Conservation

Farmers join with environmental groups on projects that benefit salmon and keep agriculture viable. By Christine Souza Moving discussions on water and protected species from the courtroom into the field, collaborative projects to benefit salmon are proving helpful in recovering fish,...

To help promote water conservation, the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission is offering financial incentives in the form of tax credits to state farmers and landowners who make land improvements. Among those are building surface water reservoirs, land leveling, converting from groundwater...

Do you think you're a good water manager who can maximize water-use efficiency? If so, enter the University of Arkansas' 2018 Arkansas Rice and Row Crop Irrigation Yield Contest for rice, soy and corn producers. If you earn the top...

I’m not going to lie to you — things in Washington, D.C., are a little strange. Important positions in some federal agencies are going unfilled, at times the administration appears to be at war with itself and Congress is...

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has opened the application period for a special conservation program designed for rice producers in all six rice-producing states. The special conservation stewardship program known as the Rice Regional Conservation Partnership Program is a joint...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service has approved nearly $6 million for two Regional Conservation Partnership Program proposals focused on water and habitat in Texas and Louisiana rice lands. Established in the 2014 Farm Bill, the RCPP competitively...

Rice farmers just by their nature are conservationists and stewards of the land. But do you know a producer who goes above and beyond the call of duty by adopting the latest technologies to further protect resources? Nominate him or...

Rice-focused conservation program draws from public and private funding to help growers install on-the-ground improvements. By Vicky Boyd Editor Recognizing that sustainability is gaining importance among rice buyers, producer Michael Fruge wanted to get ahead of the curve. The Eunice, La., rice and soybean grower signed up...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to provide $225 million in funding to 88 Regional Conservation Partnership Programs, including two that involve a partnership between Ducks Unlimited and USA Rice. Altogether, partners plan to contribute an additional $500 million to...

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has added 11 new projects, including one that protects Louisiana shorebirds, to its efforts that help agricultural producers make wildlife-friendly improvements. It is part of NRCS's Working Lands for Wildlife effort. In Louisiana, the project will...

Homer Lundberg, who with his three older brothers founded Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, Calif., was honored at the recent California Rice Field Day for his decades of service to the rice industry and his community. In presenting the 55th...

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has begun taking applications for the National Rice Regional Conservation Partnership Program in Texas.The program is a collaborative effort among USA Rice, Ducks Unlimited and about 40 other partners and sponsors. The goal is to...

The Natural Resources Conservation Service has opened a second application period for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program – Rice Stewardship Partnership Project in Louisiana rice. Sponsored by USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited, the program will assist rice producers in 20...

The Durand family’s crop mix on their St. Martinville, La., farm includes rice, crawfish and resource protection. Driving down Highway 347 past massive live oaks dripping with Spanish moss is a sea of sugar cane as far as the eye...

Projects seek to demonstrate benefits of cover crops to rice production. By Vicky Boyd, Editor Trent Roberts, a University of Arkansas soil scientist, is out to be a myth-buster when it comes to cover crops and rice. Through a three-year project he’s...