Rice
Mississippi’s modern commercial rice production began in 1948 when Rex Kimbrell produced about 300 acres just south of Greenville in Washington County. By 1954, about 77,000 acres were harvested. After the 1954 crop, the U.S. government instituted acreage controls, and only 52,000 acres were harvested in 1955. Rice culture in the Mississippi Delta was limited by this government program, not producer interest. After the acreage control program was eliminated in 1973, the harvested acreage increased to 108,000 acres in 1974. In the following years, rice production increased rapidly, reaching a high of 335,000 harvested acres and 14.4 million hundredweight (cwt) in 1981.
Rice production in Mississippi has been almost totally limited to the Mississippi-Yazoo Delta, with very little production outside this area. Historically, the central-Delta counties of Bolivar, Sunflower, and Washington have been the leading rice-producing counties. In recent years, Tunica County has increased rice acreage and annually ranks in the top three counties for rice production in Mississippi.
The table below shows United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency certified rice acres planted by county in Mississippi, 2009-2014.
| County | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams | 240 | 0 | 0 | 192 | 0 | 0 |
| Attala | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bolivar | 72,333 | 80,255 | 50,813 | 34,956 | 33,734 | 47,702 |
| Carroll | 205 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coahoma | 14,761 | 25,032 | 11,370 | 8,797 | 8,109 | 14,453 |
| DeSoto | 859 | 1,156 | 335 | 553 | 1,190 | 2,316 |
| Grenada | 171 | 321 | 328 | 282 | 282 | 0 |
| Holmes | 1,485 | 1,448 | 234 | 141 | 121 | 203 |
| Humphreys | 3,656 | 8,241 | 1,996 | 1,955 | 1,475 | 3,426 |
| Issaquena | 783 | 2,702 | 880 | 890 | 1,115 | 483 |
| Jackson | 55 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lee | 10 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 3 |
| Leflore | 17,107 | 20,144 | 6,754 | 5,328 | 3,905 | 6,000 |
| Panola | 4,777 | 6,446 | 5,383 | 5,901 | 5,523 | 10,188 |
| Quitman | 11,031 | 20,170 | 6,360 | 8,440 | 8,766 | 15,565 |
| Sharkey | 1,951 | 5,390 | 855 | 306 | 433 | 857 |
| Suflower | 38,227 | 45,676 | 19,351 | 14,253 | 13,635 | 25,241 |
| Tallahatchie | 14,081 | 19,314 | 6,267 | 6,460 | 6,964 | 12,859 |
| Tate | 905 | 944 | 869 | 828 | 934 | 1,082 |
| Tunica | 23,913 | 27,041 | 23,167 | 21,696 | 24,603 | 28,608 |
| Washington | 29,507 | 35,736 | 18,854 | 14,687 | 11,480 | 15,690 |
| Yazoo | 1,841 | 1,907 | 2,273 | 765 | 0 | 867 |
| Total | 237,898 | 302,019 | 156,107 | 126,440 | 122,272 | 185,543 |
Publications
News
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The 2017 production value of Mississippi’s four largest row crops is forecasted to outperform the previous year by more than 7 percent.
Brian Williams, agricultural economist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, predicted the combined value of soybeans, cotton, corn and rice will be nearly $2.1 billion this year. The total projected value for all agronomic crops is $2.5 billion, which would be a 6.4 percent increase over the $2.4 billion value reached in 2016.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Cover crop usage is gaining momentum on Midsouth farms and will be a major focus of the 2017 Mississippi State University Row Crop Short Course.
The MSU Extension Service will host the course at the Mill Conference Center in Starkville Dec. 4-6.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi’s row crops have had enough rain, and most fields just need sunshine.
Erick Larson, grain crops specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said corn is mature and will gain no benefit from additional moisture. In the first couple of weeks of August, skies were overcast or rain was falling across most of the state.
Combines began rolling in Mississippi Delta rice fields as soon as growers marked the beginning of August, but wet weather soon shut down early harvest attempts.
Bobby Golden, a rice and soil fertility agronomist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said yields are expected to be favorable when fields are dry enough for harvest, though overall acreage will be down this year.
CLEVELAND, Miss. -- Delta area residents and chefs will show off the versatility of rice -- one of Mississippi's four major row crops -- during the 27th annual Rice Tasting Luncheon.
The event, which celebrates National Rice Month, draws more than 1,000 people from the state, the region and other countries. As the top rice-producing county in Mississippi, Bolivar County has the honor of hosting the luncheon every year.
It begins at 11 a.m. and concludes at 1 p.m. on Sept. 15 at the Delta State University Walter Sillers Coliseum in Cleveland.
Success Stories
Looking for something a little different for your holiday menu this year?
Consider adding Orange Wild Rice with Raisins and Apples to your lineup. Apples, raisins and orange juice add some sweetness to the savory rice, and the almonds give it a bit of added texture. Leaving out the parsley will allow more of the fruity notes to come through.
Watch
Contact Your County Office
Related Links
Your Extension Experts
