On August 2nd, Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center (DREC) hosted for the annual producers’ Rice Field Day. Unusually cool weather and an overcast sky made the afternoon’s events particularly enjoyable as well as informative.
The events started at 3:00 p.m. with a welcome from Dr. Bobby Golden. Dr. Golden was followed by the keynote speaker, Betsy Ward, of USA Rice. Her presentation centered around the future of rice and the effect of a new president, and the influence of Washington D.C. Some of the factors she spoke of were the transition for leadership from one president to another, President Trump’s agricultural team and its agenda, international trade, and how the federal budget might affect the federal Farm Bill. Dr. Larry Falconer then spoke about the economic outlook for rice farming and its potential profitability for next year’s planting season.
The attendees then boarded DREC tour trailers and visited several of the station’s rice demonstration plots. Presenters on the tour were Dr. Ed Redoña, Dr. Jeff Gore, Dr. Tom Allen, Dr. Jason Bond, Dr. Bobby Golden, and two graduate students, Jeffrey Mansour and Ben Lawrence. A wide variety of topics were discussed including rice agronomy, weed control, entomology, and plant pathology. After the field tours had been completed, the day’s activities concluded with a reception at Delta Council where local ag, political, and industry leaders joined the discussions.
DREC would like to extend a special note of appreciation to the sponsors of the Rice Field Day: USA Rice, Mississippi Rice Promotion Board, Mississippi Rice Council, and Delta Council.
The events started at 3:00 p.m. with a welcome from Dr. Bobby Golden. Dr. Golden was followed by the keynote speaker, Betsy Ward, of USA Rice. Her presentation centered around the future of rice and the effect of a new president, and the influence of Washington D.C. Some of the factors she spoke of were the transition for leadership from one president to another, President Trump’s agricultural team and its agenda, international trade, and how the federal budget might affect the federal Farm Bill. Dr. Larry Falconer then spoke about the economic outlook for rice farming and its potential profitability for next year’s planting season.
The attendees then boarded DREC tour trailers and visited several of the station’s rice demonstration plots. Presenters on the tour were Dr. Ed Redoña, Dr. Jeff Gore, Dr. Tom Allen, Dr. Jason Bond, Dr. Bobby Golden, and two graduate students, Jeffrey Mansour and Ben Lawrence. A wide variety of topics were discussed including rice agronomy, weed control, entomology, and plant pathology. After the field tours had been completed, the day’s activities concluded with a reception at Delta Council where local ag, political, and industry leaders joined the discussions.
DREC would like to extend a special note of appreciation to the sponsors of the Rice Field Day: USA Rice, Mississippi Rice Promotion Board, Mississippi Rice Council, and Delta Council.