Two hurricanes and other natural disasters have created a situation where rice farmers in South Louisiana face the loss of 30,000 to 40,000 acres because of saltwater contamination....More

Bacterial panicle blight, also known as “Bengal disease” in Arkansas rice circles, is not a new disease. Veteran rice expert Chuck Wilson says the disease can reduce yields by 50 percent and that rice under stress, like last year’s flooding-delayed crop, seems to be more susceptible. Wilson talked about the University of Arkansas’ efforts to fight the disease at the USA Rice Outlook Conference in Austin, Texas....More

A true choice. That’s what the U.S. Rice Producers Group and the USA Rice Federation were seeking when the House and Senate Agriculture Committees began the process of making recommendations to the Select Committee on Deficit Reduction earlier this fall. The Select or Super Committee process failed, but Rice Federation leaders hope the work they did will pay off when the Ag Committee resume their farm bill deliberations. The Federation’s Reece Langley explains in this video from the USARF’s Outlook Conference in Austin, Texas....More