G’day USA! Insights from the Australian rice industry tour

A recent USA Rice Paddy Tour has seen a new generation of rice industry leaders equipped with more knowledge and skills to boost the industry’s future.

As part of the Building Capacity in the Australian Rice Industry project, led by the Ricegrowers’ Association (RGA) and funded by AgriFutures Rice Program, the USA Rice Paddy Tour offered industry stakeholders a unique opportunity to explore and learn from the key rice-growing regions in the region, and participate in the International Temperate Rice Conference in New Orleans.

At the end of May 2024, after a rigorous selection process, 20 growers, researchers and industry representatives, including the Manager of AgriFutures Rice Program, Tich Pfumayaramba, embarked on the USA Rice Paddy Tour. The entourage visited some of the most significant rice-growing areas in the USA, including Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Key insights from the USA Rice Paddy Tour 
The USA Tour provided invaluable insights into the dynamics of the rice industry, particularly through the lens of its scale and practices. It was in Texas that Tich observed that USA rice growing operates on a significantly larger scale – with farms often 1,000 acres or larger – with many growers leasing considerable portions of land.

“Land is expensive and tightly held,” explained Tich.

“There are also high levels of competition at the moment driven by renewable energy developers, meaning that many growers are leasing over half of the land they operate on.”

In terms of agricultural practices, Tich was surprised to discover that US rice growers often diversify their crops to add resilience and sustainability to their operation.

“In Texas and Arkansas, for example, through the Rice Stewardship Partnership, rice fields provide vital wetland habitat for migrating waterfowl in the off season, enhancing the rice industry’s sustainability credentials while also benefiting the farming system” he said.

Tich also noted that rice growers in the USA are battling similar water resource management issues as Australian growers.

“Water scarcity was a hot topic, particularly in Arkansas, where reliance on underground water is leading to significant concerns as these resources diminish,” he said.

“This is impacting their rice production, and they may struggle to produce rice in the near future.

“This compares to similar experiences for local growers, such as in the Riverina NSW, where access to water could become increasingly limited, more expensive, potentially resulting in fewer rice growers in the future.

At the International Temperate Rice Conference, in New Orleans, it became clear that the USA has significantly greater access to research resources than Australia.

Tich explained, “Their research is closely integrated with the international market, involving collaboration with the International Rice Institute and other global entities.

“Their research network is quite diverse with the Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Centre in Stuttgart, Arkansas and each rice growing state having a combination of a university-led rice research station as well as private and, or cooperative owned research stations.

“This fosters a free exchange of information and genetic material to help them move their breeding programs in whichever direction they choose.”

He highlighted that the USA also benefits from a national research station that houses a comprehensive genetic library for rice. In contrast, Australia remains relatively isolated in its breeding efforts.

As the Tour continued, it shed light on the contrasting research focus between the northern and southern USA regions. Tich pointed out that while the northern states emphasise quality, the southern regions have shifted focus towards volume production which has led to a deterioration in quality.

“The quality of rice in the southern states has reached a concerning level,” he stated.

“It’s reassuring to know that our industry has worked hard to maintain high standards, a commitment that aligns closely with the northern USA regions.”

In addition to the Tour, Tich, along with Georgie Pengilly and Chris Proud from Rice Breeding Australia Ltd, visited the rice growing regions of California, which have similar temperate environments to Australia and a focus on high quality medium and short grain varieties.

Highlights of the California trip included visits to the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation experiment station in Biggs, touring the SunFoods mill (a part of the SunRice group) and a tour of the Western Canal Water District – an organisation involved in water governance.

Australian rice industry is a global leader
Ainsley Massina, Leadership & Event Manager at the RGA said the feedback from Tour participants was overwhelmingly positive, with all expressing pride in being part of an Australian rice industry recognised as a world leader.

“All of the participants expressed genuine pride in being part of the Australian rice industry, as the Tour reaffirmed for them that we are among the best in sustainable and premium quality rice production,” explained Ainsley.

“Despite having a smaller cultivation area, the Tour clearly highlighted our significant strengths compared to the USA rice industry,” she noted. These strengths include higher average yields per hectare, superior water productivity, and exceptional rice quality, all driven by a collaborative research system and effective communication among industry stakeholders.

One of the most important lessons learned from the USA Tour that was constantly reiterated was the danger of prioritising yields over quality.

“Observing the deteriorating quality of rice in the southern USA states was an important reminder for the group to ensure the Australian industry is investing in research that encompasses all aspects of production,” said Ainsley.

“While we are currently – and importantly – focusing on more cold tolerant varieties, we mustn’t lose sight of the other traits and characteristics that have placed us as a leader in the industry.”

Many participants also highlighted the widespread use of herbicide-tolerant rice in the USA to manage tough weeds. “While Australia currently faces fewer weed problems, as we try to reduce water use in rice production it was suggested we are likely to have more weeds in the future, so such options might be worth looking at,” she said.

While it was noted that the USA currently has greater market access than Australia, the Tour was a giant leap in the right direction, with a number of new connections and networks made that will add value in the future. “The Tour group brought home a lot of new contacts from around the globe,” said Ainsley.

“These connections will be especially beneficial for Australia, particularly in research areas we’ve overlooked, like soil health.

“Strengthening these industry networks was definitely a positive outcome and we look forward to building these relationships and continuing to learn from each other.”

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