WASHINGTON, DC -- Area planted for rice in 2015 is expected to total 2.92 million acres, 24,000 less than 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service's Prospective Plantings report released yesterday. Planted acreage is forecast lower for Arkansas and California, higher for Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri, and essentially the same as last year for Texas. Mississippi rice farmers may realize the largest percentage increase in planted acres this year, up 10 percent from 2014.
The USDA report is based on information supplied to USDA by growers, and though generally accurate within 5 percent, actual planted acres could vary. The Rice Acreage Report, based on actual planted acres, will be published at the end of June.