By Peter Bachmann
The recent announcement from Riceland Foods that they were temporarily shuttering nine of 23 rice dryers was shocking. The fact that Producers’ Rice Mill has indicated they may pause operations at two of their dryers as well...
Kurt D. LaRose MAFG
When Debbie Hoffpauir says, “This has been a two‑person show,” she isn’t exaggerating. Every part of the operation — planting, harvesting, milling, packaging, delivering, and selling — is carried out by Debbie and her husband, Ben,...
US RICE PRODUCERS
KATY, TEXAS
The Board of Directors of the US Rice Producers Association (USRPA) has appointed Iris Figueroa as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.
Figueroa joined USRPA in 2022 and quickly embraced the association’s core mission of being...
BLAIR FANNIN
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
Texas rice producers enter a new crop year with a watchful eye on prices, yield potential and the threat of rice delphacid, an invasive planthopper that wreaked havoc on the 2025 crop, according to Texas A&M AgriLife experts.
“The...
VIDALINA ABADAM, JENNIFER BOND, SETH WECHSLER AND ANDREW SOWELL
WASHINGTON, D.C.
U.S. All Rice Supplies Raised for 2026/27
The June 2026 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) reports minimal changes to the outlook for U.S. rice supply and utilization. Following...
MARY HIGHTOWER
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS
Global rice production is projected to continue growing through 2035, with demand exceeding production and African consumption rising, according to the International Rice Outlook: International Rice Baseline Projections 2025–2035.
The outlook, written by Alvaro Durand-Morat, associate professor, and Willy...
RICHARD E. HICKS
OCEAN SPRINGS, MISSISSIPPI
I jokingly describe the struggle between the dominant players in the world rice trade. While I do not truly believe it is a concerted effort or an obvious battle, but it is significant, as the...
KAT KERLIN
DAVIS, CALIFORNIA
Almost exactly 15 years ago, researchers at UC Davis, California Trout and other partners started testing a wacky idea: Let's plant salmon in rice fields to see how they grow. Could these winter-flooded fields serve as “nurseries”...
JOHN LOVETT
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS
Rice plants and Venus flytraps share something in common that was not scientifically documented until recently.
Using a faint smell to lure caterpillars into a trap, rice plants kill early-stage fall armyworm larvae by trapping them in a...
Research suggests commingling certain cultivars is a source of decreased head rice yield
JOHN LOVETT
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS
Research by the Arkansas Rice Processing Program is showing valuable insights for rice farmers that affect their take-home pay and the quality of rice for...
MARY HIGHTOWER
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
Rice growers unable to finish their initial planting are weighing whether to try again, plant soybeans, or take a prevented planting payment, extension specialists said.
The Risk Management Agency of the United States Department of Agriculture offers prevented...
RYAN MCGEENEY
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
Rice planting in Arkansas, which provides about half of the country’s total crop, is always a weather-dependent process. Whether the preceding winter is harsh or mild, the spring wet or dry, every turn of the calendar...
BONNIE COBLENTZ
STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI
When a system works, there is little reason to change and many reasons to stick with success; any change in that system is often small things to improve efficiency.
Mississippi’s rice industry is not following that pattern.
Rice has...
RYAN MCGEENEY
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
Rice billbug has been a pest in U.S. rice production for as long as farmers have been growing it. But in 2026, it’s almost certainly going to be the No. 1 pest Arkansas rice farmers will...
MICHAEL KLEIN
USA RICE FEDERATION
The rice industry has spent years fighting imports “the right way” – working through proper legislative and regulatory channels, asking for fair policy, playing the long game. What we've gotten in return are half-measures, delayed action,...
