Rice industry gathered for outbreak sessions, rice tasting, awards and trade show.
Farmers and industry leaders gathered in New Orleans Dec. 7 to 9 for the 2025 USA Rice Outlook Conference. Morale was considerably high, despite the current state of the ag economy, as participants engaged in sessions to learn industry updates and emerging trends in rice production, with record-breaking attendance.
USA Rice chair Keith Glover announced during the annual awards luncheon that there were 745 attendees, a record since the COVID-19 pandemic. His announcement was followed by loud applause.
Earlier in the day, the conference commenced with the general session in a packed ballroom at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. The crowd was welcomed by Ansley Dawson, 88th International Rice Festival Queen, from Jackson County, Ark. Later, keynote public speaker and former Google executive Steve Lerch gave advice on expanding the mindset of business innovation. He narrowed the process to three steps: “Look for innovation everywhere. Prioritize iteration and feedback. Then, embrace passions, curiosities and skills.”
The grand prize winner of the National Rice Month Video Scholarship was announced. The scholarship program is administered each year by USA Rice and sponsored by the American Commodity Company. This year, the $5,000 grand prize was awarded to Evelyn Arnold, senior at Wakeland High School in Frisco, Texas.
The awards luncheon followed, and 15-year-old Katherine Richard — honored as 2025 Chef De Riz — brought great energy throughout the program as Master of Ceremonies. In typical fashion, Michael Klein, USA Rice vice president of communications and strategic development, kept the crowd entertained with a vibrant and diverse playlist of entry music for each speaker as they took the stage.
“As I look out at this big crowd, I am reassured that our industry is in great hands,” Glover said. “Despite the challenges that we all know lie ahead in 2026, we will band together and pull each other up.”
Throughout the program, rice awards were announced — sponsored by Horizon Ag, Farm Credit, John Deere and USA Rice. Winners included:
- Rice Farmer of the Year: Zack Tanner, third-generation farmer in Bernie, Mo.
- Rice Industry Award: Dustin Harrell, director of the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation’s Rice Experiment Station
- Rice Lifetime Achievement Award: Ronnie Levy, rice specialist at LSU AgCenter
- USA Rice Sustainability Award: Supreme Rice based in Crowley, La.
- USA Rice Conservation Award: Tim Johnson, CEO and president of the California Rice Commission
- USA Rice PAC Contributor Award: Linda and L.G. Raun of El Campo, Texas, presented by Kirk Satterfield, USA Rice PAC Chair
In addition, members of the 2026 Rice Leadership Development Class were announced. The two-year program is designed to enhance leadership skills while providing a comprehensive understanding of the U.S. rice industry. Members of the incoming class are Alec Magenheimer, Yuba City, Calif.; Nicholas Hanks, Crowley, La.; Dylan Benoit, Welsh, La.; Amy McArthur, Sledge, Miss.; Dee Dickson, Stuttgart, Ark.; Matt Howton, Forrest City, Ark.; and Austin Brown, Maumelle, Ark.
The trade show bustled in the afternoon and continued the following morning. Exhibitors filled the showroom floor, and three stages were dedicated to presentations on industry updates, outlook reports and panel discussions on policy and the ag economy. Another conference highlight was the U.S. Rice Quality Symposium, where rice breeders from both public research and private companies lined tables with rice cookers, serving up rice samples for taste-testing. The demonstration focused on cooking quality and improvements underway to specifically address requests of Latin American importers.
Other events included the annual conference reception, the USA Rice PAC dinner and auction, and cooking demos featuring recipes like rice pudding and fried rice. As attendees bid farewell to New Orleans, there was excitement about the 2026 USA Rice Outlook announced to take place next December in Nashville, Tenn.
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