Feature Story

California Rice benefits from the communications revolution It all began with "Of Rice and Rain," 207 words from Sacramento Valley rice grower Tom Butler on the impact of rainfall during the fall 2010 rice harvest. His was the first blog...

The LSU AgCenter continued to work with the Kellogg Co. during the past year on a sustainability program for rice farmers. The result is a Master Rice Grower program that will be offering incentives for farmers to adopt conservation...

When your back’s against the wall, you tend to think out of the box. If you find yourself in Arkansas rice farmer Jackie Ray Banks’s circumstances, you may have to think outside of the window, the planting window. Consider this...

California brothers represent four generations of rice with the fifth generation not far behind By Carroll Smith Editor Criss Jami, an American poet, essayist and existentialist philosopher quotes, “Unlike wealth, there is an infinite value in legacy.” And a family legacy in...

‘So God Made a Rice Farmer’s Daughter’ By Jenna Martin Jenna Martin, 17, of Hickory Ridge, Ark., is the 2013-14 Miss Arkansas Rice. With this title, she will promote rice throughout the state. Jenna ends each of her speaking engagements with...

By Dwight Roberts President and Chief Executive Officer, USRPA The U.S. rice industry spent years, decades, building a reputation for high-quality shipments to both domestic and export buyers. The superior quality of our rice resulted in prices to growers being higher than...

Variety/Hybrid 2014 Roster It goes without saying that variety/hybrid selection is one of the most important decisions that a rice farmer has to make during the winter planning time. Following are quite a few offerings for 2014. Consider your farm...

By Paul Buttner Environmental Affairs Manager, California Rice Commission There’s quite a bit of current activity in the conservation area as the California Rice Commission (CRC) continues building its “wildlife resume” and delivering programs to growers that help fund wildlife conservation projects....

By Carroll Smith Editor When Chris Berry began farming with his father, Ronnie told him that he had two rules. “Don’t rent any scrap ground and farm by the pencil. Farm by what pays.” Ronnie originally started farming with his brother,...

By Dr. Kurt Guidry LSU AgCenter From a fundamental supply and demand situation, the rice market continues to show signs of improvement. In its March supply and demand report, the USDA once again lowered ending stocks for the 2012/13 marketing year...

By Dr. Drew Ellis Greenville, Miss. The theme of the 2012 rice-growing season was "early." Dry conditions enabled many in the Mid-South to get in the fields ahead of schedule. This early planting led, in some instances, to slower-growing rice and...

A good deal of Arkansas rice will be dried and stored on the farm each year. Rice has the highest quality it will ever have at harvest. The way that rice is handled during the drying and storage process...

Missouri Rice Disease Control By Sam Atwell University of Missouri Extension Rice blast is one of the earliest known foliar diseases. The blast fungus survives in various ways but often is seedborne. To reduce seedborne blast, research suggests seed treated with Dynasty...

By Carroll Smith Editor Editor's note: In the following article, the fields discussed by Ronnie and Michael Aguzzi and Earl Kline are on straight levee, land-leveled ground. The South typically enjoys an abundant water supply with its many rivers, lakes, ponds and...

By John Cartwright With the discovery of overwintering blast next door in Louisiana, Arkansas rice growers should scout their fields early in the season to nip any potential infections in the bud, said Yeshi Wamishe, Extension plant pathologist for the...