MATT SALANIK / BRIGHTON AGENCY   For years, conversations about U.S. rice quality in Latin American markets have arrived at the same conclusion: exports are slipping, competition is intensifying and South American rice is winning on attributes that matter most to consumers....

RICE FARMING Rob Mills Early in the 20th Century, a visitor to southern California remarked that the area he was seeing for the first time was the closest thing to the Garden of Eden he could ever imagine laying eyes on....

TODD MILLER BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA The adage “variety is the spice of life,” is often used to promote the idea that trying new and different things makes the world around us more interesting. And while few would consider rice “spicy,” two new varieties of...

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  BRUCE LINQUIST / UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS In California, most acreage is devoted to high quality, medium-grain varieties. Details of our 2025 varietal testing can be seen on our website at https://agronomy-rice.ucdavis.edu/. For this discussion and ease of interpretation, I...

  JUSTIN CHLAPECKA FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS Hello, everyone. This is my first column to contribute under my new job title — as an Assistant Professor of Agronomy with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. I’ve been in this role...

JARROD T. HARDKE FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS For the first time in my career, there is no excitement surrounding growing rice. Sometimes it has been lukewarm excitement, but with optimism. Not so for 2026. Given the market outlook, it is very difficult...

DR TERESA B. DE LEON / CALIFORNIA COOPERATIVE RICE RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC. Rice growers know that rice productivity varies year after year due to environmental challenges. However, not all varieties are equal, some varieties consistently performed better in specific locations....

SAM RUSTOM EAGLE LAKE, TEXAS In Texas, most of our commercial acreage is dedicated to hybrid rice production. Financially, it just makes more sense when our input costs tend to be higher than all our neighboring states in the...

WILL EUBANK MISSISSIPPI STATE, MISSISSIPPI Mississippi rice acres were hit hard in 2025. Facing delays in seed requests, contending with spring rains, delaying management decisions, and the emergence of a new pest all culminated in a growing season most...

DR. TYLER MUSGROVE BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA We are a little over a month away from the first seed drill hitting the ground to start the 2026 rice season in Louisiana. It’s no secret that variety selection remains one of...

RICHARD HICKS / R.E. HICKS GROUP LLC AN NFA REGISTERED INDEPENDENT IB. Welcome to the new year. Hopefully, during 2026 we will have a better season, yet from what we have seen so far that certainly seems to be somewhat...

ROB MILLS PERRYVILLE, MISSOURI One aspect of life you’ll find in the world of agriculture is the number of people who never leave their home area or return to it after a brief hiatus to spend the rest of their life...

  Baoshan Xing, University Distinguished Professor of Environmental and Soil Chemistry, director of UMass’ Stockbridge School of Agriculture International research co-led by UMass Amherst holds real promise for helping to meet the triple threat of growing population, climate change, and agriculture’s...

MOLLIE BUCKLER KATY, TEXAS The U.S. rice industry is breathing a sigh of relief. The USDA’s Farm Bridge Assistance program announced this week will help keep many producers in business through next season. For farmers facing unprecedented costs and shrinking margins...