Some trading ‘partners’ fail to live up to their agreements. Trade is all about two parties exchanging things the other wants. Competition is when two or more entities vie for a single prize. Fair trade is when all the parties...

Dr. Bruce Linquist California UCCE Rice Specialist [email protected] Application of the four Rs (right rate, right source, right timing and right placement) helps ensure high fertilizer use efficiency. Last year we discussed the four Rs of fertilizer N; this year I will touch...

Mark Gustafson Helena Chemical Company Yuba City, Calif. Growing up, I spent a lot of time helping my grandfather on his farming operation and knew that I wanted to be a crop advisor since high school. I worked for two years as...

Larry McAnally McAnally Ag Consulting East Bernard, TX Before moving to East Bernard, Texas, in 1986 to take the position of farm manager at the hybrid rice research station, I farmed with my dad in Missouri. In 1990, I began consulting with...

New Clearfield Variety Offers Improved Quality Horizon Ag announces the launch of a new, high-yielding semi-dwarf Clearfield variety with significant improvements to cooking quality. Developed by Mississippi State University, the new CL163 is an example of the efforts made by...

Optimism abounds that U.S. rice soon will be en route to the island. The world was sent buzzing recently when President Obama announced a complete overhaul of our nation’s Cuba policy. Some remember the time when Cuba was the No....

Farmers prepare for the possibility of new curtailments By Ching Lee Calif. Farm Bureau Federation When it came, the notice was disappointing but not surprising: The State Water Resources Control Board warned farmers, ranchers and other people with water rights...

Make your plans now to attend this annual premier event When Feb. 27 rolls around in a couple of weeks, the 63rd Annual Mid-South Farm & Gin Show will welcome visitors to the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tenn., where...

Rice industry, DU recognized for habitat conservation efforts Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently announced approved grants from the first round of proposals to the new Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The USA Rice Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (DU) and...

George Graham Vice President – Research & Development Mars Food North America Mars Food has five core principles, and quality is No. 1. We are very proud of our reputation and are actively involved in the rice supply chain from science...

New tool protects against volatilization and nitrogen loss Farmers apply nitrogen to their rice crops to promote optimal plant growth and achieve maximum yields. For nitrogen to meet these goals, it has to be available to the plant. Dr. Nathan Slaton,...

Charles Eames, an American designer who was born a few years into the 20th century and worked in the industrial and graphic design fields, once said, “Eventually, everything connects – people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is...

Nurturing the seeds of a new beginning...finally. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” I am reminded of this Chinese proverb when I reflect on the foresight and perseverance that American...

No cash bids being offered throughout the year can definitely be described as a “tight spot.” And when rice farmers find themselves in a tight spot, they don’t give up. That’s not their nature. Instead, they look for another alternative to sell their rice. Several years ago, a small group of rice farmers in southwest Louisiana, who were faced with this situation, came up with an idea to send their rice to Mexico via rail. The inspiration for this thought was a rail facility located at the Lacassine Agri-Industrial Park that originally had been intended to carry sugar. Although that venture did not pan out, the property, infrastructure, spur and truck scales were all still there. Mark Pousson, who is the manager of what is now the South Louisiana Rail Facility (SLRF) in Lacasinne, explains how Mike Strain – the Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry in Louisiana – and Governor Jindal’s administration worked with them to “make something happen.”

Northern California contest yields information, recognition By Bruce Linquist In 2015, the University of California Cooperative Extension kicked off a yield contest with rice growers. The purpose was to provide an opportunity for rice producers and UC scientists to share information...