DuckSouth.com

Does anyone have a rough estimate of the cost per acre to plant and fertilize rice for duck hunting (not a commercial crop)? I know the number varies based on seed, water and fuel costs but i am just trying to get a rough number in comparison to the cost of millet

Go to msucares.com. Plenty crop budgets there in a spreadsheet format. Adjust what Ya need to. Probably can back weed control down a bit to save some $$


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SWAG could probably give you a budget down to the penny. With a conventional variety you could probably get it done for a couple hundred bucks an acre.

Fertilizer is what's gonna get in your wallet. 2,4-D for broadleaf weed control is cheap. Let the grasses grow with your rice.

A lot of variables come into play with rice and WHERE it is being grown. Is it a brake you are drawing down and planting into which will probably hold a lot of moisture and offer some above average natural fertility? Is it a field that has been cropped for long time? Is it an impoundment like the ones in CRP or WRP? Well going to be used?

It's a large area that has water control structures but gets plenty drainage and moisture. I have a well if necessary and just wondering whether rice is worth the cost. Jap millet is cheap and easy

I planted rice two years. The blackbirds had 85% of it consumed about a month before duck season.

Wingman is right, the fertilizer is your highest input cost. I am not as familiar with the newest rice varieties being planted right now, but the seeding rate is lower than when I was growing rice. For a duck plot, your ideal planting date is much later than commercial grown rice. I would think somewhere around June 1-June 15 would be a good window. This has the potential to help with some of the blackbird issues but could run into some pest problems. Water is a weed control tool in rice. It does not have to be flooded but certainly enjoys abundant soil moisture. You have the ability to give it what it needs whether you decide to flood it or just flush it ever so often. Very, very generic but cost to grow rice for a duck plot could be broken down /acre like this:

Site Prep _____________________
Planting Application __________________
Seed __________________
Spraying Application ________________
Herbicides _________________
Fertilizer Application _______________
Fertilizer _________________
Pumping Cost ________________
Insecticide Application _________________
Insecticide ___________________
TOTAL:_____________________

So many variables that only the person who intends to do it can answer.....
*Site prep may be no more than pulling boards or may be 3 or tillage trips.
*The number of spray applications may be 2 or as many as 5.
*Many more variables

Broadcast the seed into the water around June 1 and pull the water off in 24 hours.