Rice, corn harvest begin in Arkansas
Aug. 19, 2026
By Mary Hightower
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- Rice harvest well ahead of five-year average
- Corn enters fourth week of harvest
(313 words)
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JONESBORO, Ark. — This year’s droughted rice harvest in Arkansas will be something of a chase game, said Jarrod Hardke, extension rice agronomist for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
This week’s Crop Progress report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, showed 7 percent of Arkansas’ rice being harvested, ahead of last year’s 4 percent and the 3 percent five-year average. This is the first report of Arkansas rice being harvested this year.
“We’re about to pick up a lot of speed by the end of this week, then it’s all just dependent on the weather,” Hardke said.
At a time when growers are typically draining their rice paddies, “it’s so hot and dry that many are flushing rice one last time to make sure plants stay alive through harvest,” he said.
Hardke said that’s when the game begins.
“Farmers are expecting to drain their paddies as soon as it all gets wet one last time, then as the ground dries, they’ll chase the drying ground with the combine,” he said.
Corn is in its fourth week of harvest, with 21 percent harvested, NASS reported. That compares to 16 percent last year and ahead of the 9 percent five-year average.
Scott Stiles, extension economics program associate for the Division of Agriculture, noted one difference in the crop landscape this year.
“Grain sorghum hasn’t been talked about much in recent years,” he said, “but in the Farm Service Agency certified acreage report that came out last week, Arkansas has 12,679 acres of grain sorghum. That's up 79 percent from last year's 7,083 acres.
“Here in Arkansas, there’s demand for it by the feed mills as well as the river terminals for the export market,” Stiles said.
Arkansas sorghum isn’t tracked in the Crop Progress report, which counts only Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas.
Sorghum harvest in Arkansas generally begins in late August.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land-grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 22 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Nick Kordsmeier
nkordsme@uada.edu