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Research in Rice Fields

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

USGS FS-021-00

 June 2000

For more information, contact:

U.S. Geological Survey, National Wetlands Research Center,

700 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, LA 70506

337/266-8500; Fax: 337/266-8513; http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov

Between 1987 and 1999, 2.4-3 million

acres of rice were planted annually

nationwide.

Rice fields are a major component of the

contemporary landscapes in the Gulf

Coastal Plain, the Mississippi Alluvial

Valley, and Central Valley of California.

In 1998, approximately 600,000 acres of

rice were planted in Louisiana.

In the Louisiana plant commodities

report for 1998, total value for rice was

over $350 million; sugarcane was the only

plant commodity that exceeded this value.

Louisiana has over 2,000 rice farmers

supporting over 12,000 jobs in the state.

Rice fields in the United States receive

high use by wildlife, especially shorebirds,

wading birds, and waterfowl. Waterbirds

use rice fields for food, shelter, and

breeding habitat.

In Louisiana and California, where rice

acreage equals or exceeds that of freshwater marsh, harvested rice fields receive high

use by feeding and resting waterbirds in

winter and during spring and fall migration.

Changes in the distribution and abundance of wading birds in Louisiana since

the 1980s are associated with expansion

of crayfish aquaculture, which is commonly practiced in rotation with rice.

Waterbirds are showing preference to

agricultural fields of the Gulf Coastal Plain

for several reasons: these fields are close

to naturally occurring coastal marshes,

they are located near the Mississippi and

Central migratory bird flyways, and they

are often wet because the region receives

high rainfall.

Management of rice fields for wildlife

has been promoted by farmers groups,

agricultural extension services, state and

federal wildlife agencies, representatives

of the rice industry, and private conservation organizations.

The mini-refuge program sponsored

by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

through the Gulf Coast Joint Venture of the

North American Waterfowl Management

Plan is one of many programs focused on

providing habitat in winter for waterbirds;

since 1988, about 20,000 acres of private

rice fields have been leased annually in

southwestern Louisiana as mini-refuges.

Agricultural practices, especially those conducted under flooded conditions such as seeding and water

levelling, contribute to high waterbird use.
Local and national rice grower federations have begun programs to promote

wildlife use of rice fields. Two significant

efforts are Operation Quackback (Louisiana) and the larger scale Rice Producers

National Waterfowl Habitat Program. The

goal of the rice producers is to flood more

than 1 million acres (400,000 ha) of rice

fields for wintering waterfowl.

Researchers from the National Wetlands

Research Center as well as state universities are providing technical assistance to

these programs at meetings, workshops,

and rice field days.

Researchers at NWRC have found that

ducks nesting in southwest Louisiana

consume only limited amounts of rice.

Indeed, the research shows that use of rice

fields by ducks may actually benefit

farmers because the ducks eat seeds of

undesirable plants; this could possibly

reduce the need for costly herbicide

treatments.

How farmers plant their rice may affect

visiting wildlife. If more farmers resort to

At least 70 species of waterbirds use ricefields in the Gulf Coastal Plain.

dry seeding because of regulations

mandated by the Clean Water Act, fields

once flooded in the spring will be dry and

not be available for migrating birds and

may have reduced value for breeding

birds.

Rice industry representatives, regional

wildlife managers, and agricultural and

wildlife researchers agree that the following research concerning rice fields and

wildlife is needed:

 better information on costs and benefits

of various management practices (e.g.,

winter flooding),

 significance of habitat for shorebird

migration,

 and assessment of what influences use

of rice fields.

Consequently, to better understand

waterbird use of rice fields in the Gulf

Coastal Plain, and to provide baseline data

for continuing studies, NWRC researchers

performed several surveys. They have

documented use by waterbirds in fields

with various management practices during

the post-harvest and nongrowing seasons.

Surveys indicated high use of rice fields by

over 70 species of wintering and migrating

waterfowl, shorebirds, and wading birds

during fall, winter, and spring.

Additional research at NWRC is

currently focusing on which rice field

management practices are most conducive

to waterbird use. Future research will

focus on food availability and waterbird

use of foods in rice fields.