Last week, a delegation from USA Rice traveled here to meet with the Brazilian rice industry association (ABIARROZ) to discuss cooperation on shared concerns around the deterioration in global rice prices largely due to India’s policies and practices leading to oversupply. 

Rice growers were the biggest beneficiaries when the US Department of Agriculture unveiled details of its $12 billion farmer aid package last week. Payments for rice are set at $132.89 per acre, more than quadruple the amount allocated for soybeans and triple the rate for corn. The only other crop with a payout over $100 an acre is cotton.

Last month, USA Rice invited four millers from Côte d’Ivoire to learn more about the U.S. rice industry.  

The upcoming rice season will most likely have its challenges, but the approach to managing what’s thrown down can ultimately determine the endgame.

Conversations on U.S. rice quality versus South American consumer preference have been a major topic in recent years. It was also addressed during the 2025 USA Rice Outlook conference, where Horizon Ag shared results from a quality evaluation conducted earlier this fall.

Rice is a staple food across much of the globe, and different regions have varied preferences in cooking characteristics, taste and texture. In the Latin American rice market, customers favor high-quality, loosely cooked rice, and countries in this region are known for high rice consumption per capita. 

Farmers and industry leaders gathered in New Orleans Dec. 7 to 9 for the 2025 USA Rice Outlook Conference. Morale was considerably high, despite the current state of the ag economy, as participants engaged in sessions to learn industry updates and emerging trends in rice production, with record-breaking attendance.

A delegation of Louisiana state representatives and state senators, led by Dr. Mike Strain, Louisiana commissioner of agriculture and forestry, visited here last week to learn more about the market and the opportunities it offers for U.S. agricultural exports. Rice featured prominently on the group’s agenda as one of the U.S. agricultural products that would benefit significantly from a U.S.–UK trade agreement aimed at leveling the playing field with competing origins.

The USA Rice Sustainability Award was created in 2016 to recognize the efforts of all segments of the industry to not only conserve natural resources, but to find innovative ways to address all three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social sustainability. A subcommittee of the USA Rice Sustainability Committee chooses the winner based on several criteria, including leadership in the industry and broader sustainability community, and a history of promoting and advancing sustainability through innovative practices.