Whole grain food sales are projected to continue their upward trend, rising to $26.7 billion by 2017. The United States is the largest regional market for whole grain foods, while Asia Pacific is predicted to be the fastest-growing region....More
Climate change and its potential to intensify droughts and floods could end Southeast Asia’s global dominance in rice production and pose a significant threat to millions of people across the region....More
A meta analysis of an earlier Harvard University study linking high white rice consumption to a rise of Type 2 diabetes, especially in Asian populations, has been heavily featured in the news....More
A poor rice crop in 2010, weather, and falling export demand continue to challenge U.S. rice producers. U.S. rice producers paid the price around the world for the 2010 heat-damaged U.S. crop. California a benefactor from opening of Japan's market....More
The NCC says effective risk management would come with the adoption of the Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX). The Environmental Working Group jumped into the federal crop insurance fray with claims that U.S. taxpayers unwittingly funded overseas insurance companies between 2007 and 2011....More
Top NRCS leaders were on hand to receive the California Rice Commission’s Circle of Life Award for their pioneering work to help improve wildlife habitat in the state’s rice fields....More
U.S. representatives said the U.S. rice industry would be "very capable of meeting Iraq's rice import requirements under generally-accepted commercial trade standards."...More
NRCS Chief Dave White told the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on farm bill conservation programs that U.S. rice acreage has played an important conservation role in providing waterfowl benefits through the Migratory Birds Habitat Initiative (MBHI)....More
Arsenic is ubiquitous and present in air, soil, water, and foods, and dietary exposure to arsenic comes from a variety of different sources, including fruits, fruit juice, vegetables and other grains....More
New findings provide a natural way to bioengineer improved rice grain varieties by selectively increasing production of useful metabolites, boosting the nutritional value of crops....More
U.S. rice growers are getting higher prices than last season, but those prices are not quite as strong as expected. (Gary Crawford and Gerry Bange)...More
If a government agency had just approved one of your field crops during a safety inspection, but you still suspected that something was wrong, what would you do – harvest and ship the crop? Or undertake your own investigation?...More
With much drier and warmer than average weather conditions affecting much of Texas for more than a year, news that a rice researcher at the University of Arizona is developing desert-friendly rice varieties for U.S. and international growers is likely to be well received....More
Farmers' Rice Cooperative (FRC) has announced the Jan. 1 appointment of Frank G. Bragg, III as president and CEO. Bragg succeeds Mike Sandrock, who served as president and CEO from 1998 until his retirement on Dec. 31....More
The latest news on issues affecting California rice farmers will be presented during the upcoming Annual Grower Meetings held by the California Rice Commission (CRC), scheduled for Jan. 12, 2012....More
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
The global financial crisis – and rising food prices – are causing more countries to focus on rice production. That’s not good news for U.S. rice producers who have been dealing with weather problems of their own. University of Arkansas Extension economist Bobby Coats discussed the outlook for U.S. and Arkansas rice after his presentation 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
