah Marsh Janish

Hello and welcome to Thoughts on Rice, a podcast hosted by the University of California Cooperative Extension Rice Advisors.

00:00:17 Sarah Marsh Janish

I'm one of your hosts, Sarah Marshianisch, and I'm a rice farm advisor for Colusa and Yolo counties.

00:00:23 Whitney Brim-Deforest

I'm Whitney Brim DeForest.

00:00:24 Whitney Brim-Deforest

I'm the Cooperative Extension Rice Advisor for Sutter, Yuba, Placer, and Sacramento counties.

00:00:30 Luis Espino

My name is Luis Espino.

00:00:31 Luis Espino

I'm the Rice Farming Systems Advisor for Butte and Glenn Counties.

00:00:37 Michelle Leinfelder-Miles

I'm Michelle Leinfelder-Miles.

00:00:39 Michelle Leinfelder-Miles

I'm a farm advisor in the Delta region, and the counties that I cover are San Joaquin, Sacramento, Yolo-Solano, and Contra Costa counties.

00:00:49 Sarah Marsh Janish

Together, the UCCE Rice Farm Advisors seek to provide relevant, topical, research-backed information relating to California rice production.

00:01:05 Sarah Marsh Janish

Today, in anticipation of the 2026 season, I'm going to be giving a bit of a wrap-up summary of what happened last season.

00:01:13 Sarah Marsh Janish

This information was taken from reports created by Bruce Lindquist and was a report that I sent out to the Wilbur Ellis Spring Newsletter a couple of weeks ago.

00:01:24 Sarah Marsh Janish

The objective of this is to just kind of give a summary of the 2025 season and offer a little bit of guidance for the year ahead.

00:01:32 Sarah Marsh Janish

with the caveat that obviously none of us can predict the future, and all recommendations should absolutely be taken in the context in which of the environment that they are applied to.

00:01:44 Sarah Marsh Janish

So to start off, let's talk a little bit about the 2025 planting and harvest summary.

00:01:49 Sarah Marsh Janish

In 2025, California's statewide rice acreage reached approximately 533,000 acres, the highest since 2016.

00:02:00 Sarah Marsh Janish

Much of this growth was from expansion in the Delta region, where acreage rose to 15,000 acres, which is the highest amount of rice acres planted in the Delta in a very long time.

00:02:12 Sarah Marsh Janish

Around 25% of the rice fields were planted early, mid-April to early May.

00:02:17 Sarah Marsh Janish

But unfavorable May weather caused many fields to be planted later, creating a split planting pattern and two cohorts of rice.

00:02:28 Sarah Marsh Janish

a cohort that was planted early and a cohort that was planted late.

00:02:32 Sarah Marsh Janish

This late planting affected harvest.

00:02:34 Sarah Marsh Janish

Although the summer was mild, increased rainfall and higher temperatures during grain fill, the late September to mid-November period,

00:02:42 Sarah Marsh Janish

led to challenging harvesting conditions and sub-optimal grain quality.

00:02:46 Sarah Marsh Janish

Some rice fields were still being harvested into early December.

00:02:50 Sarah Marsh Janish

The statewide average yield was 84.5 sacks per acre, a sack being 100 weight, and this number fell short of initial expectations and last year's figures.

00:03:01 Sarah Marsh Janish

The wet harvesting conditions led to some post-harvest challenges.

00:03:06 Sarah Marsh Janish

These wet harvest conditions resulted in widespread field rutting and increased reliance on tracked harvesters, such as hardy harvesters.

00:03:15 Sarah Marsh Janish

Post-harvest operations like chopping and tillage were often delayed or reduced.

00:03:21 Sarah Marsh Janish

To address field ruts and leftover residue, stompers were used on more acres than usual.

00:03:26 Sarah Marsh Janish

But demand for this service outpaced supply, increasing costs.

00:03:31 Sarah Marsh Janish

As we prepare for 2026, it's important to keep residue management in mind.

00:03:36 Sarah Marsh Janish

It's important to address the impact of these wet conditions on residue decomposition.

00:03:42 Sarah Marsh Janish

Poor decomposition of rice straw can tie up soil nutrients and allow disease spores to survive over winter.

00:03:48 Sarah Marsh Janish

increasing the risk of disease infestation in the following season.

00:03:52 Sarah Marsh Janish

In the spring, it's important to focus on tillage and thorough field preparation to incorporate residue and level fields for optimal planting and fertility.

00:04:01 Sarah Marsh Janish

When it comes to pest and disease issues, it's difficult to say exactly what's going to be on the table in 2026.

00:04:08 Sarah Marsh Janish

In terms of pests, specifically weeds,

00:04:11 Sarah Marsh Janish

Walter's barnyard grass is a continuing problem, and research has shown that this weed has resistance to many existing grass herbicides.

00:04:19 Sarah Marsh Janish

For more information, please refer back to Dr.

00:04:22 Sarah Marsh Janish

Whitney Brimdefore's presentations that she gave throughout the winter grower meetings, which can be found on our website.

00:04:28 Sarah Marsh Janish

Winged primrose willow, Ludwigia decurrence, which had previously only been found in Butte County, was detected for the first time in Pulacer County in 2025.

00:04:39 Sarah Marsh Janish

and monitoring for this invasive weed has increased.

00:04:41 Sarah Marsh Janish

For diseases, the incidence of bacchine has been on the rise, which is something to remember going into the 2026 season.

00:04:49 Sarah Marsh Janish

Using a bleach soak at the recommended timing and bleach concentration is the best way to reduce bacchine incidence.

00:04:56 Sarah Marsh Janish

In terms of insects and invertebrates, tadpole shrimp is showing some evidence of resistance to pyrethroids, which is something to consider when doing early season management options.

00:05:07 Sarah Marsh Janish

While armyworm populations have not been impactful in several years, it's still important to scout early and scout often and use the Armyworm Monitoring Network maintained by Dr.

00:05:16 Sarah Marsh Janish

Luis Espino, and that will be linked in the show notes.

00:05:21 Sarah Marsh Janish

Choosing varieties to plant in the field is also a really important thing to be considering, especially as there will be some changes in the seed portfolio coming into 2026.

00:05:33 Sarah Marsh Janish

M211 is known for its high yields, but poor grain quality has led to restrictions at several rice processors.

00:05:40 Sarah Marsh Janish

2026 will be the final year for foundation seed sales of M211, which is being phased out.

00:05:47 Sarah Marsh Janish

M212, when it becomes available, will be the recommended replacement for M211.

00:05:53 Sarah Marsh Janish

This new variety matches M211 in yield potential, offers improved grain quality, and is genetically similar to M206.

00:06:03 Sarah Marsh Janish

Certified seed of M212 will be available in 2028, but seed growers will have it this year.

00:06:10 Sarah Marsh Janish

And following that three-year cycle, that means that we will start to see higher acreage of that in 2027, with the certified seed of M212 being available to everyone in 2028.

00:06:22 Sarah Marsh Janish

M206 is also being phased out with M210 recommended as its replacement.

00:06:28 Sarah Marsh Janish

For more information about variety specifics, please refer back to our podcast episode with Dr.

00:06:34 Sarah Marsh Janish

Harrell and Dr.

00:06:35 Sarah Marsh Janish

De Leon, who talked about these in detail.

00:06:38 Sarah Marsh Janish

Just to kind of sum up what we've talked about here, there are a couple key takeaways for 2026.

00:06:44 Sarah Marsh Janish

Prioritize residue incorporation and field leveling during spring preparation.

00:06:50 Sarah Marsh Janish

Stay informed about evolving pests and disease threats and use integrated management strategies.

00:06:56 Sarah Marsh Janish

Choose varieties carefully, considering both yield and grain quality.

00:07:01 Sarah Marsh Janish

By following these suggestions and remaining flexible in response to changing field and weather conditions, California rice growers can set the stage for a successful 2026 season.

00:07:29 Sarah Marsh Janish

We have a couple of upcoming events we'd like to share with you.

00:07:32 Sarah Marsh Janish

An event I'd really like to emphasize here is the rice production workshop, which will take place over 2 days, March 18th and March 19th at Lundberg Family Farms in Richville.

00:07:44 Sarah Marsh Janish

Like I said, this is a two-day workshop.

00:07:47 Sarah Marsh Janish

It's all day.

00:07:48 Sarah Marsh Janish

8.30 A.m.

00:07:49 Sarah Marsh Janish

to 3.30 P.m.

00:07:51 Sarah Marsh Janish

both days.

00:07:51 Sarah Marsh Janish

And this is a big meeting for us.

00:07:54 Sarah Marsh Janish

We hold this meeting every two years or try to, and this gives us an opportunity to go through the rice production manual and cover in depth the principles and practices of rice farming in California.

00:08:08 Sarah Marsh Janish

We have applied for DPR hours and CCA hours for both days for this meeting.

00:08:13 Sarah Marsh Janish

We are asking that you register in advance.

00:08:16 Sarah Marsh Janish

That registration is required for this workshop.

00:08:19 Sarah Marsh Janish

And there is a cost associated with it, but the cost will cover both days' lunches and meals and the cost of the rice production workshop manual, which every participant will get to follow along with at this meeting.

00:08:32 Sarah Marsh Janish

If you're interested in signing up for this workshop, there will be a link in our show notes.

00:08:37 Sarah Marsh Janish

The Migratory Bird Conservation Partnership will be hosting several conservation incentive program workshops for the 2026 Spring and Summer Conservation Incentive Programs.

00:08:49 Sarah Marsh Janish

They have two separate dates planned in different areas of the rice growing regions, so if you can't make one, feel free to attend the other one.

00:08:57 Sarah Marsh Janish

The same information will be presented at both.

00:09:00 Sarah Marsh Janish

I do want to note that the Sacramento Valley

00:09:03 Sarah Marsh Janish

Workshop will be Thursday, March 19th from 1 to 3 P.m.

00:09:07 Sarah Marsh Janish

at the Sutter County Ag Commissioner's Office at 142 Garden Highway in Yuba City.

00:09:12 Sarah Marsh Janish

Now that is the same day as the second day of our rice production workshop.

00:09:17 Sarah Marsh Janish

So if you're unable to attend the Sacramento Valley workshop for the Conservation Incentive Program, there will be another date in the Delta

00:09:27 Sarah Marsh Janish

On Thursday, March 26th, from 1 to 3 P.m.

00:09:31 Sarah Marsh Janish

at Staten Island House at 23319 North Staten Island Road in Thornton, California.

00:09:37 Sarah Marsh Janish

Again, same information will be presented at both.

00:09:39 Sarah Marsh Janish

You'll be an opportunity to meet program representatives, learn about upcoming opportunities, and get your questions answered about these conservation incentive programs.

00:09:48 Sarah Marsh Janish

On July 30th, UCCE will be partnering with the California Rice Commission to hold the Rice Quality Workshop.

00:09:55 Sarah Marsh Janish

That will take place at Hillcrest

00:09:57 Sarah Marsh Janish

catering in Yuba City and will go from 9 till noon.

00:10:00 Sarah Marsh Janish

This meeting will also have registration required, and although that link is not available yet, as soon as it is available, we will have it up on our websites.

00:10:08 Sarah Marsh Janish

For more information about these and other upcoming events, feel free to check out our resources, which include the UC Rice Blog and the UC Agronomy Rice website.

00:10:19 Sarah Marsh Janish

In terms of other resources you might want to take advantage of, you can also look at our newsletters, which include Rice Briefs,

00:10:26 Sarah Marsh Janish

which covers Calusiolo, Rice Notes, which covers Yuba Sutter, Rice Leaf, which covers Button Glen, and Field Notes, which covers rice in the Delta region of California.

00:10:37 Sarah Marsh Janish

Thanks for listening to Thoughts on Rice, the University of California Cooperative Extension podcast from the University of California Agricultural Natural Resources.

00:10:48 Sarah Marsh Janish

You can find out more about this podcast on our website, thoughtsonrice.buzzsprout.com.

00:10:54 Sarah Marsh Janish

We'd love to hear from you.

00:10:55 Sarah Marsh Janish

Whether it's from using our text link in the show notes, a survey submission in our feedback form, also in the show notes, or in a comment or rating on your podcast streaming service of choice.

00:11:05 Sarah Marsh Janish

You can e-mail me with any comments, questions, or concerns at smarsh at ucanr.edu.

00:11:12 Sarah Marsh Janish

Another year has begun, and it feels like planting is right around the corner.

00:11:17 Sarah Marsh Janish

And remember, like the growers like to say, have a race life.

00:11:22 Sarah Marsh Janish

The mention of an agrochemical does not constitute a recommendation, merely the sharing of research findings.

00:11:27 Sarah Marsh Janish

Always follow the label.

00:11:28 Sarah Marsh Janish

The label is the law.

00:11:30 Sarah Marsh Janish

Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.

00:11:33 Sarah Marsh Janish

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker's own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California.

00:11:39 Sarah Marsh Janish

The material and information presented here is for general purposes only.

00:11:44 Sarah Marsh Janish

The University of California name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner.

00:11:49 Sarah Marsh Janish

And its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.