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Highlights of the 2024 USA Rice OutlookHighlights of the 2024 USA Rice Outlook

The rice industry took over downtown Little Rock for a day and a half packed with educational and networking opportunities. See pictures and get a recap of this year’s conference, plus find out who was honored as USA Rice award recipients.

Whitney Shannon Haigwood, Staff Writer

January 15, 2025

9 Min Read
Man on stage speaking at a podium in a room full of conference attendees.
On Dec. 9, Keith Glover welcomed attendees during the General Session of the 2024 USA Rice Outlook conference. He also acknowledged the tremendous support from conference sponsors and exhibitors.Whitney Shannon Haigwood

At a Glance

  • This past December, the USA Rice Outlook Conference was back in Little Rock for the first time since 2019.
  • The tradeshow and speaker agenda were full of informative resources for rice farmers.
  • Plus, awards acknowledged upstanding achievements within the U.S. rice industry.

Just a little over a month ago, folks from across the rice industry gathered in Little Rock, Ark., for the 2024 USA Rice Outlook Conference. Highlights from the event included a fantastic speaker line up, a lively tradeshow, and engaging presentations in the heart of America’s largest rice producing state. 

The conference kicked off with a welcome reception on Dec. 8, in the Exhibit Hall of the Arkansas State House Convention Center. Attendees received a warm welcome on Dec. 9, at the General Session, and the event concluded with an awards luncheon on Dec. 10. 

Here is a glimpse of what happened throughout the one and a half days of the Outlook conference.

Man speaking on stage at a podium at a farm trade show.

Speakers, tradeshow, and presentations 

The general session opened with the National Anthem, beautifully sung by Miss Arkansas 2024, Camille Cathey. Then, USA Rice Chair Keith Glover welcomed attendees and thanked them for their participation. He also acknowledged the tremendous support from conference sponsors and exhibitors, eliciting a round of applause from the audience. 

Glover introduced a video message from U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), who stressed the importance of economic assistance for farmers to relieve losses due to high input costs and natural disasters in 2024. He also underscored the need for an improved safety net in the upcoming farm bill. 

Related:Horizon Ag launches new varieties, brings together grower advisory board

Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward followed, with updates on policies to improve the state’s water plan and address food insecurity. These improvements particularly impact the rice industry and are aligned to executive orders of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. 

John Rogers, chief sustainability and procurement officer for Anheuser-Busch, took the stage to introduce the keynote speaker. In his introduction, Rogers also spoke of the strong relationship between Anheuser-Busch and USA Rice, a partnership for over 40 years. 

“We could not be prouder of the contributions to conservation. USA Rice advocates for policies we have built together, and we are very excited to build on this partnership and achievements into 2025,” Rogers said. 

Then, Rogers introduced Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, founder of Folds of Honor, a foundation supporting families of injured or fallen service men and women through educational scholarships. For 14 years, Anheuser-Busch, along with its brands and wholesalers, have contributed over 28 million dollars to this foundation.

Man in F-16 fighter pilot uniform checking out a red combine harvester at a rice conference trade show.

The tradeshow was open throughout the conference with over 55 exhibitor booths and a schedule packed with simultaneous presentations occurring on three stages in the Exhibit Hall. Attendees were updated on federal issues like crop insurance, H2A labor, and regulations. Plus, there were crop production outlooks from each of the rice producing states and presentations on market trends. 

Related:Rice seed availability tightens even more for 2025

Scholarship winner and Outstanding PAC Contributor 

Two awards were announced during the general session. The winner of the National Rice Month video was announced by Peter Bachmann, USA Rice president and CEO. The grand prize, out of 88 entries, went to high school senior Helen Lan from San Antonio. Lan was awarded a $5,000 scholarship, sponsored by the American Commodity Company in Williams, Calif. See Lan's scholarship winning video, The Tale of the Rice Ghost.

ACC has sponsored the video contest since 2020, contributing $70,000 to more than 30 young people from rice producing states to assist their pursuit of higher education. Bachmann thanked the company and said, “ACC sponsors every year because they are dedicated to this industry. They believe in the mission of the contest, they see value in it, and honor education in all forms.” 

Large scholarship check of $5,000 being held by a high school senior (left) and organization chairwoman (right).

The USA Rice PAC Outstanding Contributor award was bestowed to California rice farmer Sean Doherty, who served as chair of the USA Rice Political Action Committee for the past 10 years. The award was presented by Kirk Satterfield, current PAC chair since summer 2024. 

The USA Rice PAC supports elected leaders who advocate on behalf of the rice industry within the halls of Congress to champion the policies of USA Rice. Satterfield commended Doherty’s time and dedication to the committee. He said Doherty not only contributes financially himself, but also leads by example, encouraging others to do so. 

Distinguished Conservation Achievement Award 

After the many networking and educational opportunities of the Outlook conference, the event concluded with an awards luncheon. Two recipients were honored with awards from USA Rice. 

The 2024 Distinguished Conservation Achievement Award was presented to Mike Sullivan, former USDA-NRCS Arkansas State Conservationist, for his outstanding contributions to conservation in the rice industry. 

Leo LeGrande, California rice grower and chair of the USA Rice Conservation Committee, presented the award to Sullivan. LeGrande described Sullivan’s past leadership as co-chair of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) as being instrumental in enhancing the program – particularly for the USA Rice and Ducks Unlimited Stewardship Partnership

“He has been a tireless advocate for the adoption of working lands conservation programs on rice lands. He has consistently championed the core principles of these programs,” LeGrande said.

Man accepting an award and speaking on stage at a podium at a conference.

 Sullivan recently retired from his 42-year career with USDA-NRCS. During the last 15 of those years, he served as the Arkansas State Conservationist. Sullivan said, “I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to find ways to get more conservation on the ground better and faster than we have ever done before.” 

It was a team effort, Sullivan said, amongst farmers, partners and employees. “We went about it with opportunities through special initiatives like the Mississippi River Basin Healthy Initiative Program as well as the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. For me, it was easy in Arkansas to help make those work because of our partners.” 

A couple of years ago, Sullivan was tasked with improving the RCPP program. After nine months of seeking feedback, a plan was put in place with short- and long-term recommendations. Sullivan said, “Rice and ducks just go together. It is natural, and today our RCPP serves as a model of how the program should work.” 

Sustainability Award 

The 2024 USA Rice Sustainability Award was presented to the Riceland Carbon Ready Program. Mark Isbell, Arkansas farmer and chair of the USA Rice Sustainability Committee presented the award to the Riceland Carbon Ready team: Adam Shea, vice president of government affairs and sustainability; Austin Brown, director of sustainability; and Chandler Holcomb, sustainability manager. 

In 2022, Riceland launched the Carbon Ready Program, helping its farmer-member base to capture, utilize, and monetize farm-level data based on sustainable practices implemented on their operations. The program also gives farmer-members the tools and support needed to adopt sustainable practices. 

From 2022 to 2023, the program has seen a 400% increase in farmer enrollment and a 1200% increase in acres. 

The Riceland Carbon Ready Program is part of the company’s Ingrain Good Sustainability Initiative which helps downstream customers achieve their Scope 3 GHG emission reductions. Isbell said, “It is a win-win. Farmers get paid for implementing sustainable practices, and packaged brands companies get to show their customers they are supporting emission reductions and sustainable agriculture.” 

Isbell listed 2023 successes of the program encompassing 138,000 tons of CO2 emissions reduced; 69,000 acres of waterfowl habitat fostered; and 24.1 billion gallons of water saved. That adds up to over $4 million of farmer payouts, over a 1,200% increase from the year before of new money flowing into the supply chain. 

“As a farmer myself, I love that farmers are finally being rewarded for the work they are doing connected to sustainability,” Isbell said. “This will have positive implications, not just for those in the Riceland family, but throughout the U.S. rice industry.”

Four men on stage accepting an award at a conference. One is speaking at a podium.

In accepting the award, Shea said, “Every day we get up and go to work, and our mission is to create value for a large number of farmers.” 

Shea reflected on Riceland’s sustainability journey over the years which established a platform for the program. He said, “At the end of the day it comes down to the data and the farmers who take the time to share what is going on. Everyone is short on time, so we have to find ways to incentivize farmers to want to share their information.” 

The Riceland Carbon Ready Program does just that. Shea said it represents the intersection of the farmer and consumer packaged goods companies to tell the story of the data, driving value back to the farmer who makes a difference. 

Shea expressed appreciation to Riceland’s board of directors along with the company’s leadership and marketing teams. He also thanked Arva Intelligence for its partnership and every farmer who has taken a leap of faith with the program.

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About the Author

Whitney Shannon Haigwood

Staff Writer, Delta Farm Press

Raised in a rural town in northeast Arkansas, Whitney Shannon Haigwood has a passion rooted in agriculture and education. As an Arkansas State University graduate, her career began in 2007, teaching middle school. After four years in the public classroom, she shifted gears to be a dedicated stay-at-home mom for her two beautiful daughters.

In 2019, Whitney took a job with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, and her love for agriculture grew even stronger. While there, she served in the cotton agronomy program and gained an appreciation for soil health. She later accepted a promotion to be the Technical and Social Media Writer for Agriculture and Natural Resources, which further channeled her energy to educate others about sustainable crop production.

Whitney joined the Delta Farm Press editorial team in 2022, and she is ambitious to share timely stories and on-farm inspiration. “Our farmers and leaders in the ag industry have stories to tell. We learn from one another,” she said. “If we keep our successes or failures a secret, then we stifle opportunities to impact those around us. I aim to tell the story of agriculture in the Delta.”

Whitney lives amidst acres of row crops in Newport, Ark., where she raises her two “farm girls” along with their spunky Sheepadoodle dog.

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