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USDA announces one-time program to aid rice producers

The USDA has announced plans to provide assistance to rice farmers who suffered losses in the 2022 growing season.

Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux says the department will provide up to $250 million in payments for this one-time program.  “Rice producers had some unique circumstances that were not contemplated in our standing disaster programs,” he says. “And where it appears that maybe their risk management tools weren’t quite sufficient.”

Types of rice that are eligible for the program are short, medium, and long-grain rice, including japonica, temperate, and sweet rice.  Industrial and wild rice aren’t eligible. 

He tells Brownfield program signup will not open until later this spring, but the department is sharing information early.  “We’re going to mail rice producers a prefilled application based on data that’s already on file with the USDA,” he says. “Hopefully simplifying and streamlining the application process. That’s the critical part.”  Ducheneaux says payments will be based on 2022 plantings and prevented plantings.

The complete details of the program will not be available until a Notice of Funding Availability is published in the Federal Register.

FSA will calculate Rice Production Program payments by multiplying the payment rate, individual average actual production history (APH), as reported to RMA, or county yield and an amount of certified rice acres determined by the number of planted acres and acres that were prevented from being planted. 

AUDIO: Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux