Rice Planting Report On The Official First Day of Spring
Rice planting got off to a delayed start this year in Texas and southwest Louisiana because of wet and cool conditions early, but it is pedal to the metal this week as growers work to get seeds in the ground.
In Texas, planting progress west of Houston is all over the board with some farmers finished (L.G. Raun in El Campo, and Allen Anderson in East Bernard) to some who have not yet started. A common theme is lack of ground moisture, with several farmers saying they delayed planting because of lack of soil moisture, but with no rain in the forecast, they will plant dry and plan to flush fields for seed germination.
Read More
USA Rice Receives Critical International Marketing and Promotion Funding
Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) released the 2025 Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) allocations, with USA Rice receiving nearly $5 million, in addition to the $6.5 million in Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) funds allocated at the end of last year.
Read More
The Informer: Lake Charles Rice Mill Explosion Ends Saga That Began in 1890s
A raging fire destroyed the historic Lake Charles Rice Mill on North Kirkman Street, engulfing the central warehouse and a rice dryer in flames on April 26, 1984, and forcing the evacuation of more than 200 families from their homes.
The seven-story facility was gutted by fire when a 440-volt fuse box exploded, triggering a massive fire in the 59-year-old building, according to that day’s front page of the American Press.
Read More
Established Farm Family asks "Is Farming Worth It?"
Each year, the U.S. rice industry produces approximately 20 billion pounds of rice. Most of that rice is grown on family farm operations, creating more than 125,000 jobs nationwide, primarily in the top six rice producing states where small communities depend on the agricultural industry.
Read More
K-12 Rice & Shine Recipe Contest Inspires School Breakfast to Start With Rice
USA Rice is committed to helping students start their school days the “rice” way with a new national school recipe contest designed to promote increased rice usage during breakfast. The contest is designed for school foodservice professionals, operators, and chefs representing grades K-12 and encourages them to submit original breakfast recipes featuring U.S.-grown rice. “Rice & Shine” aims to inspire increased rice consumption during K-12 breakfast meals with new recipes derived from the contest submissions.
Read More
Boozman Joins Legislation to Protect U.S. Rice from India, China
The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) helped introduce legislation to protect the rice industry against dumping of cheap produce into U.S. markets from India and China.
The Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act would establish a joint task force on agricultural trade enforcement led by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
Read More
Rice Producers are Getting the First New Herbicide Mode of Action in Nearly 40 Years
Rice farmers will be the first to receive a much-anticipated new herbicide mode of action - the first for the industry in almost 40 years. FMC developed Dodhylex Active, the key ingredient in the newly named Keenali Complete - aiming for release in 2026 pending EPA approval.
Read More
U.S. Senators Introduce Bill to Protect Louisiana Rice from India, China
U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Boozman (R-AR), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) introduced the Prioritizing Offensive Agricultural Disputes and Enforcement Act to protect the Louisiana rice industry against dumping of cheap produce into U.S. markets from India and China.
Read More
Moving Up Rice Planting Dates in South Louisiana
That might seem like an impossible dream for most of the U.S. Rice Belt, but it’s getting closer to reality as rice farmers in south Louisiana plant more of their acres using minimum-till or no-till practices.
The key seems to be doing any needed field preparation in the fall and spraying a burndown herbicide to kill winter vegetation prior to planting, according to Ronnie Levy, Extension rice specialist for Louisiana with the LSU AgCenter.
Read More
Iraq Completes 2024-2025 MOU
ADM Rice made a sale of 88,000 metric tons (MT) of U.S. long grain milled rice to Iraq last week, bringing the tonnage to 220,000 MT for the 2024-2025 Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU), surpassing the agreed upon amount of 200,000 MT.
Read More
International Meeting Covers The ABCs of Rice Research
More than 300 rice researchers from around the world gathered here this week for the 40th biennial Rice Technical Working Group (RTWG) meeting to discuss everything from agronomy, breeding, and cytogenics to utilization, weed control, and yield.
Over four days, attendees had their work cut out for them navigating daily schedules, with the event offering more than 151 oral presentations in six discipline panels, multiple committee meetings, three symposia, education sessions, a general session, an industry lunch, an awards lunch, and poster sessions highlighting 102 fledgling research projects.
Read More
Louisiana Rice Farmers Concerned Over USAID Cuts
Hundreds of Louisiana rice farmers are bracing for potential economic fallout as President Donald Trump’s administration considers cutting funds to a U.S. food aid program that purchases and ships their crops to feed the poor in other countries.
Read More
Louisiana Rice Industry Preps For Planting With Meetings, Annual Rice Ball
This past weekend, the Louisiana rice industry came together here for the Louisiana Rice Council and Louisiana Rice Growers Association Joint Annual Membership Meeting, followed by the Louisiana Rice PAC (LaRPAC) Annual Rice Ball.
The historic Grand Opera House of the South was the setting for the industry’s gathering, and a grand time was had by all who were in attendance. Despite the late afternoon weather causing issues for some, the room was filled with rice growers and industry representatives as the festivities got under way.
Read More
Advocate Editorial: La. Rice Farmers are Collateral Damage in Fight Over USAID
The hastily developed and executed pause in aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, has thrown some of Louisiana's farmers into limbo as they wait to find out if programs that bought a significant portion of their crops will continue.
Within weeks of taking office, President Donald Trump and his point person on governmental spending, Elon Musk, abruptly shuttered many operations at USAID and ordered freezes on many aid programs, alleging wasteful spending. Among the programs affected were those that bought crops — including Louisiana rice — for foreign food aid.
Read More
Tapping Into The Knowledge Of 216 Rice Crops On "The Rice Stuff"
They say those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it, and The Rice Stuff podcast is here for you. Dr. Steve Linscombe, a life-long learner himself, asked four of the most distinguished and venerated rice farmers in the country to sit down with him to talk about their lifetime of experiences.
Read More
