Farm Progress

New developments could have impact on world rice trade, which was already expected to increase.

Forrest Laws 1, Director of Content

July 26, 2017

2 Min Read
Bobby Coats, left, University of Arkansas, and Nathan Childs, right, USDA economist, visit with David Jessup, president and CEO of DeWitt Bank and Trust in DeWitt, Ark., at the USA Rice Outlook Conference.

Nathan Childs, agricultural economist with USDA’s Economic Research Service, will discuss the latest developments in the U.S. and world rice markets during a University of Arkansas Rice Webinar at 2 p.m. Thursday (July 27).

Dr. Childs will be joined by Dr. Bobby Coats, professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, and Mary Poling, coordinator for interactive communications, both with the University of Arkansas System, Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service.

Dr. Jarrod Hardke, associate professor and state rice Extension agronomist, Crop, Soil & Environmental Science Department, University of Arkansas System-Division of Agriculture, will provide webinar participants with a mid-season assessment of the progress by the 2017 Arkansas rice crop.

“The June USDA-NASS Acreage report indicated a 20-percent decline in U.S. harvested rice area in 2017-18 to 2.5 million acres,” says Dr. Coats. “Assuming trend yields, the U.S. rice crop is projected to drop 15 percent from a year earlier to 191.3 million hundredweight, pulling total supplies down 11 percent.

“Both domestic use and exports are projected to contract in response to the tighter supplies and resulting higher prices. Despite smaller use, U.S. stocks are expected to drop to a more normal level after three consecutive years of abnormally high ending stocks.”

Dr. Childs, who has worked as a rice analyst with USDA for more than two decades, is expected to address the outlook for world rice trade, particularly for China, the largest rice importer, and India and Thailand as the largest exporters.

Dr. Childs’ current activities include managing ERS’ contribution to the rice situation and outlook program and supporting the Agriculture Department’s annual Baseline forecasting activities.

After joining ERS in 1987, he has worked on a variety of topics including U.S. rice consumption patterns, global trade liberalization, farm program analysis, and supported emerging market projects to Taiwan, China, Vietnam, and Haiti. In the early 1990s, he was editor of USDA’s weekly Agricultural Outlook magazine.

To register for Thursday’s Webinar, click on https://uaex.zoom.us/webinar/register/a2f76e5e2b748053d746f627e8486654.

About the Author(s)

Forrest Laws 1

Director of Content, Farm Press

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like