Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas in a private ceremony today at the Supreme Court building. The U.S. Senate confirmed Rollins by a vote of 72-to-28. “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the nation’s thirty-third Secretary of Agriculture — and a privilege beyond description to have the trust of President Donald J. Trump, and the opportunity to advance his agenda. I am thrilled to lead the United States Department of Agriculture and to serve the people of this country,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. “Every day, I will fight for American farmers, ranchers, and the agriculture community. Together, we have a historic opportunity to revitalize rural America and to ensure that U.S. Agriculture remains the best in the world for generations to come.” Read more here.

New Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and Fred Clark, Washington representative for USRPA with Cornerstone Government Affairs.

This week, USRPA board members and representatives from Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, and California traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the interests of rice farmers and address pressing industry challenges. The delegation engaged in a series of high-level meetings with officials from the the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). Additionally, they met with key lawmakers from the House and Senate representing Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, and California to discuss policies that directly impact rice production and trade. During these discussions, USRPA emphasized its farm bill priorities, advocating for policies that support rice growers' economic sustainability and ensure access to critical resources. Trade policy was also a major focus, as USRPA worked to strengthen international market opportunities and address trade barriers affecting rice exports. Conservation efforts were another key topic, with the delegation highlighting the importance of federal programs that support sustainable farming practices and water conservation. By engaging with policymakers and regulatory agencies, USRPA continues to work toward a stronger future for the U.S. rice industry, ensuring that the voices of rice farmers are heard at the highest levels of government.

USRPA board member and Louisiana producer, Mark Pousson with FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley.

USRPA group with Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz.

USRPA board members with FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley

Congresswoman Julia Letlow with Louisiana producers.

Insightful discussion on Farm Bill with Justin Benavidez – Chief Economist, House Agriculture Committee Republicans.

Marcela Garcia, Texas producers, and Ryan Williamson, last year's Stoesser Scholarship recipient with Rep. Michael Cloud.

Meeting with California Congressman Doug LaMalfa, who is a rice farmer and was part of the creation of USRPA.

Missouri producers with Rep. Mark Alford

Rep. Brian Babin with Texas representation.

USRPA group meeting with the staff of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

USRPA current and future Louisiana producers, meeting with Rep. Clay Higgins.

Brooke Rollins Confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture:

On Thursday, Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brooke Rollins was officially confirmed on the Senate floor by a vote of 72-28. Before her confirmation vote, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry had favorably reported her unanimously 23-0 out of the Committee. Not surprisingly, Rollins was able to garner considerable support from Democrats for her nomination, unlike many other Trump appointees who were only confirmed on party-line votes. With a new Secretary of Agriculture finally in place, it helps streamline the process for other Senate-confirmed positions at USDA to start going through the confirmation process and continue making progress in staffing up the Department.

House Ag Holds Hearing on the State of the Farm Economy:

On Tuesday, the House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing titled, “Examining the Economic Crisis in Farm Country.” Featured testimony included representation from various producers across the country as well as an agricultural economist. Democrats and Republicans alike agreed that a new farm bill providing stability and support for farmers facing economic challenges is paramount to industry viability. Republicans focused on strengthening the farm safety net and avoiding the reliance on ad hoc agricultural disaster assistance, whereas Democrats argued that the Administration’s use of tariffs, firing of federal employees, and funding freezes would intensify trials and tribulations felt at the farm gate. Other topics discussed included the impact of tariffs, labor costs, the struggle to keep up with rising input costs, and the need for improved crop insurance and risk management tools to support the agricultural sector. You can watch the full hearing here.

he WASDE report that was published this week didn’t have a significant impact on the market, but there are a few key highlights to point out. First, the USDA raised the 2024/25 carryover by 4 million cwt, up to 34.3 million cwt. Second, exports were lowered by 4 million cwt down to 68 million, or a 5.5% decrease. World stocks are relatively unchanged, and it’s anyone’s guess what is actually happening with China’s stocks. But we do know, and will explain below, that India being back in the market should increase China’s procurements in the coming months and through the balance of the year. The recent Grains: World Markets and Trade report shows that global rice production remains at record highs, and that’s being reflected in the price It is expected that China will begin importing more as India continues to push supplies (and possibly brokens) into the market. Since the last WASDE report in January, export prices have sharply declined. We have been chronicling this decline, and at the current moment, it isn't easy to foresee any rebound in the near or even medium term. These low prices are expected to lure China back into the market though, with imports expected to increase back to 2022 levels—or pre-Indian export ban. We shall see, but ultimately China’s demand could bring balance back to prices in the Eastern Hemisphere. In the Western Hemisphere, the chart below (from FAS and GATS data) shows U.S. Rice exports by dollar value from 2015 to 2024. The total export value in 2024 was $2.42 billion, while the 3-year average was $2.05 billion. The total volume in 2024 was 3.82 MMT, while the compound average growth in exports by value from 2015-2024 was only 2%. The top three long grain markets by value are Mexico ($443 million), Haiti ($268 million) and Canada ($175 million). The top medium grain markets are Japan at $296 million, and South Korea at $199 million. While this chart does look like “growth” for US rice exports on a dollar volume level, it does not accurately reflect the farm gate pricing or the amount of money that it costs to raise a rice crop; ie: the costs to produce a crop have significantly outpaced the 2% increase since 2015.The weekly USDA Export Sales report shows net sales of 44,900 MT this week, up significantly from last week, but down 6% from the prior 4-week average. Exports o 127,500 MT—a marketing-year high—were up 96%from the previous week and up noticeably from the prior 4-week average.

The Southeast Texas Rice Symposium took place on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at the Winnie-Stowell Community Building in Winnie, TX. The event began with registration and a trade show at 4:30 pm, followed by the introduction of Dr. Mithila Jugulam, Director of the Beaumont Center. Holly Petrowicz, Graduate Assistant - Research Beaumont Center | Texas A&M AgriLife Research presented the Rice Water Smart Project, focusing on soil and water resource management. After a supper break and continued trade show, Dr. Young Ki Jo shared insights on kernel smut research, addressing plant pathology issues in rice farming. Dr. Sam Rustom provided updates on current trends and challenges in rice cultivation, while Dr. Lina Bernaola concluded the symposium with an entomology update, highlighting recent advancements in pest management. The symposium served as an informative platform for rice growers and industry professionals to gain valuable knowledge on water efficiency, disease control, and crop health.

Grace Wang, CFO of US Rice Producers Association (USRPA), also represented the organization at the event, reinforcing its commitment to supporting the rice industry.

Senate Agriculture Committee Advances Secretary of Agriculture Nomination

On Monday, the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 23-0 to advance the nomination of Brooke Rollins to serve as the Secretary of Agriculture. During her nomination hearing in January, Rollins received questions on a number of topics, including climate and conservation, market access and trade, diversity efforts within the Department, and nutrition. Rollins’ nomination now goes to the full Senate. The Senate is expected to take up her nomination next week and Rollins is expected to be confirmed by the chamber.

USRPA Signs on in Support of Crop Insurance

This week, USRPA joined other agriculture organizations in writing to the Budget and Appropriations Committee leadership in support of protecting crop insurance. The letter expresses the importance of crop insurance to farmers and urges the leadership to prevent it from being cut during the budget process. Republican leadership is currently charting a path for a budget reconciliation package that is expected to include spending cuts across the federal government, but conversations are ongoing on where those cuts will occur. A copy of the letter can be found here.

ust this week, in the opening statement at a hearing examining the Agricultural Economy, Chairman Boozman’s prescient statement hit the nail on the head of what we all in farm country know to be true. There is no room for error. With the current cost of production, market pressures, and outdated farm bills, the generational business of farming truly has no room for error. To drive the point home, Boozman also cited a staggering statistic from a recent report from the Ag and Food Policy Center (AFPC) at Texas A&M, saying that, the most recent crop outlook for the next 5 years for rice, wheat, feed grains, and cotton is the worst it has ever been in the 42 years that AFPC has been making projections. This is the reality that all U.S. rice producers know and deal with each day when planting, cultivating, and selling a crop that costs more and more to produce than ever before and is then being sold into a market that is unfairly subsidized by foreign countries (ie: India). It is encouraging to see these very real issues being brought into the light in Washington. This is at the top of my mind as PLC and ARC enrollment opened for 2025 just this week. The USRPA’s trip to Washington DC next week should provide some insights as spring planting decisions are being assessed. As for India’s overweight impact on global prices, there is now discussion that they will lift the export ban on 100% brokens. Recall their release of the export ban was on non-basmati white rice, but has remained on brokens. A wild statistic from only one rice-producing region in India, called Chhattisgarh, shows that of the 16 million mt of paddy produced, 1.5 million mt is being processed into parboiled, leaving 14.5 million mt for white rice. Out of that 14.5mmt, 15% is brokens, resulting in 2.175 million metric tons! China has been and will continue to be the primary buyer of these brokens if made available, but that is a staggering amount of brokens being held in-country, exacerbated by the fact that Indian production is expected to increase even further this year. Prices on the ground have remained flat, as there have been no significant market impacts to jolt them up or down. Prices in Texas are reported at $14.70/cwt, while Louisiana is at $14.50-$14.80/cwt. Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri are all reporting at $13.75-$14.00/cwt. The harvest in South America is underway, but no discernable change from what we have already discussed. We do expect to see Iraq come in to finish their MOU which will be a shot in the arm to milling activity, but likely won’t spur any sustained spikes in pricing. We do anticipate seeing more cash activity after planting is complete, but again, at pricing similar to what we are seeing today—it’s just that today there aren’t many sellers because there is hope for higher prices later.In Asia, prices softened even further this week, though not by much. Those prices are now reported closer to $450pmt, Indian at $425pmt, and Viet between $405-$410pmt. This is not a trend we want to see continuing to develop as S. America completes its harvest and we are determining our planting intentions for the coming crop.The USDA weekly Export Sales report shows net sales of 17,100 MT this week, down a whopping 84% from last week and 63% from the prior 4-week average. Exports of 65,100 MT were up 26% from the previous week and 47% from the prior 4-week average.

Sponsored by US Rice Producers Association and Cotton Incorporated, the National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference concluded its 28th event earlier this week with remarkable success. This year's conference was held at the Hilton in Memphis, TN. Highlights included keynote speaker Jim Wiesemeyer, longtime Washington, D.C. analyst, and the awarding of the Rice Researcher of the Year Award to Dr. Justin Chlapecka, who recently made the move from the University of Missouri Rice Agronomy program to the University of Arkansas. "US Rice Producers Association is proud to be a lead sponsor of the Cotton & Rice Conference for more than two decades," Marcela Garcia, President & CEO of US Rice Producers Association, said. "The spirit of the conference and USRPA's mission are perfectly aligned, as we are both producer focused." Stay tuned for details about the 2026 conference.

USRPA Board Member Mark Pousson addresses the audience during the morning session.

J ohn LaRose, Jr., President of AgWiki and Publisher of Mid-America Farm Journal, kicked off the conference.

Crowd favorite Jim Wiesemeyer, Washington D.C. Analyst for Pro Farmer and Farm Journal, gave the luncheon keynote.

USRPA Board Member and market expert Dennis DeLaughter presented on the Rice Market Outlook.

Fred Clark of Cornerstone Government Affairs, USRPA's longtime partner in D.C., presented updates on the 2025 Farm Bill.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the US Rice Producers Association booth!

US Rice Producers Association is excited to announce a new video series in 2025. In the coming weeks and months, we'll share stories from producers and USRPA board members from throughout rice country. To kick things off, we sat down with a few of our board members who shared about USRPA's importance both to their own operations as well as the U.S. rice industry at large. We look forward to sharing more of these stories with you throughout the year.

Lee Zeldin Sworn in as EPA Administrator

On Thursday, Lee Zeldin was sworn in as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Administrator Zeldin previously represented New York’s first congressional district before stepping down to run for governor in 2022. Administrator Zeldin emphasized the importance of protecting the economy and the environment during his nomination process. He is expected to put forth an agenda focused on deregulation. Administrator Zeldin was confirmed Wednesday on a 56-42 vote, with Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) voting with all Republicans in favor of confirmation.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Testifies Before Senate Committees

This week, President Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy testified before the Senate Committees on Finance and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). Senators raised concern about Kennedy’s stances on agriculture, including pesticide policy and genetically modified organisms, as well as his stances on food policy, which have centered on food additives and ultra-processed foods. They urged him to allow USDA and EPA to guide agriculture policymaking to ensure policies implemented do not negatively impact farmers. The Senate Finance Committee will be the committee to determine if his nomination will be considered by the whole Senate. The Finance Committee has not yet scheduled when it will meet to vote on his nomination but its Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) indicated that he plans on holding the vote next week. A recording of the Senate Finance hearing can be found here and of the HELP hearing can be found here.