This past weekend, at the 51st Rayne Frog Festival here, the theme was “Living off the Land.” Among the presentations on a variety of agricultural products and industries, was one on the history of rice production given by Paul Zaunbrecher, a fifth-generation rice farmer from here who farms with his brothers at GF&P Zaunbrecher Farms.
Read MoreThe opening of the Jubilee Justice Specialty Foods and Rice Mill is the culmination of a successful rice experiment benefitting a collective of Black farmers from across the South. The project involved growing rice using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method.
Read MoreA recent decision by a Louisiana appellate court to uphold the state's “Truth in Labeling of Food Products Act” has been hailed as a victory for consumers and the agriculture industry. The 3-0 ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans was made in response to a constitutional challenge by plant-based meat substitute company Tofurky, which argued that the law violated its First Amendment rights to free speech.
Read MoreLast week, a bipartisan group of 18 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Tracey Mann (R-KS), sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Tai and Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack asking for more action at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on behalf of U.S. rice and wheat growers.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that the Farm Service Agency (FSA) will begin sending prefilled applications to rice producers the week of May 8 for the new Rice Production Program (RPP), which will provide up to $250 million in assistance to rice farmers based on 2022 planted and prevented planted acres.
Read MoreAndy 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.
Read MoreMississippi 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.
Read MoreFarmers in certain Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi counties can now apply for the “Conjunctive Water Use Protects Mid-South Aquifers” Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
Read MoreRice 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.
Read MoreThe Director of the Rice Foundation, Dr. Steve Linscombe, discusses the staple food source for half of the world population.
Read MoreIf I was to sum the first session of our Leadership Class in a single sentence, it would be: You don’t know how much you don’t know until you are shown. I entered into this program near the upper age limit and frankly, nearly missed my opportunity.
Read MoreLouisiana rice farmers are finishing up their planting while the weather is good!
Read MoreA 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.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreLouisiana State University is the lead institution on the grant to improve the sustainability and profitability of rice farming through research innovations. Jai Rohila, a research agronomist for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service based at the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, is also involved in the grant.
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