Rice Delphacid Detected In Louisiana For The First Time In >70 years
An invasive insect pest of rice, the rice Delphacid (Tagosodes orizicolus), has been detected in Louisiana. No adverse impacts on rice have been observed in Louisiana as yet, but the detection is certainly a concern. The inset is a major pest of rice in Texas, particularly late-planted and second crop rice.
Specimens were first detected in July in Tensas Parish. Subsequent surveys detected an infestation in western Calcasieu Parish, but its distribution in the State remains largely unknown. It was not detected during initial observations in other areas of northeast or southwest Louisiana, but its occurrence in those are still being investigated. Producers in Calcasieu and Tensas Parishes should exercise caution to avoid additional spread. Rice straw or hay should not be moved out of these Parishes. Producers in other Parishes that detect possible Delphacid infestations should report the sites to LSU AgCenter extension agents.
More information on rice delphacid biology and management can be found on the LSU AgCenter website.
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Intern Gets Hands-On Experience At AgCenter Research Station
Bryce Trahan is no stranger to agriculture. He grew up on a rice, crawfish and cattle farm in Forked Island and participated in 4-H and FFA. But the recent Kaplan High School graduate still found plenty to learn at an internship this summer at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station.
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USA Rice Outlook Conference Origin Story
Today the USA Rice Outlook Conference, coming to New Orleans in December 2025, is widely acknowledged as the preeminent rice event in North America, but where did it come from?
In the late 20th Century, the Cooperative Extension Services in the primary rice growing states assembled annually to update each other about rice research being conducted and their outlook for the coming crop year.
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Showcase Your Creativity In National Rice Month Video Contest
The annual National Rice Month (NRM) Scholarship video contest is here! Creative students are challenged to shine a light on our favorite home-grown grain, and in a short video – three minutes or less – educate, entertain, and tell us why rice is special to you, to your state, or to the world.
It’s easy to participate! ReelRiceContest.com has all the details about this year’s contest open to graduating high school students from Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, or Texas.
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Crop Market Report: August, 2025
This month’s 2025/26 U.S. corn outlook is for sharply higher supplies, greater domestic use and exports, and larger ending stocks. Projected beginning stocks for 2025/26 are 35 million bushels lower based on a slightly higher use forecast for 2024/25. For 2024/25, larger corn exports are partly offset by reductions in corn used for ethanol and glucose and dextrose. Corn production for 2025/26 is forecast at a record 16.7 billion bushels, up 1.0 billion from last month with a 1.9-million acre increase in harvested area and higher yield. If realized, this total would be 1.4 billion bushels more than the prior record set in 2023/24.
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The Surprising Role of Oil & Gas in Sustaining Louisiana’s Rice Industry
Chevron has a longstanding partnership with Ducks Unlimited. Chevron's initial $175,000 investment in 2013 helped launch the Rice Stewardship Program and fuel its expansion across all six rice-growing states: Louisiana, Arkansas, California, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. To date, Chevron has invested over half a million dollars, and the program has impacted more than 800,000 acres across 1,000 farms, including in 11 Louisiana parishes: Beauregard, Allen, Evangeline, St. Landry, St. Martin, Lafayette, Acadia, Jefferson Davis, Calcasieu, Cameron and Vermilion.
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Acadia Parish Farm and Distillery Featured on Cowboy Channel’s ‘Farms of America’
A local farm using its own rice to make whiskey and vodka was featured on “Farms of America” on the Cowboy Channel Monday night.
Frugé Aquafarms is a full service seafood company covering major markets in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma, which began when Mike and Mark Frugé first started crawfish farming to make money in college.
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Rice Stewardship Program Helps Keep Louisiana Rice Farming, Wildlife Thriving
From the fields of Louisiana to kitchens across the country, rice is a staple in the Bayou State.
For many family farmers, rising costs and changing conditions are making it harder to keep the crop — and a way of life — alive. That’s where the Rice Stewardship Program comes in.
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2025 USA Rice Outlook Conference Tackles ‘The Future’ In New Orleans
The largest rice-specific event in North America, the USA Rice Outlook Conference, is heading to New Orleans later this year and registration opened today. As always, the conference will feature a mix of insightful speakers, carefully curated educational programming, business meetings, a 24,000 square foot exhibit hall, and networking events in the city Travel + Leisure Magazine has ranked the #2 destination in the United States.
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Louisiana Crop Conditions As Of August 10
According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, as of last Sunday all of the Louisiana soybean crop was blooming, which is also the five year average for this time of year. 94-percent was setting pods, same for the five year average. That crop was rated 8 percent fair, 90 percent good and two percent excellent.
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Perennial Grasses Plague Southern Rice
After several seasons of perennial grasses popping up in fields and evading herbicide efficacy, Louisiana farmers and researchers are becoming concerned about future control of weeds in rice.
At the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station in Crowley, Connor Webster, weed specialist for rice at Louisiana State University, said many trials have been conducted on perennial grass and sedge species with little to no response to commonly used herbicides, which is a red flag for resistance.
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Rice Represented At The Inaugural Great American Farmers Market
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins launched the inaugural Great American Farmers Market here on the National Mall, just in front of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) headquarters.
The market ran for several hours daily, from Sunday, August 3, through Friday, August 9, and each day was themed and featured special events in addition to the daily vendors from throughout the U.S. selling agricultural products. Themes included America Grows, MAHA Monday, Faith & Fellowship, Forests & Firefighters, America the Beautiful, and Farmer First Friday.
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From Rice Fields to Whiskey Shelves, Fruge Brothers Build Grassroots Legacy
After decades of farming, the Fruge family transforms Louisiana rice into nationally awarded spirits, with their eyes set on becoming a household name.
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Speaker Johnson and Staff in Rice Country
House Speaker Mike Johnson and his staff visited rice country this week to spend time with members of Louisiana's agriculture industry, including several rice growers and rice industry representatives, and the Speaker’s staff was fortunate to catch rice harvest in action.
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Higgins Encourages Higher Tariffs On Rice Imports
Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) delivered a letter to President Trump today urging increased tariffs on rice imports from Thailand, which are eroding markets for Louisiana farmers.
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