On Saturday, December 21, 2024, President Joe Biden signed into law the American Relief Act of 2025. Congress overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan bill, a continuing resolution (CR) that will keep the Federal government operating through March 14, 2025. It also included farmer economic assistance, weather-related disaster relief for agriculture, and another 2018 Farm Bill extension.
Read MoreThe deadline for registering for the 2025 RTWG and for securing a hotel room at the conference hotel is quickly approaching. The deadline to register without incurring a late fee and to reserve a hotel room at the conference hotel is January 17, 2025. However, ii is important to point out that hotel rooms at the conference rate are on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure you are able to secure your room, you are encouraged to make your reservation as soon as possible.
Read MoreEvery year at the Annual Rice Awards Luncheon, Rice Farming Magazine 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.
Read MoreThe U.S. rice industry reinforces its longstanding commitment to conservation and sustainability each year by recognizing industry leaders to showcase their stewardship efforts in conserving and efficiently using natural resources while bolstering wildlife habitat and biodiversity.
Read MoreIn recognition of his steadfast dedication to his family, his farming operation, his packaged rice business and making the rice industry better today than it was yesterday, Michael Fruge was named the 2024 Farmer of the Year by Horizon Ag, Rice Farming and USA Rice.
Read MoreThe 2024 Louisiana rice ratoon crop is being harvested in South Louisiana. In general, it has been a fair year for rice production. Early predictions were that the average per-acre yield for the state would be the highest ever. The cropping season started out with milder-than-normal temperatures in late February and early March when much of the rice in South Louisiana is planted. This early planted rice had excellent conditions for germination and stand establishment.
Read MoreCuba and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday aimed at improving rice production on the island.
Read MoreMembers of the 2025 Rice Leadership Development Class were announced earlier this week during the annual Rice Awards Luncheon at this year’s USA Rice Outlook Conference here. The class is comprised of seven rice industry professionals selected by a committee of agribusiness leaders.
Read MoreIf she closes her eyes, Danelle Larson can still remember how the stretch of Mississippi River in front of her looked as recent as a decade ago: nothing but open, muddy water.
Today, it's covered with impressively tall and thick beds of wild rice.
Read MoreQuarterly publications from the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station with current activities and research updates for 2024.
Read MoreA disease called false smut is posing a growing threat to the global rice crop, and LSU AgCenter scientists are part of an international group working to learn more about the problem.
Felipe Dalla Lana, a plant pathologist at the AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station near Crowley, and Vinson Doyle, a mycologist based on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge, are working with colleagues from more than 20 institutions worldwide through the International Rice False Smut Consortium.
Read MoreNovember is a busy time for everyone in the rice industry, and with USA Rice staff scattered across the country serving rice-growing areas (and even traveling around the world), it’s not often that the whole team is able to get together in one place. But earlier this month, the staff found time to meet up in southwest Louisiana for good food, good company, and a bit of adventure.
Read MoreLast week, the Cuban Embassy hosted an event commemorating U.S. and Cuba agricultural relations. Cuban Ambassador to the U.S. Lianys Torres Rivera welcomed guests including Rep. Maxine Waters of California, Ranking Member on the House Financial Services Committee, and USA Rice members PJ Haynie III, Meryl Kennedy-Farr, and John Owen to the evening reception. Their participation underscored USA Rice's commitment to normalizing trade relations and expanding opportunities for U.S.-origin rice exports to the island nation.
Read MoreOn this week’s episode of The Rice Stuff podcast, co-host Lesley Dixon recounts her recent adventures at the 86th International Rice Festival in Crowley, Louisiana, from judging cooking competitions to VIP seats on the parade route.
The episode includes interviews with many of the festival’s heavy hitters.
Read MoreLast week, more than five dozen rice industry representatives from all sectors traveled here in what may be a final push to get the Farm Bill across the finish line in the lame duck Congress, and to discuss the need for economic loss assistance for rice farmers for the 2024 crop year.
Before fanning out across the Capitol, the group gathered to hear updates and policy analysis, and pose questions to ag policy thought leaders and officials.
