As temperatures continue to warm and fields dry, farmers’ thoughts are turning to getting the 2010 rice crop in the ground.

Some fields in the Texas Rice Belt and south Louisiana are already planted while farmers in the north Delta are making final preparations.

Grain drill calibration, especially for some of the newer rice hybrids, can be one of the most important items on rice producers’ checklist as they complete those preparations, according to seed company agronomists.

RiceTec Inc. has put together a set of videos that walk growers through the all-important process of calibrating a variety of grain drills. The videos, which were prepared with the assistance of KAIT-TV in Jonesboro, Ark., and Greenway Equipment, Inc., are now available at RiceTec.

“As you know, we’re dealing with lower than normal seeding rates,” says Brian Ottis, agronomist with RiceTec who provides the narration for the videos. “So it’s very important that you get your grain drill calibrated so that you get a good start each season.”

For more information on the videos, contact Chad Duckworth, marketing and sales support manager for RiceTec, at (870) 919-1777 or by e-mailing [email protected].