Andy Weir's bestselling 2011 book, The Martian, features botanist Mark Watney's efforts to grow food on Mars after he becomes stranded there. While Watney's initial efforts focus on growing potatoes, new research presented at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference by a team of interdisciplinary researchers from the U of A suggests future Martian botanists like Watney may have a better option: growing rice.

Mississippi rice farmer and chairman of USA Rice Kirk Satterfield testified on behalf of the rice industry on Wednesday during a hearing held by the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit on “Producer Perspectives on the 2023 Farm Bill.” Witnesses included leaders from nine other major commodity organizations.

Farmers in certain Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi counties can now apply for the “Conjunctive Water Use Protects Mid-South Aquifers” Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

Rice planting along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana is mostly done, and the crop is rapidly progressing. In Texas, conventional rice planting is mainly completed, with the majority of organic fields still to be planted. Overall, the crop looks fairly good, with many fields approaching permanent flood. East of Houston, which normally plants a little later, is about 70 percent planted with recent showers slowing down progress.

The Director of the Rice Foundation, Dr. Steve Linscombe, discusses the staple food source for half of the world population.

A fungus that plagues rice crops worldwide gains entry to plant cells in a way that makes it vulnerable to simple chemical blockers, a discovery that could lead to new fungicides to reduce substantial annual losses of rice and other valuable cereals.

This past week, the Louisiana State University Ag Center in Jeff Davis Parish hosted their annual 4-H Achievement Awards Day to honor ag students for their work over the past year.

Louisiana rice farmers are taking advantage of good weather and are finishing up their planting. Farmers had planted more than 75% of the state's intended acreage by the first of April. LSU AgCenter correspondent Craig Gautreaux has the story from southwest Louisiana.

Commodity markets function in a complex atmosphere that includes the economic principles of supply and demand but also murkier layers of geopolitics.

The current situation for rice includes those issues along with a miasma of questionable reports, global turmoil, and violence.

Milo Hamilton, president and co-founder of Firstgrain, Inc., cut through some of the fog at the recent Mid-South Farm and Gin Show in Memphis.

Rice is arguably the world's most important staple crop. About half of the global population depends on it for sustenance.

But, like other staples such as wheat and corn, rice is cultivated annually. That means replanting the fields year after year, at huge cost to both the farmers and the land. For years, scientists have been tinkering with rice strains to create a perennial variety – one that would regrow after harvest without the need to be resewn.