Australian rice growers must produce high yielding crops of specialty rice cultivars that offer consistent grain quality within parameters set by a discerning market. This ensures returns that are competitive with alternate uses for irrigation water and land. Lodging becomes a major constraint in high yielding rice production as the canopy structure is flattened and the capacity to accumulate photosynthesates reduced. Harvest efficiency can be diminished, upsetting the logistical schedule and reducing grain quality due to the increased spread of grain moisture contents within the sample.