ARKANSAS, USA — Arkansas farmers planted less rice this year than they have in the last 50 years, prompting worries about lasting damage to processing infrastructure and East Arkansas’ economy.
With less rice being grown, roughly a dozen grain processing facilities in Arkansas have closed for now. And while the two largest millers have enough stored rice from previous seasons to satisfy market demand this year, another down year for rice in 2027 would bring “devastating” consequences.
“We need this to be a blip on the radar, but if it becomes more than a blip, it’s going to do some permanent damage to our infrastructure and our industry and that’s what concerns me,” said Keith Glover, the president and CEO of Producers Rice Mill in Stuttgart. “That’s what scares me.”…