More rice production can be produced while minimizing the crop’s environmental impact, new research suggests. And that’s important with global population projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050 and with demand for rice on the rise.

A team of global researchers that includes Ted Wilson, director of the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Beaumont, have studied yield gap and resource-use efficiency across 32 of the world’s top-producing rice cropping systems. These systems account for 70% of the rice-harvest area and 51% of rice production globally. Their research is highlighted in an article published in Nature Communications

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The EPA has registered Rogue SC, a rice herbicide from Gowan Co., LLC for use on flooded rice in three Midsouth/Delta states — Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri. Registration is also pending for Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas, according to the company’s website.

Rogue SC is a broad-spectrum herbicide, controlling key grass, broadleaf, aquatic and sedge species in rice. In 2019-2020, Rogue received experimental use permits in Arkansas and Louisiana. Also, in April 2021 Rogue SC received a Section 18 emergency exemption to be applied in Arkansas to combat the spread of weedy rice. That exemption expired in August.

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USA Rice joined with more than 60 agriculture organizations on a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas this week regarding farmers’ access to H-2A agricultural guestworkers, including workers from South Africa.

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As the end of 2021 quickly approaches, the US South's rice market will start the new year with various concerns on the horizon.

The most talked about and the most immediately pressing is the recent hike in fertilizer prices. Fertilizer costs have hit all-time time highs in recent months, with it widely believed this will limit planting.

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Every year, thanks to the generous support of the American Commodity Company, USA Rice awards $15,000 to young people from the six rice-growing states who use video to tell a unique story about rice.

This year’s grand prize scholarship winner, Josefine Sedler, used rice as art to create her award-winning video, “California Rice & Wildlife,” that explores some of the many creatures sustained by the habitat rice fields provide in her home state.

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Among the breakout sessions at the recent USA Rice Outlook Conference was a panel on the rising cost of crop inputs.

The panel, moderated by Arkansas rice farmer Mark Isbell, was made up of Dr. Joe Outlaw, Texas A&M University economist and co-director of the Agricultural and Food Policy Center, economist Jason Troendle from The Fertilizer Institute, and Hunter Carpenter from the Agricultural Retailers Association.

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The U.S. rice industry bolsters our longstanding commitment to conservation and sustainability each year by recognizing industry leaders to showcase their stewardship efforts in preserving wildlife habitat and efficient use of natural resources.

The USA Rice Distinguished Conservation Award was established more than a decade ago by California rice grower Al Montna during his chairmanship of USA Rice.

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Members of the 2022/24 Rice Leadership Development Program class were announced Monday during the annual Rice Awards Luncheon at the 2021 USA Rice Outlook Conference. The class is comprised of seven rice industry professionals selected by a committee of agribusiness leaders.

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The 2021 USA Rice Outlook Conference wrapped up in New Orleans Tuesday with an impressive slate of programming for the more than 575 attendees.

“We knew being together again after a year and a half, sharing ideas and experiences, would be rewarding,” said USA Rice President & CEO Betsy Ward.

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Every year at the Annual Rice Awards Luncheon Rice Farming bestows three awards: Rice Farmer of the Year, the Rice Industry Award, and the Rice Lifetime Achievement Award. These annual recognitions, co-sponsored by Horizon Ag and USA Rice, highlight some of the most positive achievements associated with the U.S. rice industry.

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Members of the Louisiana 4-H Food and Fitness Board visited the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station Nov. 22 for their latest seminar to aid in their development of food and nutrition education and leadership skills.
The event included presentations by AgCenter rice geneticist Herry Utomo and biotechnologist Ida Wenefrida, who shared their work on a new high-protein, low-glycemic-index rice variety that is currently on the market.

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A new front has been opened for the export of basmati rice as Latin America (LatAM) has opened doors to Indian basmati rice for the first time. The LatAm countries have sent import enquiries to Indian basmati exporters who said consignments will leave Indian ports in December.

This new market has come as a relief to Indian exporters as they have lost a major market, Iran, due to payment issues.

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When you think about rice, you probably think about the fluffy, white grains that you eat for supper. However, while that’s certainly the tastiest part of the rice, it’s not the whole story, as Steve Linscombe, Executive Director of The Rice Foundation, explains.

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