Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) delivered a letter to President Trump today urging increased tariffs on rice imports from Thailand, which are eroding markets for Louisiana farmers.
In a newly released video, the Grow Louisiana Coalition (GLAC) highlights how Chevron’s longstanding partnership with Ducks Unlimited through the Rice Stewardship Program (RSP) is helping keep Louisiana rice farmers and a way of life thriving.
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On Wednesday, July 23, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a confirmation hearing for Richard Fordyce, the nominee to serve as Under Secretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area.
Fordyce, a Missouri farmer and former Administrator of the Farm Service Agency (FSA), is widely respected across the agriculture community for his leadership and hands-on experience in farm policy and conservation.
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Yesterday evening, President Donald Trump announced the freshly inked trade agreement with Japan that would allow for additional duty-free sales of U.S. rice. USA Rice supports Trump’s major milestone in U.S.-Japan agricultural trade relations and creating new opportunities for U.S. rice exports. The agreement follows just a few short months of negotiation stemming from the Liberation Day announcement on April 2, 2025.
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“It’s at work every day; it doesn’t get tired; and it’s consistent,” says Mark Pousson, manager of the South Louisiana Rail Facility in Lake Charles, La. “And it does it quickly – it gives you the measurements you need in about 60 seconds.”
Pousson, who also grows rice on his farm near Lake Charles, was referring to the MachVision Rice Analyzer technology that he’s been working with at the Rail Facility and at the Port of Lake Charles for two years.
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Perhaps the most ‘normal’ weather for farmers is the lack of any sort of ‘normal’ weather at all. Every year brings unique challenges and for rice farmers throughout the midsouth wet conditions are pulling pathogens to the forefront of management decisions.
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The U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council (USAEDC), that represents and promotes the export promotion interests of growers and processors of U.S. agricultural products, welcomed U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins to their annual meeting last week where she expressed her appreciation and support for “the greatest of all American industries: American agriculture.”
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This month’s 2025/26 U.S. corn outlook calls for smaller supplies, domestic use, and ending stocks. USDA cut corn beginning stocks by 25 million bushels to 1.3 billion, reflecting an increase in exports that is partly offset by lower feed and residual use for 2024/25. Feed and residual use is down 75 million based on indicated disappearance in the June 30th Grain Stocks report. Exports are raised 100 million bushels to 2.8 billion based on current outstanding sales and shipments to date and, if realized, would be record high.
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On Wednesday, USA Rice staff joined the newly sworn-in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden for a stakeholder meeting as the Administration rolled out the Supplemental Disaster Relief Program (SDRP). The briefing coincided with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins' formal announcement that sign-ups for SDRP have commenced.
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The Nutrien Ag Solutions Texas Rice Field Day was held yesterday at their research station south of El Campo. General Rice Business Manager Randy Ouzts welcomed attendees and provided an overview of Nutrien’s rice breeding activities, and rice breeder Nanyen Chou explained the various steps in pure line rice variety development.
Dr. Steve Linscombe, director of The Rice Foundation, was there to talk about ongoing USA Rice activities as well as the Rice Leadership Development Program, which is currently accepting applications.
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For decades cotton was king. But this year the Louisiana cotton crop is expected to be the smallest in history. State Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says input costs to produce cotton has gone up and the price farmers can get for cotton has gone down from two dollars a pound in the mid-1800s.
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On Friday, the Fourth of July holiday, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act, officially known as H.R. 1), which concluded a frenzied two weeks of legislating, lobbying, and advocacy aimed at getting the bill across the finish line. For rice farmers, there have been several key policy wins that USA Rice has been advocating for since the farm bill reauthorization process began in 2022.
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With their two-year terms ending later this month, the chairs of two USA Rice governing boards handed their gavels to colleagues from other rice growing states. Fred Zaunbrecher, a rice and crawfish farmer from Acadia Parish in Louisiana was unanimously elected to serve as the new chair of the USA Rice Farmers Board of Directors, taking over from Texas’s LG Raun, and California rice farmer Josh Sheppard handed the reins of the USA Rice Council Board of Directors to Mississippi’s Carter Murrell who farms in Washington County.
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After more than 24 hours of non-stop action in the U.S. House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson and White House leadership helped secure passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1) by a vote of 218-214.
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The 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. They also attend seminars and workshops designed to strengthen leadership skills.
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