View of the room at the 2024 Western Rice Belt Production Conference
Jan 18, 2024
EL CAMPO, TX – Hundreds of rice farmers, millers, and other members of the Texas rice community gathered here at the El Campo Civic Center yesterday for the 2024 Western Rice Belt Production Conference.
The agenda included information sessions on insecticides, water conservation, and production economics from Texas A&M AgriLife Research, as well as a discussion of hybrid variety performance from representatives of RiceTec, Horizon Ag, and Dynagro.
John Hofmann, executive vice president of water at the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), delivered an outlook analysis on this year’s water situation in Texas, and Jamison Cruce, USA Rice vice president of government affairs, provided an update from Washington, DC.
During lunch, the local Rice Poster Contest winners were announced, awarding elementary school students for their winning entries.
The Texas Rice Council and the Texas Rice Research Foundation provided reports, and the day’s program concluded with an update on U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation programs.
“It’s always a pleasure to make it out to Texas rice country, catch up with folks, and get the latest info on rice extension research and conservation efforts in the area,” said Cruce. “Texas farmers, millers, and researchers are doing great work and we want to share the most up-to-date knowledge on what’s going on in Washington, DC as well, so events like the Western Rice Belt Conference are an excellent resource for all of us.”