By Deborah Willenborg
USA Rice
Once again, this historic city of 12,000 in southwest Louisiana became the center of the rice world last week with tens of thousands gathering here to celebrate the great grain with four days of music, competitions, and more for the 86th International Rice Festival (IRF). This year's theme, “Rice…A Farming Family Tradition,” was chosen by Festival President Kevin Spell, and it proved exceedingly prescient.