LOUISIANA Dr. Dustin Harrell Extension Rice Specialist [email protected] You could not ask for two consecutive rice production seasons better than we have seen in the past two years in Louisiana! Record yields were achieved in 2013, and 2014 yields were not far behind. The...

In 1961, representing more than half a century gone by, the United States severed all ties with Cuba, and U.S. rice began disappearing from Cuban dinner tables, grocery store shelves and restaurants. Prior to the embargo, Cuba was one...

by Jake Onstott PCA, Growers Ag Service, Inc. Yuba City, Calif. I grew up as the third generation in a family of crop dusters, but my love has always been to “play in the dirt.” After deciding that I wasn’t going into...

Disease resistance breeding efforts contribute to mild year By Bruce Schultz LSU AgCenter Disease in rice was not as big of a problem in 2014 for most growers as in previous years, according to LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Don Groth. “With as much...

MS Farm Bureau Internship Opportunity Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF) is offering a summer intern program for students who carry at least 12 credit hours and have a minimum junior classification in an agricultural field of study for the 2015...

The 2014 rice production season has come to a close, while hunting season, the holidays and planning for 2015 are in full swing. An important part of the planning process for next year is attending winter meetings to stay...

Bo Hanneken Christy PCA, Wilbur-Ellis Company Colusa, Calif. I grew up in Missouri where my FFA agronomy team placed at many different competitions, including State and the Purdue Invitational Crops Contest. I moved to California when I was 17 and...

On its anniversary, USRPA looks back at 2014 and ahead to 2015. December marks the 17th anniversary of the US Rice Producers Association, or USRPA. Today, it remains the only national rice organization comprised of rice farmers, elected by rice...

Arkansas farmers share their recipe for success The main ingredients for their operation's success, according to fifth- and sixth-generation Arkansas rice farmers Paul and Gil Dreher, include choosing the right varieties, investing in a grain management system, managing their water...

USA Rice works to keep existing markets open and free of barriers as well as find new ones for U.S. rice. All indicators are pointing to a robust rice crop this year despite the devastating drought gripping parts of rice...

Winner, Winner! Cannon Cummings, son of Marc and Ashley Cummings, was the proud winner of a $25 Academy Sports + Outdoors gift certificate at the 2014 RiceTec Field Day in Harrisburg, Ark. Congratulations, Cannon! Marc is a rice consultant in...

By Danny May Southeast Coop Qulin, Mo. I remember that the first rice field I ever scouted as a college intern was north of Marks, Miss. Later, I spent time scouting in northeast Louisiana, North Carolina and Kentucky. In 2009, Mike Galloway...

CRC partnerships help fuel conservation in rice fields By Paul Buttner, Environmental Affairs Manager, California Rice Commission This was another eventful year as the California Rice Commission (CRC) successfully helped deliver programs to growers who willingly engage in wildlife conservation. It...

Dr. Jarrod T. Hardke Arkansas Rice Extension Agronomist University of Arkansas, Cooperative Extension Service [email protected] Strange is the New Normal Arkansas rice farming in 2014 was a lot like a line heard often about playing cards: it wasn't necessarily a matter of holding good cards,...

In the case where the rice customer is the beholder, then as the old Ford slogan once proclaimed – "Quality is Job One." An emphasis must be placed on quality by every segment of the marketing chain. The world market is not static, and dramatic changes are affecting markets at our doorstep. The best example is our top market – Mexico. The U.S. share of the Mexican market was 99 percent as late as 2010, but we have fallen to just 78 percent in the first nine months of 2014. Thankfully, the U.S. industry is addressing the problem to find and implement solutions. We've taken a long-term approach, establishing a protocol to evaluate potential new U.S. rice varieties, looking at parameters such as bran streaks, chalk, kernel color, uniformity of length and overall appearance. The parameters are graded by mills on a number scale that will prevent substandard varieties from making it to market. While the program is voluntary, I would encourage all plant breeders developing new rice varieties to participate in the protocol for maximum impact. And, of course, we're putting great emphasis on rice research to provide growers with high yield varieties that meet the quality demands of the customers.