Gulf Coast Rice Planting 2024
The gulf coast region was busy getting the 2024 U.S. rice crop off to a quick and early start, but is now taking a break with the recent untimely rains over the past two weeks, also ushering in the inevitable cool spell, but not too cool to appear a threat to the young emerging rice. Planting got off to an early start in both the Texas and SWLA regions, with ideal weather conditions prompting growers to take advantage and get a portion of their crop planted ahead of the rains as we near the end of March, although a few were able to get all of their crop in the ground.
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LA Red Beans & Rice Heritage & Music Festival Debuts In Baton Rouge
The Louisiana Red Beans and Rice Heritage and Musical Festival has partnered with local farmers and businesses to teach the heritage of one of the oldest and most tasteful cuisines in Louisiana.
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U.S.-Grown Rice Boosted By Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. Farmed Certification
U.S. rice farmers can give a hearty “cheers!” to Anheuser-Busch and the American Farmland Trust (AFT) for their new partnership that will be putting a “U.S. Farmed” certification and seal on several products from the nation’s top brewer and largest user of U.S.-grown rice.
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Louisiana Farm Bureau, LFETA Seeking Locations of Grain Bin Rescue Tubes
The Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation is working with the Louisiana Fire and Emergency Training Academy in compiling the locations of grain bin rescue tubes across the state.
Grain bin rescue tubes are specialized pieces of equipment used by first responders to help safely remove someone trapped by flowing grain inside a grain bin or other grain storage facility.
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Crop Market Update for Corn, Soybean, Rice, and Cotton: March 2024
The WASDE’s March outlook for 2023/24 U.S. corn remains relative to last month. The season-average corn price for producers has been lowered to $4.75 per bushel based on observed prices to date.
The outlook for U.S. soybean supply and use for 2023/24 also remains unchanged for March. While soybean crush is unchanged, the soybean meal extraction rate has been bumped up slightly, and soybean meal exports are mostly higher due to lower domestic use. The U.S. season-average soybean price forecast stays unchanged at $12.65 per bushel.
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Louisiana Rice Parish Estimates: March 2024
This report contains the results from the 2023 December Agricultural and Row Crops County Agricultural Production surveys.
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New Strain of Jasmine Rice Expected to Hit the Market in 2026
The H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station develops new varieties of rice, provides advice on how to grow and manage crops and much more.
Director of the Caffey Rice Research Station, Adam Famoso tells me the process of producing rice starts in house as the center creates different rice seeds that are then sold to farmers to grow.
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The Gloves Come Off over Louisiana Product Labels
When someone in south Louisiana's Cajun Country says, "cook some rice," they mean the authentic grain. Offering them a vegetable you call rice would be nearly as offensive as putting tomatoes in gumbo.
Louisiana rice millers want to make sure no one is mislead by products marketed to be something they aren't.
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Real Rice Prevails, "Right Rice" Mark Cancelled
Ever since rice pretenders – rice-shaped processed vegetables – emerged on the scene, the U.S. rice industry has been trying to set the record straight with consumers, retailers, manufacturers, policymakers, and lawmakers to avoid marketplace confusion.
“We’ve said from the beginning, ‘rice is a grain, not a shape,’” said Robbie Trahan, a Louisiana rice miller and chair of the USA Rice Domestic Promotion Committee. “If someone wants to eat cauliflower crumbles, that’s fine. But don’t call it ‘rice.’ It isn’t.”
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USITC Examines Rice Competitiveness Of The US & Other Major Producers
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is undertaking a new fact finding investigation that will examine recent trends and developments in the global rice market and the export competitiveness of the rice industries in the United States and other major producers, such as Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Thailand, Uruguay, and Vietnam.
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American Rice Farmers Feed The World With Commodity-Based Aid
Earlier this month, Bobby Hanks, a Louisiana rice miller and chair of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee, joined representatives from the U.S. Wheat Associates, North American Millers’ Association, and the Seafarers International Union (AFL-CIO) as part of a stakeholder panel briefing for Congressional staff on “The Role of American Agriculture & Transportation in International Food Aid.”
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No Plans To Tear Down Rice Mill in Abbeville Says Owner
Abbeville residents have been expressing their concerns lately about the old Riviana Rice Mill. The mill has been standing for over a century and contractors have been seen removing tin from the main buildings next to the railroad track. This has left some residents worried that once the tin is removed, the entire structure will be torn down, leaving Abbeville with a large cement slab.
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Meet Rusty Elston, 2023 Rice Consultant of the Year
Louisiana rice consultant, Rusty Elston, said his father, Willard Elston, made sure his children knew how to work beginning at an early age. “This is where the training for my career actually began,” Rusty said. “My father set the example and taught us to always do our best and be willing to go the extra mile.” The young boy took notice of this important lesson and has maintained that mindset through the years in every aspect of his life.
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More Updates From USA Rice’s DC Fly-In
USA Rice millers and merchants met with key U.S. executive and legislative government officials during their fly-in last week to talk about trade and transportation among other topics.
John Morgan, a Louisiana rice miller, kicked off a meeting with USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Associate Administrator Melissa Bailey who provided an update on what AMS is doing that will impact the U.S. rice industry, including the announced $1 billion in food aid commodity purchases scheduled this year. Bailey shared information on the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program. States and territories will work in partnership with USDA to make competitive sub-awards up to $420 million to support infrastructure in the middle of the supply chain for domestic food and farm businesses and other eligible entities.
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USA Rice Testifies Before House Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee on India and WTO Issues
Bobby Hanks, a Louisiana rice miller and chair of the USA Rice International Trade Policy Committee, testified before the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, at a hearing entitled, Advancing America’s Interest at the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13). Hanks was one of five witnesses providing feedback to legislators and the only witness strictly representing the interests of agricultural producers.
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