BATON ROUGE, La. (RFD News) — The U.S. rice crop is expected to be smaller this year as fewer acres go into production across major growing regions.
Louisiana State University economist Dr. Michael Deliberto tells us the industry is looking at fewer acres in the six-figure range.
“We’re probably going to harvest about 500,000 fewer rice acres, which would signal production 200 plus million hundred weight down to about 175 million hundred weight,” Deliberto says. “Producers in Arkansas faced poor returns in recent years. They got what a lot of people would consider maybe a gloomy outlook for rice. And keep in mind, the story for the rice market — really for the past two or three years — was excessive carryout. There was a lot of rice on the market that had to find a home.”
Deliberto says tighter production could boost demand for the new crop and potentially support stronger prices for rice producers.
Roger McEowen with the Washburn University School of Law joined us to provide legal insight and context on these issues facing agriculture. Today, he discusses pesticide litigation.
January 06, 2026 01:39 PM
·
Corn export strength remains a key demand anchor, while China’s continued involvement in soybeans and sorghum bears close watching for price direction.
January 06, 2026 01:12 PM
·
Strong crush demand and rising ethanol production are pressuring feedstocks, as traders monitor storage risks and supply chain uncertainty and await the upcoming January WASDE report.
January 06, 2026 01:04 PM
·
Weather, Tight Supplies, and Planning Shape Farm Decisions
January 05, 2026 03:23 PM
·
Strong ethanol production and export trends continue to support corn demand despite seasonal fuel consumption softness.
January 05, 2026 02:49 PM
·
Cotton demand depends on demonstrating performance and reliability buyers can rely on, not messaging alone.
January 05, 2026 02:41 PM
·
