“No-Paddy” Rice In Big Demand

“No-Paddy” Rice In Big Demand CROPS Miscellaneous Heinz Thomet doesn’t understand why more market gardeners don’t grow upland rice The fresh harvested rice he grows sells at a premium over other grains he sells – wheat barley rye hulless oats and sorghum “I can sell more rice at $10/lb than I can wheat or oats at $3/lb ” says Thomet “Fresh rice is a different taste experience over store-bought rice ” Thomet had wanted to try dryland rice ever since reading about a guy growing rice in upstate New York 20 years ago When he first started Next Step Produce his 86-acre certified organic farm he concentrated on vegetables and grains that were sure things In 2011 he was able to start experimenting with the rice on his southern Maryland farm “We tried paddy rice but the ducks ate it ” he recalls “Also our soil was too sandy to hold water Then we tried dryland rice and it worked ” Thomet started small His biggest problem was finding a source for seed Commercial rice seed providers in Louisiana wouldn’t even return his calls Specialty seed providers like Southern Exposure Seed Exchange had a total inventory of only 3 lbs Eventually he tried a Japanese variety Koshihikari that did well in his soils A U S variety called Blue Bonnet from Baker Creek Farms also did well None of the available rice seed is cheap Baker Creek offers Blue Bonnet upland rice at $2 75 for 100 grains Fedco Seeds sells a Russian variety called Duborskian which can be grown as far north as Maine if germinated inside and transplanted into warm soils Prices for it range from $1 90 per gram of seed to $98 for 112 grams 4 ounces By 2013 he had his system in place and harvested 400 lbs of short-grain brown rice He treats the rice like a vegetable starting it in his germination house before transplanting it to bare ground or plastic covered mounds Drip tape delivers water twice a week as needed Thomet notes that rice is a very management intensive crop Weed control is a challenge and it is the main thing that keeps him from expanding rice production Flooding rice is actually a weed control practice “Rice doesn’t need to be flooded but it does need a lot of water ” he says “If it doesn’t rain we use the drip irrigation It is also very nutrient intense ” By late summer the rice is ready to harvest Thomet uses an Allis Chalmers All-Crop for all his grains including sorghum He advises not hulling rice until it is ready to bag for sale “We are at the same parallel with Morocco ” says Thomet “Rice is also grown farther north in Japan Spain and Italy We are in the right spot at the right time to grow rice here ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Next Step Produce 10615 Benton Rd Newburg Md 20664 ph 301 259-2096; nextstepproduce@gmail com; www nextstepproduce com

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