Rice is usually harvested with self-propelled combines which are equipped with large rubber tires and mud lugs, or with crawler tractors. It is dried promptly with heat. At this stage, kernels in the lower portion of the heads are in the hard dough stage while those in the upper portion are ripe 4. If short season varieties are sown early, a second rotation crop can be harvested in the same season. When rice is grown continuously on the same land, yields become stabilized at low levels.
Weeds become more abundant after two or more rice crops.
In Gulf Coast region, rice is usually grown on the same land 2-3 years. It is then seeded to pasture crops for 2-3 years. In California, they include ladino, burclover and strawberry clover 4. With rotations, subsequent rice yields are higher, soil structure is improved, and soil fertility levels are higher. In Arkansas, a water fallow is sometimes used.