As you may be aware, September is National Rice Month (NRM), and over the last two weeks, the Louisiana rice industry has been actively celebrating the occasion from every corner of the state.
Read MoreThursday, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry held a long-awaited confirmation hearing for Alexis Taylor, nominee for the role of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs (TFAA). The White House announced their intent to nominate Taylor in May of this year.
Read MoreYou won’t find limpkins in "Birds of Louisiana" field guides right now — but you may soon.
The limpkin (Aramus guarauna), also called carrao, courlan and crying bird, is a large wading bird related to rails and cranes found in mostly wetlands in warm parts of the Americas from Florida to northern Argentina.
Read MoreIt is an understatement to say soybean farmers have had a challenging year in 2022. In April, farmers had to plant around several rain events. Despite the several April showers, 59% of the soybean fields in LA were planted by May 1 compared to the five-year average of 43% and 23% from last year.
Read MoreIn the latest USDA supply and demand report released last week, forecasts for 2022/23 U.S. rice production were lowered 10.9 million (M) hundredweight (cwt) to 165.1 M cwt based on reduced harvested area and lower per acre yield estimates. Overall, U.S. all-rice production is 14% below a year earlier and the smallest crop since 1993/94.
Read MoreThis month’s 2022/23 U.S. corn outlook is for lower supplies, smaller feed and residual use, reduced exports and corn used for ethanol, and tighter ending stocks. Beginning stocks for 2022/23 are projected 5 million bushels lower based on essentially offsetting export and corn used for ethanol changes for 2021/22.
Read MoreThe USDA is purchasing domestic rice to distribute to food assistance programs.
The Department announced it will buy up to $50 million in rice produced here in the U.S. for the nation's food banks. Secretary Vilsack approved the purchase through the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act.
Read MoreLouisiana rice farmers are certainly having a sense of deja vu as this year’s harvest comes to a close, as they’ve seen consistent, near-daily rainfall that has hampered their operations.
In the spring of 2021, steady rains caused farmers to have to delay planting rice, fertilizing fields and applying other chemicals.
Read MoreLouisiana corn for grain production is forecast at 71.8 million bushels, down 15 percent from the August 1 forecast and down 31 percent from 2021. Based on conditions as of September 1, yield is expected to average 165 bushels per acre, down 10 bushels from last month and down 18 bushels from last year.
Read MoreHere in Arkansas rice is a very important crop contributing over $6 billion annually to my state’s economy. The industry also employs over 25,000 people in my state. Arkansas is the #1 rice producing state in the USA and is home to 2300 rice farms. 96% of these farms are family owned and operated just like mine.
Read MoreThe Rice Leadership Development Program gives future leaders a comprehensive understanding of the rice industry, with an emphasis on personal development and communication skills. The class attends four one-week sessions over a two-year period that encompasses studies of all aspects of the rice industry through firsthand observations.
Read MoreIn partnership with the US Rice Producers Association, the Stoesser family is offering a $5,000 scholarship each year to one deserving high school senior or current college student who is interested in or is currently pursuing a career in an agriculture-related field.
Read MoreTwo hours south of St. Louis in McClure, Illinois, a 1,500-acre farm, Cahokia Rice, started producing and marketing the eponymous grain for the Midwest in 2018. The rice is a blend of a high-protein grain and Cypress grain, which is safer for diabetics and has a distinct nutty flavor with a fluffy texture.
(Cahokia Rice is similar to Parish Rice, developed by the LSU AgCenter’s Rice Research Station and grown by M&S Fruge Farms in Eunice. Parish Rice also has a glycemic level of 41 with 53% more protein.)
Read MoreThis year marks the 32nd anniversary of the act of Congress that designated September as National Rice Month (NRM), a month-long celebration of U.S.-grown rice honoring the more than 125,000 individuals responsible for producing, milling, handling, and processing this top quality, nutritious, and sustainable crop, including thousands of family farms that contribute millions of dollars to their local economies.
Read MoreEarlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released its annual Pesticide Monitoring Program Report for Fiscal Year 2020. The report found that over 96 percent of domestic-made human foods were compliant with federal standards for pesticide tolerances set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Read More