• By Vicky Boyd Editor • Dr. Russell Rasmussen has been named the new associate director of the California Rice Experiment Station in Biggs. He will work alongside current director Dr. Kent McKenzie and will take over as director when McKenzie retires Dec. 31. “We have some overlap, which is a great model for hiring new people,” Rasmussen said. Prior ... Read More »
After review of projected monitoring and reporting costs along with fees for the state’s rice waste discharge requirements, the California Rice Commission board decided in December to begin the process for an industry vote to increase the assessment cap. Currently, it is set at 15 cents per hundredweight, and the board decided to seek a 20 cent cap. The commission ... Read More »
Every two years, rice researchers from around the nation and even internationally attend the Rice Technical Working Group meeting to share results and craft plans about future research directions. Mississippi State University will host the 38th RTWG, Feb. 24-27, 2020, at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Alabama. The agenda is chocked full of research topics as well as ... Read More »
The California Rice Commission and its project partners have received a $1.5 million Conservation Innovation Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The project is in in partnership with NRCS, Ducks Unlimited, the California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation, Point Blue Conservation Science and FlowWest. It is designed to: • Provide funding to enhance approximately 10,000 acres through ... Read More »
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, New Orleans-based Jazzmen Rice’s first flavored U.S.-grown premium jasmine rices — Saffron and Creole Tomato — will hit retail markets in New Orleans this month. Made with real saffron and turmeric, the Jazzmen Rice Saffron blend infuses flavor into a high-quality, soft, long-grain, white jasmine rice. Saffron is among the most prized spices in ... Read More »
• By Bruce Schultz • Rice farmers, researchers and industry representatives from rice-growing states, including Louisiana, met in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dec. 8-10 for the annual Rice Outlook Conference and Trade Show. Louisiana farmer Jason Waller of Mer Rouge, Louisiana, was among seven people chosen for the new Rice Leadership Class. Waller also is a member of the Louisiana Rice ... Read More »
The Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce named Tim Burcham, director of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center, its 2019 Ag Business Person of the Year. Burcham was recognized by the organization at its annual gala, Dec. 3, at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center on the Arkansas State University campus. Cari ... Read More »
Rominger Brothers Farms of Winters, California, received the 2019 California Leopold Conservation Award during a ceremony at the California Farm Bureau’s recent annual meeting in Monterey. Sand County Foundation created the Leopold award to inspire American landowners by recognizing exceptional farmers, ranchers and foresters. Named in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, it is given in 20 states. The award ... Read More »
Due to the prolonged and extensive impacts of weather this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has extended the deadline to Dec. 20 for producers to enroll in the Dairy Margin Coverage program for the 2020 calendar year. The deadline had been Dec. 13. USDA announced is also continuing to accept applications for the Market Facilitation Program through Dec. 20. ... Read More »
Rich Hillman, a grower of field crops, including rice, near Carlisle was recently elected as Arkansas Farm Bureau’s new president, and Mike Freeze of Little Rock was chosen as the agriculture advocacy organization’s new vice president. Both were selected during Farm Bureau’s 85th Annual Convention at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Delegates also elected six other board members ... Read More »
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