Feature Story

Horizon Ag and BASF have reached a formal agreement to launch the Provisia Rice System in 2018, providing a new tool for post-emergence control of a broad range of grasses, including weedy rice. Like the Clearfield Production System for rice,...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released its Prospective Plantings Report March 31, and it showed  rice growers planned to plant about 17 percent fewer acres this season than in 2016. "The expectation of higher prices for competing commodities is contributing...

Officials with Southeast Missouri State University's Department of Agriculture recently dedicated a new greenhouse designed for rice research at its Malden Regional Campus. The 1,500-square-foot facility is expected to broaden rice breeding efforts spearheaded by the Missouri Rice Research and...

James Rice Farms has opened a new rice mill in Prairie Ronde, La. A partnership between Beth James and Rolando Sanchez, it processes the branded Prairie Ronde Rice, named after the area in which it is grown. The facility, which will...

Multiple-inlet rice irrigation relies on poly tubing and Pipe Planner software to boost water-use efficiency while reducing overall use. By Vicky Boyd Editor Scott Matthews, a rice producer south of Jonesboro, Ark., experimented with multiple-inlet rice irrigation about 10 years ago, had a couple of self-described disasters and...

Weedy rice expansion in California raises concern, prompting calls for using only certified seed and an industry-wide scouting effort. By Vicky Boyd Editor A weedy rice infestation exploded in California from a handful of confirmed fields in prior years to covering more than 10,000 acres in 2016,...

Louisiana’s crawfish producers generally are harvesting more pounds this season than last, allaying fears about damage from last summer’s flooding. By Vicky Boyd Editor After historic flooding in south Louisiana last summer, many crawfish producers were concerned about how the 2017 season would shape up....

With an imbalance between supply and demand, lower production and supplies will be needed in 2017 to strengthen prices. By Kurt Guidry The rice market in Louisiana and much of the Southern rice-growing states continues to be pressured with large supplies and...

Simple, farmer-built gauge helps augment water management. By Vicky Boyd Editor More than 40 years ago, Leroy Isbell, a rice producer near England, Ark., built his first rice water gauge after seeing one in a store in Carlisle, Ark. “It had a block of...

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain has temporarily lowered the state's rice seed germination standards for 120 days. "While performing routine tests like purity and germination on seed rice, the LDAF Seed Lab discovered the quality was...

A half century of technology and policy changes have helped Arkansas grow to become the nation’s top rice producer. By Mary Hightower In 1967, the world saw the first heart transplant, “The Graduate” was No. 1 at the box office and the...

Ag policy, technology and breeding have helped shape the Louisiana rice industry during the past five decades. By Bruce Schultz Growing rice in Louisiana and the LSU Rice Research Station figured prominently in Rice Farming magazine 50 years ago, just as it...

Yields, pest control and cultivation have advanced during the past five decades as Texas growers strive to remain profitable. By L.T. “Ted” Wilson Rice production in Texas has changed greatly over the past 50 years. Table 1 summarizes a few of the major differences...

Unique production system evolved to meet California’s special needs, resulting in high yields and quality and with an eye on the environment. By Whitney Brim-DeForest, Luis Espino and Cass Mutters Rice production in California has changed dramatically over the past 50 years....

Early rice pioneers had to overcome doubting lenders and agronomic challenges to pave the way for today’s successful Mississippi rice industry. By Bobby R. Golden and Jason A. Bond Fifty years ago in 1966 marked the 18th year of farm-scale rice production...