Rice Farming TV

Rice Farming TV ^ | various | Matthew Sligar

[Auntie Mame]

Interesting. I wonder if Matthew of Rice Farming TV got his idea to make his channel from them.

Thanks for the links!

[Auntie Mame]

It’s never too late to do a lot of these types of things, most of them can be done on a small scale at any age. ; )

[Auntie Mame]

Rice actually doesn’t need the water. It’s simply an ancient way to kill all other plants that compete with the rice.

I did not know this. Even after all the Rice Farming TV episodes I've watched. LOL. I googled it and it also says the flooded fields also keeps the rice from having to use a lot of insecticides.

The next thing I want to know is how they handle crop rotation.

[Auntie Mame]

Now THAT’s the way to go!

Wonder if there’s a lot of mosquitos in rice fields?

[struggle]

>> The next thing I want to know is how they handle crop rotation.

Japanese soil is by nature nutrient deficient. They usually will chop the rice and let the roots and emerging stalks regrow until it naturally dies with the first bad frost in December. Then the farmers re-till the those stalks and roots before reflooding the fields. Then they plant new seedlings in March. I don’t think I’ve seen any rotation in the years I was there.

[struggle]

>Wonder if there’s a lot of mosquitos in rice fields?

holy heck yes. I’ve taught Japanese school kids whose parent think that air conditioning is unhealthy (or can’t afford it) and their limbs are pot-marked with bites like crazy! It’s amazing the kids survive.

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the ping. I’ll check it out. Rice growing is not likely here - big shortage of water, so unless we grew in containers, it’s a no go.

We don’t eat much rice anyway. Hubby is big on bread, fortunately, I have been able to grow winter wheat and he did too. So we know we can if we have to.