These Sisters Are Running One of the Largest Family-owned Rice-producing Companies in the Region
Elton Kennedy came from a family of ministers in rural northeast Louisiana, but he always wanted to be a farmer. When given the chance to lease land with an option to buy in the town of Mer Rouge, he turned to the plow. He farmed his first rice crop in 1969, and over the years, his bulk-rice companies, Kennedy Rice Dryers and Kennedy Rice Mill, grew to include an average of 60 growers per year working over 15,000 acres. But to him, it was a family business all along. "I always thought that I would have a son to take over one day," Elton says. "As it turned out, having four daughters worked out just the same."
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2022 USA Rice Sustainability Award Application Open
While insiders know U.S.-grown rice is one of the most sustainable and responsibly grown crops in the world, telling that story to those who are unaware is increasingly important. To help recognize the crop’s unique environmental qualities and the women and men who improve rice’s sustainability every day, USA Rice launched a Sustainability Award in 2018 to identify and promote prime examples.
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USA Rice Hosts Rice Country Tour For Cochran Fellows From Central America
Last month USA Rice received funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cochran Fellowship Program (CFP) to host Central American rice industry professionals on a tour through rice growing regions in the mid-south. The primary goals of the CFP, named after the late U.S. Senator William Thad Cochran from Mississippi, are to aid in developing agricultural systems in the Fellows’ home countries and to strengthen and enhance agriculture trade linkages with the United States.
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Roads, Water and Depopulation: Tour Gives Rural Officials Chance to Raise Issues with State Leaders
In a low-slung conference room in the West Monroe Convention Center, Mer Rouge native Meryl Kennedy had questions.
The 34-year old CEO of a Morehouse Parish-based rice mill, Kennedy had come to the meeting on a sunny September morning to hear from state officials charged helping revive the state's flagging rural communities.
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Acadiana Farmers Face Major Losses Due To Inflation And Summer Conditions
We all know farming isn’t easy every year is a gamble. This year being no different, some farmers in Acadiana say inflation and heavy rains everyday are hurting their bottom line.
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Favorable Weather Speeding Rice Harvest Efforts
Harvest across the southern region has wrapped up. The second crop harvest in Louisiana and west of Houston should kick off soon.
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2022 USA Rice Outlook Conference Registration Now Open
The 2022 USA Rice Outlook Conference is less than three months away and the scheduled programming is shaping up to be one of the most beneficial events of the year for the rice industry. This year’s conference is December 7-9 in Austin, Texas, and if rice is any part of your business, you should plan to attend for the sessions, trade show, and networking.
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LSU AgCenter Receives Federal Grant To Help Study 'Climate-Smart' Rice For Malaysia
A cooperative research project between the LSU AgCenter and the University of Malaya in Malaysia to develop “climate-smart” rice has received a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service.
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"The Rice Stuff" Podcast Goes Feral
National Rice Month on the award-winning The Rice Stuff podcast began with celebrations and charitable donations that showcase all the promise and community that is integral to the rice community, so it seemed fitting to end the month with a grave challenge facing growers: feral hogs.
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LSU AgCenter Receives Federal Grant to Help Study ‘Climate-smart’ Rice for Malaysia
A cooperative research project between the LSU AgCenter and the University of Malaya in Malaysia to develop “climate-smart” rice has received a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service.
The award, part of the USDA FAS Scientific Cooperative Research Program, will assist scientists working to screen traditional rice varieties that can thrive in alternative water management strategies, which use less water than traditional rice-growing methods.
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Entomologist Group Receives Grant To Study Rice Insect Management
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) recently awarded a grant of more than $295,000 for a multi-year, collaborative project of rice entomologists at three universities to study insect management in furrow-irrigated rice.
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Louisiana Gives Back During National Rice Month
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.
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Indian Rice Subsidy Concerns Raised At Senate Ag Committee
Thursday, 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.
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Leaping Limpkins! Large Wading Birds Flock to State, and They Devour Those Pesky Apple Snails
You 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.
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Louisiana Crops Newsletter, Volume 12, Issue 8--September, 2022
It 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.
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