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Sustainability goes beyond environmental benefits: one of the most significant contributions of the U.S. rice industry is economic, because if a sustainability practice doesn’t pay its way on the farm or mill, it’s not truly sustainable. Full story

Before it was cultivated thousands of years ago, rice grew wild in wet, marshy areas rich in biodiversity. Today, rice fields are a crucial refuge for many species of birds, fish, amphibians, and even mammals who have lost their habitat to development and coastal erosion, providing approximately 700,000 acres that nature conservationists would be loath to see growing other crops. Full story

The benefits of sustainability measures are not always visible to the naked eye and that’s why the U.S. Rice Industry Sustainability Report is so important—it quantifies and catalogs the great strides rice farmers have made in air quality and energy since 1980, and the innovations they continue to make. Full story

The rice industry is doing more than any other crop to advance sustainable water technologies. For more details, data, and stories that illustrate how seriously rice farmers take water stewardship, check out the U.S. Rice Industry Sustainability Report. Full story

Just because rice farmers were already the best in the soil business didn’t mean that they couldn’t find ways to improve. Over the course of 36 years of data, soil erosion on U.S. rice farms decreased by 28 percent, and rice consistently demonstrates the lowest per-acre soil erosion of any major crop. Full story

The U.S. Rice Industry Sustainability Report is live and available to the public after two long years of research, collaboration, and boots-on-the-ground work from farmers and millers across the country and USA Rice’s sustainability team. But the effort is far from over, and now it’s time to take the report on the road for its grand tour to get the message out. Full story

Efficiency is the bedrock of sustainability. Rice farmers must utilize the land to its fullest while ensuring its continuing health. Increased productivity allows farmers to feed a growing population using less water and energy and get the most out of what each acre of soil has to offer. Full story