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

Wildlife still loves our rice just as they did in 1973 even more so because we can control the water better

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

Land improvements since 1973

•Laser Leveled entire farm

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

Irrigation Improvements since 1973

6 miles of Underground irrigation pipe

No Till Drill & GPS guided self steering Tractors

Water Outlet from Underground Pipe

Fields out of Rice Rotation

First Flood on Rice 30 days old

Rice Ready to Harvest

Harvest August 2012

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

Immediate & Future Problem For Texas Rice

WATER

Lake Travis & Buchanan 38% Full

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

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.

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

What Rice and Water do for Wildlife

Main Roost in Eagle Lake

This Balled Eagle posed for me

Birds Sited on My Farm

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

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