USA Rice Staff Attend Field Days & Industry Meetings In Louisiana & Texas
USA Rice
EAGLE LAKE, TX, LAKE CHARLES, KAPLAN & CROWLEY, LA – USA Rice staff fanned out across rice-growing regions in southwest Louisiana and Texas to attend industry meetings, meet with members, and participate in field days.
After virtual field days in 2020, rice farmers, consultants, researchers, and rice industry related individuals were excited to be back in person to hear updates on agronomy, sustainability, variety/hybrid breeding, and weed, disease, and insect control.
The LSU AgCenter field day featured speakers including Kevin Norton, who recently retired from USDA’s National Resource Conservation Service, Louisiana Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Dr. Mike Strain, Louisiana Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder, and Betsy Ward, President & CEO of USA Rice who shared her view of the challenges and opportunities facing the rice industry. A large poster session and trade show was available for viewing as folks finished field tours, and the USA Rice license plates in a variety of school colors were a big hit.
The day before, Horizon Ag and RiceTec held well-attended field days in the region. Attendees to the Horizon Ag field day at the Richard Farm in Kaplan heard a plug for the Rice Leadership Development Program and presentations on Clearfield and new Provisia lines available to growers, as well as a new yield competition, ClearPro, sponsored by BASF. During the RiceTec field day, their new Max-Ace and FullPage herbicide resistant technologies were highlighted.
Following the LSU Field Day, the Louisiana Rice Research Board and the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board held separate meetings. Rice staff gave presentations at both, and the Louisiana Rice Promotion Board again voted unanimously to fund the USA Rice Council for the 2021/22 marketing year.
262 miles west, the 47th Annual Eagle Lake Field Day moved indoors, starting with a meeting of the Texas Rice Producers Legislative Group where Tom Sell of Combest, Sell & Associates gave an update on the Biden administration’s new infrastructure plan and what it means for the rice industry. Dr. Steve Linscombe filled the group in on the Rice Leadership Program, which just completed its second session in Missouri and Mississippi, and Dennis Neuman of Ducks Unlimited encouraged farmers to take advantage of the many programs available through the DU Rice Stewardship Partnership.
Later that evening, folks from all walks of the Texas rice industry, including Lesley Dixon, cohost of USA Rice’s podcast, The Rice Stuff, convened for barbecue, sweet tea, and a series of presentations at the Eagle Lake Community Center, hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Extension. Dr. Joe Outlaw, Texas A&M professor and extension economist, discussed the current state of farm policy issues in Washington, D.C., urging the importance of climate policy that makes sense for all U.S. ag industries and regions, and carbon credit program alternatives that every farmer can participate in.
“The best part of my job is getting out to visit our members, and this week in Louisiana we got to see lots of people and reconnect in person. We also saw the long-term impact of the devastating storms of 2020 in and around Lake Charles and know that this year of uncertainty is not over yet,” said Betsy Ward. “But the fact that we were together with friends and colleagues again gives me hope and optimism, not only for the rice industry but for our country.”