Friday, January 9, 2026

AR Rice Annual Meeting

The 2026 Arkansas Rice Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 4, at the Northeast Rice Research & Extension Center in Harrisburg. This will be our first meeting at the new center. We hope you will make plans now to attend to catch up with other members of the rice community, hear updates on issues of importance, meet suppliers and enjoy some great fellowship.Registration is free, but required for planning purposes. Click here to register. 


The program begins at 8:30 and the agenda includes updates from USA Rice, a federal legislative panel, a look at our past, encouragement for the future and reports on various programs. .


We are grateful to our generous Presenting Sponsor, Greenway Equipment, for donating an in-store credit $10,000 door prize for parts, service or whole goods purchased at any Greenway location in Arkansas/Southeast Missouri. Door prize tickets are $100 and the winner does not have to be present to win. Contact Becky or Kelly to purchase a ticket.


In addition to Greenway as the Presenting Sponsor, below is a listing of the current sponsors who are helping make this year's meeting possible. It's not too late to support the meeting as a sponsor...click here for more information.


Premium Sponsors

Farm Credit Mid-America

 

Partner Sponsors

Arkansas Farm Bureau

Ostara

Producers Rice Mill

Shelbourne Reynolds Inc

Southern Farmers Crop Insurance

 

Patron Sponsors

Agricultural Council of Arkansas

Centennial Bank

Hallie Shoffner for Arkansas 

Simmons Bank

We hope to see you at NERREC on February 4! 

Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA)

On New Year's Eve, USDA released information and details about the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program including the various commodity rates. The per acre payment for rice is $132.89. The agency set up a specific website related to the program which can be accessed here. Payments should begin arriving by February 28.


Eligibility, Applications, and Crop Insurance

• Eligible acres: 2025 planted acres. Double-cropped acres qualify, including all initially and subsequently planted crops.

• Not eligible: Prevent plant acres.

• Eligible uses: All intended row-crop uses except grazing, volunteer stands, experimental plots, green manure, crops left standing or abandoned, and cover crops.

• Insurance linkage: Participation does not require crop insurance.


Arkansas Rice greatly appreciates the creation of the FBA program, which will certainly be of assistance to many producers. Although it does not solve the underlying problems of historically high input costs and weak market prices that rice producers are continuing to face as we enter the 2026 crop season, we continue to be hopeful that Congress and the Administration will be able to provide some additional assistance in the near term. 


FBA news articles of interest:


  • Across the board, row crop farming in 2025 was not an easy row to hoe in Arkansas — and rice production was no exception. Click here to read a yearend report on the 2025 highs and lows for rice producers.




USDA News

Important EQIP/CSP Development

In the past, if EQIP or CSP applications were not funded, they would automatically roll over and be considered in future funding rounds. That has changed.

Currently, if an application is not selected for funding, the applicant must contact their local NRCS Field Office and request that the application be kept active.

  • NRCS Field Offices are sending deferral letters to unfunded applicants.
  • You MUST respond by January 30.
  • If you tell NRCS to keep your application active, it will roll into the 2026-1 signup and be considered for funding in FY 2026.
  • If you DO NOT respond by the deadline, your application will be terminated.

If you have questions, contact your local NRCS Field Office as soon as possible.


PLC Signup to be Delayed

Agri-Pulse reported that USDA finalized some revisions to two major farm commodity programs, including rules for adding new base acres, but signup for the programs won’t be scheduled until after planting season at the earliest, according to a top USDA official. Read about it.


FSA County Committee voting begins soon

USDA revised the FSA county committee voting period, and eligible voters should receive ballots soon. Producers and landowners must return ballots to their local FSA county office or have their ballots postmarked by Feb. 2. Read more here.

New Members of Ag Hall of Fame

Six distinguished individuals will be inducted into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame, recognizing their contributions to the fields of soybean, rice, forestry, and cotton, along with their impactful roles in the United States Congress and Senate.

 The six inductees that make up Class XXXVIII are:

• Jim Carroll III of Moro who served on local and national boards, including chair of the United States Soybean Board, to help expand global markets, research innovation and strengthen sustainable production.

 • Joe Fox of Fayetteville enjoyed a 50-year career in forestry and wood products, highlighted by uniting forestry businesses, non-profits and state agencies to establish Arkansas’s largest conservation easement.

 • Allen B. Helms Jr. of Clarkedale partnered with his dad in 1971 to form Allen Helms & Son and has managed multiple farms, warehouses, gins and companies over the years.

 • The Honorable Blanche Lincoln of Washington D.C. contributed to the agriculture industry in rural Arkansas and across the nation, serving in the United States House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. 

 • John Paul Pendergrass of Charleston sustained and expanded a family cattle operation started in 1870. As co-owner since 1979, he has grown Pendergrass Cattle Company into one of Arkansas’s leading stocker and feeder cattle outfits.

 • Benny Petrus of Stuttgart built, owned and/or operated five agricultural businesses, two automobile dealerships and served in the Arkansas House of Representatives (2003-2008).

The induction luncheon will be held on March 27 in the Wally Allen Ballroom at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Contact Cindra Jones at 501-228-1609 for ticket information or click here to purchase tickets online.

Farmers Sales Tax Exemption Card now available

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration announced that the “Farmers Sales Tax Exemption Card” is now available. The card will make it easier for Arkansas farmers to obtain certain sales tax exemptions at the point of sale. The exemption applies to items including animals, chemicals, feed, machinery, and seed. Farmers can apply at atap.arkansas.gov. Following approval, DFA will mail the card to the applicant. The card will remain active for eight years, with an initial cost of $20. The renewal cost is $10. It will include the name and address of the farm, the issue date, and a unique card number. Click here for more details or contact DF&A Sales Tax Division at 501-682-1895 or Sales.tax@dfa.arkansas.gov

Other Items of Interest

Dates to Remember
Help us grow by forwarding to a friend!
Send our email to other interested industry stakeholders
so they can subscribe by clicking below:
Sign Up
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  

Arkansas Rice | 1200 West Fourth Street | Little Rock, AR 72201 US

Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

Constant Contact