In the shadow of grain bins at Gertson Farms in East Bernard, TX
Jun 05, 2024
EL CAMPO, TX – Ahead of the International Temperate Rice Conference (ITRC) hosted by USA Rice and the Louisiana State University Ag Center, members of the Australian rice industry including the Australian Rice Growers Association and university researchers, took a preconference detour to experience the U.S. rice industry firsthand. The group of 19 arrived in Houston last Wednesday and met up with USA Rice’s Dr. Steve Linscombe, Kane Webb, and Shelby Young for two days of touring south Texas.
“Being back in my home state of Texas with USA Rice colleagues and new friends representing the Australian rice industry was such a treat,” said Young, USA Rice manager of government affairs. “Over the course of the tour, I learned an incredible amount, met an impressive group of ambassadors for the Australian rice industry, connected with pillars of the Texas rice industry, and indulged in some delicious Texas cuisine. The trip definitely strengthened relationships between the U.S. and Australian rice industries.”
First stop was Rice Belt Warehouse and observation of a seed production field of CLH03, the new high amylose Clearfield line from Horizon Ag. The day’s agenda also included stops at the AgriLife Wintermann Rice Research Station, Colorado County Rice Mill, Hlavinka Equipment, and Gertson Farms, and ended with a Texas style barbecue at the Balas Camp.
Day two began with a good old fashioned south Texas thunderstorm, causing delays in travel, but the group eventually made it to RiceTec headquarters in Alvin, then on to Riviana Rice Mill in Freeport, Daniel Berglund Farms in Wharton, and the Nutrien Research Center south of El Campo.
"The two days spent in Texas rice country provided an excellent and comprehensive overview of the region's rice production and industry,” said Ainsley Massina a grower from New South Wales, Australia, and representative of the Australian Rice Growers Association. “It also illustrated many of the similar challenges and opportunities shared with rice production in Australia.”
After spending the weekend in Memphis, Tennessee, the group made stops at several rice farms in northeast Arkansas, as well as Riceland Foods and the University of Arkansas Rice Research Center in Stuttgart. They will spend the rest of this week in New Orleans at the 2024 ITRC.
As conference participants, they will get to experience south Louisiana’s rice region with a tour of operations in Crowley, including the H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station, GF&P Zaunbrecher Farms, and Thibodeaux Brothers Farms. On their way back to Australia, they also plan to spend a few days in California rice country.