The rice industry prides itself on its commitment to the conservation of natural resources and the institution of practices that provide habitat to wetland dependent wildlife and waterfowl. Working lands programs are good for the environment and for rice farmers. The voluntary-incentive based conservation model used by the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has worked well. 

Rice farmers have been able to significantly improve their environmental footprint through practices implemented through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). This program has provided rice farmers funds to better manage water resources through irrigation efficiency, water quality, and erosion control. For more information on our work through this program click here.

Recent News

  • Joe Mencer checks rice in his field Margin Protection Price Discovery for Rice Begins in December

    Nov 09, 2015

    Earlier this summer, the U.S. Department of Agriculture rolled out Margin Protection, a "next generation" crop insurance product available to rice producers in select counties in Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas for the 2016 crop year. The price discovery period for rice is set to begin on December 15, and expected margins and premiums will be updated daily thereafter. The program was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and has been carefully developed by USA Rice in partnership with the consulting firm, Watts and Associates, Inc. Full story
  • USDA Announces 235M for RCPP In Arkansas and Mississippi, EQIP Aplenty

    Nov 06, 2015

    USA Rice along with Ducks Unlimited and more than 40 other partners are celebrating their most recent milestone as part of the Sustaining the Future of Rice project and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), one of two programs utilized by the project, collected a total of 334 applications when the sign-up period closed last month in Arkansas and Mississippi. Full story
  • GA-House Passes Budget-151029 House Passes 2-year Budget Deal, Promises to Reverse Cuts to Crop Insurance

    Oct 29, 2015

    Yesterday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Bipartisan Budget Agreement of 2015 which raised the debt ceiling until March 2017 and increased federal spending by $80 billion over two years. Fortunately for agriculture, the previously reported $3 billion cut to federal crop insurance will be reversed during the Appropriations process later this fall. Full story