Outreach Efforts
The members of the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board understand the tremendous responsibility of investing checkoff funds wisely to improve the profitability and sustainability of the rice industry in Arkansas. Annual collections vary with production, but average between $4.5 million and $6 million.
The board conducts a research program through the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, reviewing projects annually. Research centers on variety development, pest control, fertilization, environmental concerns, and economics to name a few. The board also hears promotion and market
development proposals each year, and has consistently selected the USA Rice Council as the entity to represent Arkansas rice in the domestic and global marketplace. The documents below provide information about board-funded initiatives and projects in an effort to ensure that the rice farmers
and buyers who pay the checkoff have a thorough understanding of how the funds are invested and can take full advantage of the results of these programs in their own operations.
University of Arkansas Rice Enterprise Budgets and Production Economic Analysis
Agricultural Economists with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, in an project funded by the checkoff, create annual enterprise budgets that are flexible for representing alternative production practices of Arkansas producers. Budgets are prepared for conventional, hybrid, full-page hybrid, Clearfield, and Provisia production systems.
2022 Research Funding
Each year, the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board considers research proposals and funds projects on an annual basis. The Statement of Research Allocations details the projects for the 2022 crop year.
STATEMENT OF RESEARCH ALLOCATIONS
Rice Statistics
Rice in Arkansas is principally grown in the eastern section of the state with a heavy concentration of acreage in Arkansas, Jackson, Poinsett, Lonoke, Cross and other Delta counties. Rice is also grown in smaller amounts in the Arkansas River Valley and in the southwest corner of the state. Farmers in over 40 counties in Arkansas produce rice.
In 2020, Arkansas farmers harvested 237,835,400 bushels of rice from 1.441 million acres. Arkansas accounts for about 50 percent of all rice produced in the United States. Other rice producing states include Texas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Missouri.
B.R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research Studies
The B.R. Wells Arkansas Rice Research Studies is published by the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture annually and funded by the checkoff. The series serves: i) as an annual report to assess the progress of proposed research, and ii) as an outlet for rice scientists to publish their research while it is in progress and to publish applied research that is important to the successful production of rice in Arkansas, but not always publishable in the more rigorous refereed scientific journals. Much of the research discussed in the Wells series is funded in part with checkoff dollars.
Arkansas Rice Production Handbook
The Arkansas Rice Production Handbook is published by the University of Arkansas and funded by the checkoff. The handbook contains recommendations on all aspects of rice production including planting dates, seeding rates, fertilization, irrigation, and disease and pest management. Many of the recommendations in the handbook are a direct result of checkoff funded research.
USA Rice Promotion and Development
USA Rice has consistently been selected by the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board as the sole entity to conduct promotion and market development efforts. If you’d like more information on those programs, you can sign up to receive the USA Rice Daily by email and you can listen to The Rice Stuff Podcast. USA Rice hosts the Rice Outlook Conference annually in December in order and invites rice farmers to attend.
Helpful Links
- University of Arkansas
- University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
- USA Rice Federation
- Arkansas Foundation for Agriculture
- Arkansas Farm Bureau
- Arkansas Rice
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