CAMPBELL, MO - The Missouri Rice Research & Merchandising Council (MRRMC) hosted its annual Rice Field Day on Tuesday, August 18, drawing farmers, researchers, and industry representatives from across the Bootheel.
The event was held at the Missouri Rice Research Farm, which is owned and operated by MRRMC and has been in operation for nearly 40 years. It is funded by Missouri rice growers through the state checkoff program and hosts a range of trials and experiments conducted in coordination with seed companies and local academic researchers.
Throughout the morning, researchers and industry experts led area farmers through recent developments in rice research, with tour stops covering weed and insect management, precision technology for rice monitoring, and rice variety updates from representatives of HorizonAg, Nutrien, and RiceTec.
"This is Missouri rice farmers' opportunity to see their checkoff dollars at work," said MRRMC Chairman Rance Daniels.
The event concluded with a luncheon sponsored by Bernard Crop Insurance, which featured multiple speakers. State Senator Jason Bean gave remarks highlighting his work on the amicus brief he submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in the recent Monsanto v. Durnell case.
Three staff from USA Rice also spoke: Senior Manager for Government Affairs Shelby Young updated the group on what lies ahead for Congress for the rest of the year and the advocacy work USA Rice is doing in that time, and Vice President for Domestic Promotion Cameron Jacobs discussed trends in U.S.-grown jasmine rice consumption and USA Rice's promotional campaigns throughout the country. To close the program, Senior Director for Grower and International Relations Mollie Buckler highlighted recent and upcoming MRRMC activities.
Between the morning's research tour and the afternoon's policy and promotion updates, this year's Field Day underscored the throughline that connects Missouri's rice growers to the work being done on their behalf on the farm, in Washington, and in international markets.