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Rice & Waterfowl Ecosystem

Rice & Waterfowl Ecosystem. Steve K Balas. Graduated BS in Pharmacy in 1969 Started Farming Rice 1973. Rice Production Has Changed since 1973. We yield over twice as much rice per acre today as we were in 1973

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Rice & Waterfowl Ecosystem

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  1. Rice & Waterfowl Ecosystem

  2. Steve K Balas • Graduated BS in Pharmacy in 1969 • Started Farming Rice 1973

  3. Rice Production Has Changed since 1973 We yield over twice as much rice per acretoday as we were in 1973 Wildlife still loves our rice just as they did in 1973 even more so because we can control the water better

  4. Production Improvements since 1973 • Hybrid Seed has more than doubled yields from 48 hundred pounds acre to over 130 hundred pounds per acre with same inputs and less water

  5. Land improvements since 1973 • Laser Leveled entire farm

  6. What Laser Leveling Does • Saves Water • Saves Labor • Use less fertilizer and Herbicide's • Easier on Equipment • Higher Yields • We can flood large areas for wildlife and control the water better

  7. Irrigation Improvements since 1973 6 miles of Underground irrigation pipe

  8. No Till Drill & GPS guided self steering Tractors

  9. Water Outlet from Underground Pipe

  10. Fields out of Rice Rotation

  11. First Flood on Rice 30 days old

  12. Rice Ready to Harvest

  13. Harvest August 2012

  14. Rice Feeds the World • Rice Feeds over 50% of the world every day • In Asia, Africa and the Middle East there are a lot of hungry people and this can create unstable governments

  15. Immediate & Future Problem For Texas Rice WATER

  16. Lake Travis & Buchanan 38% Full

  17. Problems for the Rice industry Embargoes and Foreign Governments Rice is an expensive crop currently costs about $1,200 per acre. Rice Price is World Price Set by Thailand U S Government Regulations and using food to threaten foreign countries

  18. Ecosystem Services • It is going to take something like Ecosystem Services to keep land in our area in production to have the open habitat for the wildlife in eastern Texas. The only way I believe you can do this is Keep the land in ownership by someone who loves the land. • This is what helped make • this country from the beginning.

  19. Loss of Land from Family Control • The Industry looses land as families pass their property down and their children divide it up or have to sell it

  20. What Rice and Water do for Wildlife

  21. Main Roost in Eagle Lake

  22. This Balled Eagle posed for me

  23. Birds Sited on My Farm

  24. How I Feel about the land WE ARE TRULY KEEPERS OF THE LAND. THE ONLY WAY WE CAN MAINTAIN OUR LAND AND WATER IS TO TAKE CARE OF THEM FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS (THIS INCLUDES WILDLIFE. THIS IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AND DUTY THAT WE NEED TO TAKE SERIOUSLY

  25. Ecosystem Services • You can see from my presentation that we need to use and partnership with Ecosystem Services. Together we can make this a better • World

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