Arkansas Corn Harvest Accelerating, Rice Finding Its Stride

By Mary Hightower

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.