Missouri Celebrates Rice Month as Harvest Begins
Key Takeaways
- •Missouri officially proclaimed September as Rice Month during an event in Sikeston hosted by the Southeast Missouri Food Bank and the Missouri Rice Council.
- •Missouri historically ranks fourth among U.S. states in rice production, typically growing about 200,000 acres across roughly seven southeastern counties.
- •Rice acreage in Missouri fell below average this year, partly due to market issues, according to USA Rice's Mollie Buckler.
- •Harvest has begun in parts of the region, and early reports indicate the crop is in good condition.
- •Industry representatives are optimistic that this year's lower acreage could help bring balance to the rice marketplace amid tight supplies.
September is Rice Month in Missouri, with the official proclamation made this week in the Missouri Bootheel. The designation, recognized nationally each September, coincides with the heart of the U.S. rice harvest across the country's rice-growing states.
Mollie Buckler with USA Rice, who works closely with the Missouri Rice Council, told Brownfield, "Missouri is fourth in the nation historically for rice production. Typically, around 200,000 acres are grown in about seven counties in southeast Missouri."
She says acreage dipped below average in Missouri this year, but farmers remain optimistic about harvest.
"We have some farmers to the west in our region and deep south in the Bootheel starting to cut rice. Things are going well. The crop looks good. We're definitely dealing with some market issues that contributed to that, you know, low acreage number that we saw this year," Buckler says.
According to Buckler, there is optimism that the lower acreage will provide balance to the marketplace. Tighter supplies have been a focal point for U.S. rice growers in recent seasons, and planted-acreage decisions often shift in response to prices for rice relative to other row crops.
The Rice Month proclamation was made at Harvest Hope, an event hosted by the Southeast Missouri Food Bank and the Missouri Rice Council in Sikeston on Tuesday.
Source: Brownfield Ag News
