The 6th U.S. Rice Quality Symposium, a key part of the annual USA Rice Outlook Conference, was held here last week helping to ensure U.S. rice stays competitive by focusing on quality, innovation, and meeting specific market demands. This year’s event featured 20 rice varieties—many of which demonstrated the cooking characteristics preferred by the Latin American market.
Read MoreFarmers and industry leaders gathered in New Orleans Dec. 7 to 9 for the 2025 USA Rice Outlook Conference. Morale was considerably high, despite the current state of the ag economy, as participants engaged in sessions to learn industry updates and emerging trends in rice production, with record-breaking attendance.
Read MoreCurrently, rice is planted in the spring and harvested in the fall, leaving the fields empty in winter. But what if this non-productive period could be utilized to add a second, lucrative crop?
Read MoreA delegation of Louisiana state representatives and state senators, led by Dr. Mike Strain, Louisiana commissioner of agriculture and forestry, visited here last week to learn more about the market and the opportunities it offers for U.S. agricultural exports. Rice featured prominently on the group’s agenda as one of the U.S. agricultural products that would benefit significantly from a U.S.–UK trade agreement aimed at leveling the playing field with competing origins.
Read MoreThe USA Rice Sustainability Award was created in 2016 to recognize the efforts of all segments of the industry to not only conserve natural resources, but to find innovative ways to address all three pillars of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social sustainability. A subcommittee of the USA Rice Sustainability Committee chooses the winner based on several criteria, including leadership in the industry and broader sustainability community, and a history of promoting and advancing sustainability through innovative practices.
Read MoreOn Tuesday, Kennedy Rice Mill CEO Meryl Kennedy was invited on CNN to talk about the impact of President Trump's tariffs and how they are affecting the U.S. rice industry.
Read MoreUnited States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer told lawmakers in Washington DC that the US has received the “best ever” offer from India. This comes as US negotiators initiated their two-day trade talks in New Delhi on December 10. He added that India has been a "difficult nut to crack," citing New Delhi's opposition to importing American agricultural goods.
Read MoreThe 2025 USA Rice Outlook Conference General Session started local and expanded into the distant future. It began with greetings from the 88th International Rice Festival Queen Ansley Dawson and Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation President Richard Fontentot who both spoke about the importance of the rice industry, thanked attendees for joining them, and, of course, invited everyone back to the 89th International Rice Festival in Crowley, Louisiana, next October.
Read MoreUnveiling a US $ 12-billion farm aid package at the White House a day ago on December 8, US president Donald Trump further raised the tariff heat on India on the topic of rice exports.
Trump’s aid package is aimed at helping farmers who are impacted by low crop prices.
Read MoreFor more than four decades, Ronnie Levy has been a steadfast presence in Louisiana agriculture, shaping its growth and guiding its future. Levy joined the LSU AgCenter in 1979, and throughout that time, he worked in various roles including county agent; soybean, corn and grain sorghum specialist; and interim regional director for the Central Region. But it is his work in rice that will crown his career.
Read MoreThe 2025 USA Rice Outlook Conference, the largest rice conference in North America, returned to the Crescent City this week with a grand opening reception welcoming farmers, millers, merchants, end-users, exporters, academics, government officials, and special guests.
Read MoreAbout four inches of clear water pools around Mike Wagner's rubber boots as he wades into one of his rice fields in northwestern Mississippi on a rainy late summer morning.
Read MoreWith cooler temperatures setting in, drier weather is being traded for rainy weather in south Louisiana these days, making it easier for growers to attend annual winter meetings as they wrap up the season ahead of the USA Rice Outlook Conference and the upcoming holidays.
Read MoreRow-crop producers across the South faced another difficult year in 2025. Weather challenges led to wide yield variability across much of the region. Even where yields were strong, low commodity prices and persistently high input costs kept margins tight, leaving many operations near or below breakeven for a third straight year. Shifts in acreage were common, with corn gaining ground at the expense of cotton and, in some areas, soybeans.
Read MoreThe 2025 USA Rice Outlook Conference, now just a few days away, strives to offer relevant and timely programming to improve the sustainability and viability of the entire U.S. rice industry, in addition to offering a trade show bursting at the seams. Attendees can explore the offerings and plan their conference with the updated event app, sponsored by BASF, available for download today at the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
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