M. Grain Sorghum Production

The photos in this section were taken in late July and early August west of Jonesboro, Arkansas just east of the Cache River. Grain sorghum will likely be produced on Amerigui Plantation, especially in the initial years of operation. Grain sorghum will be used as a primary ingredient in poultry feed for local poultry producers.

The production of grain sorghum at Amerigui Plantation has several advantages over corn, its nearest grain substitute. Harvest equipment used for grain sorghum and rice are similar and may be harvested with the same header. In contrast, the harvest of corn requires use of a header specially designed for corn harvest only. Therefore, production of grain sorghum reduces the initial investment required for farm machinery and maintenance.

Grain sorghum is also more resilient to production on soils low in fertility. The soils at Monchon are much the same as other sites in West Africa, in that they exhibit good soil physics, but are severely lacking in soil fertility. Nutrients have leached out over thousands of years and have not been replaced.

A major investment in phosphorus and potassium will be required on all fields in order to bring the soil nutrition to acceptable levels. While corn has greater yield potential, this potential will not be realized until soil fertility, nutrition, and balance has been attained.

Grain sorghum is also more tolerant to drought than corn. While irrigation will be readily available on the developed fields at Amerigui Plantation, the production of grain sorghum on undeveloped areas could be an option worth considering. If workable, this would provide more planted acres earlier in the program and assist in generating much-needed cash flow.

The growing season for grain sorghum and corn is very similar. Here in northeast Arkansas both crops are planted in late March--early April and harvested in late August or early September. The fields pictured here should be harvested in about a week, or around August 20th.

L. Land and Water Resource Development

The natural grade and topography of the Monchon rice plains is rather flat, but flat is a relative term from a soil and water engineering perspective. What is necessary for mechanized farms using the latest seed, chemical, and fertilizers technologies is a consistent slope to a rectangular-shaped field that can be irrigated and drained upon demand by management.

For the commerical production of rice, in most cases this requires the fields to be precision-graded. Precision-graded fields promote effective drainage and cost-efficient irrigation. Each is extremely important in the maximization of resources invested in growing crops. Properly designed fields and irrigation/drainage systems pay dividends year after year, whereas fields having poor irrigation and layout designs represent added expenses to production costs.

The large 4WD tractor and tandem set of dirt scrapers pictured above is used to precision-grade fields. Each of the scrapers has a capacity of about 17 cubic yards and is controlled by a thin laser beam light that guides the cutting and operating depth of the blades on each scraper. The tractor above has about 450 hp and probably weighs over 25 tons with added ballast.

The equipment used on Amerigui Plantation will resemble what is pictured here. The primary difference is that the control system to be used on Amerigui Plantation will be a GPS interface. This technology has just been offered to the marketplace in the past two years and is made possible by the installation of a land-based RTK base station transmitter that works in concert with the GPS signals emitted by several satellites orbiting overhead at any given moment.

The RTK base station must be installed within a couple of miles of the landgrading, surveying, or mapping operations. Amerigui Plantation will start with one RTK base station, but a second station may be required in the future if trees or distance pose complications with receiving a suitable signal to all areas of Amerigui Plantation.

The landgrading machinery above is building an irrigation reservoir on Gunter Farms in September 2005. The laser signal is being used to create a flat, slightly sloped floor to the reservoir, in addition to making the top of the perimeter levee consistently level.

Irrigation water at Amerigui Plantation will be pumped from the existing canal network illustrated in Section F. Irrigation pumps and diesel-powered engines will draw water into steel pipe intakes installed in the center of the canal, lifted a few feet in the pump chamber, then pushed into horizontal steel pipes buried under the roads and fields. Once clear of road and traffic lanes, the buried steel pipelines will be connected to 400mm PVC pipelines that will have risers at chosen high points for delivery to each field.

While the two pumps servicing the irrigation reservoir on Gunter Farms are powered by electric motors, the pumps at Amerigui Plantation will be powered by 4-cylinder diesel engines.

Much of the irrigation system is buried and out of sight, but you can see that each pump consists of an electric motor, vertical pump, intake pipe, and discharge pipe. The discharge pipe feeds a vertical surge chamber, which in turn feeds the water into underground irrigation pipelines servicing risers in each field.

A simple float apparatus connects to a switch, which automatically shuts off the electrically-powered pumps when the water falls to a pre-set level.

The steel pipe spanning the supply ditch is connected to a 15" PVC irrigation pipe. Buried in-line valves are controlled by the wheels positioned adjacent to the black-painted surge chamber.

These pumps are installed on the edge of the water source ditch, but some pumps to be installed on Amerigui Plantation may be installed on a steel span across the canals. This will assure that the diesel engines, fuel tanks, and all other equipment pictured above are less accessible to passing children, do not interfere with movement of farm machinery along canal roads, and generally create a cleaner look with straight roads and field borders.

Water being pumped from the ditch into the reservoir for the first time. Valves can be adjusted to pump water from:

1. Supply ditch into the reservoir
2. Supply ditch into the underground irrigation canal network
3. Reservoir into the underground irrigation canal network
4. Gravity feed water from the reservoir into the underground irrigation canal network
5. Deep water turbine wells into the reservoir

The water flow rate pictured here approximates the flow rate for pumps to be installed on Amerigui Plantation. About 12-14 separate pumping stations will be required to properly irrigate the developed fields at Amerigui Plantation. Probably ten miles of 400mm irrigation pipe will eventually be buried, as well.

The entire irrigation pumps, valves, and electrical works were custom-designed and installed by Dennis Manufacturing, of Waldenburg, Arkansas. Dennis Manufacturing has designed and built a wide array of specialized farm machinery over the past 40 years, but the huge interest in using surface water for irrigation has created demand for custom-built irrigation pumps.

Dennis Manufacturing is widely recognized as a leading authority on water pump design and will be assisting Amerigui Plantation with its surface irrigation equipment requirements.

The surface water pumping stations will be connected to several miles of underground PVC pipelines that will deliver irrigation water in with pinpoint accuracy to each field. These pipelines will need to be buried about 3-4 feet deep in order to avoid damage from farm equipment conducting tillage operations, as well as to avoid collapsing of pipelines due to heavy equipment traffic.

The following photos illustrate the laying of a new 12" PVC pipeline on the Joey Scott farm that lies adjacent to Gunter Farms, near Fisher, Arkansas. A trenching machine is being used to cut the trench into which the PVC irrigation pipeline will be laid.

The use of a trenching machine rather than a backhoe has several advantages, a primary one being that the trench floor is curved to generally form to the shape of the pipe. If you look closely at the trencher's buckets, you can see that they have a curved digging face. A curved floor will better support the PVC pipeline and provide some insurance against premature collapsing of the PVC pipeline. If the trench floor is dug flat, it is very difficult to properly place soil under the pipeline.

The machine operator assures that the machine advances at the desired rate, the trench is dug to the proper depth, and that the trench is dug in as straight a line as possible.

The trenching machine above was excavating a trench at least four feet deep. A 20' length of PVC pipe was being laid about every three minutes on a continuous basis.

This worker is applying a lubricant to the female joint surface so that the next pipe section will slide in easily and not damage the joint. Care needs to be taken not to damage joints when mating the pipes together. Leaks in the irrigation pipelines will create a wide range of problems for crops and equipment and must be repaired at great expense.

A small mark is printed on the male end of each pipe section so that the installers are assured the new section is completely inserted into the laid pipeline.

The laying of the pipeline is not complicated, but real skills and experience are necessary when installing irrigation risers, valves, connecting to existing water sources, etc. The mating of steel and PVC irrigation components requires a good deal of custom work performed on-site, often in rather poor conditions.

The backhoe operator is covering the pipeline as other workers continue laying new sections. Settlement of the soil will take place during the first year following installation, so extra soil is placed over the trench to allow for this settlement.

A well-designed irrigation system will assure that water is available where it is needed and in quantities sufficient to satisfy the needs of growing crops. This requires careful choosing of pumps, engines, pipeline diameter and length, number of risers, etc. While expensive to install, a proper irrigation system will reduce costs of crop production for decades to come.

This pipeline is being installed by Cart Well Company of Weiner, Arkansas. Cart Well has been installing irrigation wells for almost 100 years and played an instrumental role in the very creation of Arkansas' rice production industry.

The interdependence between rice farmers and their irrigation services company cannot be over-estimated. Northeast Arkansas rice farmers appreciate the competent, courteous, and professional service provided by Cart Well Company.

K. The Corn Production Cycle

Field corn and possibly grain sorghum will be rotated with rice planted on Amerigui Plantation. The crop cycle needs to be changed each season in order to prevent infestations of red rice and indigenous species from emerging and competing with pure varieties in commercial rice fields.

Additional benefits to crop rotation include better management of weed spectrums likely to appear in either crop, diversification of the herbicide program used, promotion of more desirable soil physics, and more complete utilization of machinery and labor available to the operation.

The production of corn and grain sorghum allows Amerigui Plantation to offer poultry feed as a complement to its milled rice product line. Feed grains grown on Amerigui Plantation will be ground and mixed with rice bran, imported soybean meal, and a complement of minerals and vitamins to comprise a balanced, complete poultry ration for broilers and layers.

The very high market prices for corn in 2007 have encouraged many Arkansas farmers to switch acres away from cotton, soybeans, and in some cases rice, to corn for the first time in decades. Steve Carpenter, a local Fisher rice farmer, has seized this opportunity to plant corn in 2007. The following photos were taken on the Carpenter farm north of Fisher about March 29th.

This corn field was planted about March 12th, 2007 into a stale seedbed. The corn planter was hitched in tandem with the hippers to perform both operations in a single field pass. This specialized equipment is locally designed and built by Dennis Manufacturing, of Waldenburg, Arkansas. Dennis Manufacturing has built around 30 of these One-Pass Planting Systems for use across the Mid-South.

The fields pictured were planted on hipped beds spaced 30" apart, which is common in the Mid-South. An 8-row planter was used, and an 8-row corn head will also likely be used in the harvest operation to gather and strip the ears from the stalks.

Seed spacing and placement is a critical factor to achieving optimal corn field yields. The above photos illustrate that the seedlings have emerged in a very uniformly-spaced pattern. A desired plant population of 30,000 to 32,000 plants per acre is also necessary to attain the highest possible yield potential from each acre.

As of April 2nd, the fields pictured above are growing rapidly and have adequate moisture due to a 1" rain event on March 31st. Temperatures have been unseasonably warm this March in Arkansas and have contributed to getting the corn on the Carpenter farm off to an excellent start.

As of April 5th, the corn had quickly grown to the 4-5 leaf stage. Cooler weather is in the forecast this week, which should promote more typical growth rates for early April. The crop continues to look exceptional.

Once the soil dries a bit more from the 1" rain received on March 31st, nitrogen will be applied to the corn crop. For those of us accustomed to producing rice and soybeans, the very aggressive plant development following the application of nitrogen will be very impressive.

Well, folks, this photo above says it all... Mere hours after taking the previous photos of healthy, vibrant seedling corn with 4-5 leaves, record-setting (since the 1880's) cold weather blanketed the Mid-South and Plains states. During the nights of April 5th-7th temperatures dipped to 26 to 28 degrees each night, effectively killing any growing vegetation. The winter wheat crop is believed to have been severely damaged, as were very early rice crops, and corn crops that had been established earlier in the season across the South.

Area agronomists have been consulted for advice on appropriate actions to take, particularly since the losing of spring-planted crops to a late killing freeze is such a rare phenomenon. In the case of corn, most agronomists feel that sufficient energy remains in the roots and seed to sprout new shoots of corn provided that the crop had not yet reached the 6-leaf stage. If that advice holds true, the field above should recover most of its yield potential, but any gains from an early start to the year will have been totally erased, leaving the crop more vulnerable to insect and high temperature pressures during July.

The "Great Easter Freeze of 2007" was even more damaging due to the very warm March temperatures. This is a good example of the risks farmers around the world face each season. While Amerigui Plantation is effectively immune from risks of freeze damage, other risks do remain, such as insect and bird damage; management of stored grain in a warm, humid environment; and operating in a climate having distinctive wet and dry seasons.

Condolences and a sympathetic hug go out to Steve during this very disappointing development in what had appeared to be an ideal growing season for his corn.

Carpenter's corn fields were replanted to corn during April 14-16. There was insufficient energy remaining in the root system to cause fresh, new shoots to emerge. Due to the shortage of corn seed this planting season, a traditional, non-Roundup-Ready variety had to be planted. This required an additional herbicide application, adding insult to injury to what had been a stellar looking crop in late March.

While the replanting was done in ideal conditions, a couple of rain events occured shortly thereafter which appeared to add slightly more moisture to the soil than would have been desired following planting. The crop looks good, but stands would have been better had there been somewhat less precipitation so early after planting.

As of May 10th, Carpenter's replanted corn crop is just now eclipsing the stage of development reached in early April. The loss of one month of time and subsequent later maturity could cause some reduction in field yield. Other additional costs caused by the Easter Freeze are loss of some nitrogen and additional seed, chemical, and machinery costs.

The photos immediately above and below were taken on May 16th. The corn had grown to 7-10 leaf stage with plenty of moisture and favorable temperatures. Plant spacing is very uniform and populations appear to be near ideal.

A few smaller areas have suffered from wetter than desirable conditions, but all fields have a very good appearance. All fields are remarkably free of grasses and broadleaf weeds.

Northeast Arkansas farmers are specialists in rice, soybeans, and soft red winter wheat. Corn is new to most farmers in this area, but lots of attention is being given to diversifying into corn beginning in 2007. Most feel there will be increasing acres planted to corn in this area in coming years, mostly at the expense of cotton and rice acres.

The additional investment required for specialized planting and harvest machinery is a concern to most smaller farmers. Larger farmers better able to amortize the additional machinery expense seem to be more interested in pursuing alternatives to rice and cotton.

The photo above was taken about June 10th. The amount of growth taken place in the preceding three weeks is impressive. Conditions were unseasonably dry starting in late May. This, coupled with corn's huge demand for water to achieve rapid vegetative growth has resulted in the need to irrigate for the first time.

The crop being tracked on this site required irrigation on three occasions through the course of the growing season. By late July the kernel filling process had been completed and the crop had entered the early dent stage of development.

The photo above was taken on August 10th. The crop is nearing maturity, irrigation is no longer beneficial, and the kernels have reached full dent stage. Harvest will take place soon, probably around Sept 1st.

Additonal photos and comments will be added to this section as the growing season progresses.

J. Technologies to be used on Amerigui Plantation

Western-style production agriculture practices use technology to overcome many common challenges. A frequent result is marked upward shifts in field yields, lower per unit production costs, and much greater labor productivity.

Amerigui Plantation will be employing the latest technologies available in the design, development, and operations of the enterprise. The following sections highlight key elements of this reliance on technology to assure Amerigui Plantation's long term commercial viability.

A. Use of Global Positioning System (GPS) Technology

While the GPS satellite-based technology has been in use for several decades, its applications for civilian purposes began growing only since the early 1990's. Agriculture was quick to recognize the benefits of its two-dimensional positioning abilities and mostly include field pass guidance for equipment applying fertilizers and chemicals, including cropdusting aircraft.

The sprayer pictured above is a GPS-controlled Ro-Gator equipped with a 90' spray boom. The GPS signal is used to align the sprayer on each pass and steer the machine in a straight line from one side of the field to the other. The sprayer operates at around 12 miles per hour, depending on field conditions.

Another GPS feature this Ro-Gator is equipped with is "AutoBoom." The 90' spray boom is plumbed into several sections, each servicing several nozzles. The AutoBoom feature allows the GPS interface to automatically switch different sections of the boom off in order to avoid an overlapping of the spray pattern. This feature is of most benefit along field turn-rows, alongside perimeters of irregularly shaped fields, and around obstacles that may be inside a field (trees, utility poles, irrigation equipment, etc).

The fertilizer spreader pictured above is also controlled by a GPS signal that steers it in equi-distant, straight lines across the field. The spreader probably operates at around 15 miles per hour across smoother field surfaces.

Each of these chemical and fertilizer application machines is owned and operated by a local supply cooperative named Farmers Supply Coop. Each of these machines covers about 60,000 to 80,000 acres each season.

A fertilizer tender truck is filling the fertilizer spreader with its first load. Due to safety and machine control reasons, the spreader machine transports itself empty to the field to be applied with fertilizer, and is then topped off with fertilizer product as needed for the job.

Amerigui Plantation will initially source its fertilizer and chemical needs from Farmers Supply Coop in Poinsett County, Arkansas. Amerigui Plantation management is considering the use of a GPS-controlled sprayer once sufficient acres are brought into production to warrant this investment.

Mapping of fields for soil fertility and special weed infestations has also become a common practice. Sophisticated fertilizer and chemical application equipment is able to use this data and apply varying doses of inputs to each area of the field as warranted by the input data.

The same technologies described above that guide the liquid and dry-mix applications to the soil are also used to precision-guide farm machinery in straight, parallel passes across the field. The GPS receiver shown above is mounted to the roof of a tractor being used to plant seed with a n0-till without the use of additional markings. The alignment of each parallel pass is calibrated to match the implement being towed behind the tractor, and can even compensate of implements that have a consistent drift in favor of one side.