Producers Rice Mill 75th Anniversary and Membership Meeting

STUTTGART, AR – More than 300 members and guests attended the 75th annual membership meeting of Producers Rice Mill, Inc., held here last week that was highlighted by a video celebrating the company's 75th anniversary and history.  Prior to the video, State Representative David Hillman read a letter from President Trump congratulating Producers Rice Mill on this momentous occasion.  

Chairman Jerry Hoskyn, and Roy O. “Bud” McCollum retired from the board, and both were presented with plaques honoring their service.  Hoskyn had served on the board for 38 years, and McCollum had served for 31 years.

In the business session following the annual meeting, Jay Coker, Brooks Davis, Stephen Hoskyn, Steve Orlicek, and Sloan Hampton were elected to serve three year terms on the board of directors, and Coker was elected chairman of the board.  Gary Wilks was elected as vice president and vice chairman of the board; Keith Glover, president and general manager; and Kent Lockwood, secretary-treasurer.

In his report during the business meeting, Glover said he would remember the 2018 rice crop for all the extreme weather challenges it had to endure.

“This year’s challenging weather began back in April when the mid-South endured the coldest month of April on record followed by the hottest May on record, according to the National Weather Service,” said Glover.  “Our biggest harvest weather scare occurred on September 6, when the remnants of Tropical Storm Gordon entered the mid-South when only about a third of the rice crop had been harvested.  Fortunately, only a few unharvested fields incurred significant downed rice as a result of the one week rain system.”  

Based on USDA data, 2018 rice acres in the mid-South were 28 percent higher than 2017.  Glover said the increased acreage and good field yields resulted in longer truck lines at all of Producers drying facilities compared to a year ago.