By Josh Hankins
USA Rice
The Rice Stewardship Partnership has secured $8.9 million through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), to support shallow water flooding of harvested rice fields across the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. USA Rice will serve as lead partner for the project, building on its longstanding collaboration with Ducks Unlimited and other conservation and industry partners to deliver resources to rice producers.
The project will provide financial and technical assistance to producers who manage their fields for migratory bird habitat following harvest. Mississippi will serve as the lead state, with the project covering rice-producing areas of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and selected counties in Illinois.