Rice Advances & Drier Division Plan for Harvest 2026
An update from Kevin McGilton regarding rice advances and the Drier Division plan for Harvest 2026.
Riceland Members,
The $4.00 initial advance was, and remains, a historically high percentage of the current value for this marketing year. Several factors have created significant challenges for additional advances, including imported rice taking market share, export volatility due to the conflict in Iran, and low CBOT rice futures prices since the 2025 harvest. Because of those factors, we do not plan to issue an additional advance at this time.
If rough rice and milled rice prices continue to rise over the last two months of the marketing year, this could create an opportunity for additional pool payments. There are positive signs in world rice markets. Asian prices are moving higher; recent world events may put Cuba back in play, and an end to the Iran conflict should normalize rice trade in the region. The Riceland Team will continue to review the cooperative’s monthly financial positions and proceed with future advances as the financial statements allow.
Drier Division Plan for Harvest 2026
As we discussed during the winter meetings, the Drier Division is currently operating too many facilities relative to the amount of green rice that will be produced from the smallest crop in nearly 50 years. At my request and with board approval, the Drier Division Team has developed a plan to serve the membership at the highest level possible while reducing the negative financial impact of maintaining a drier network. With the sign-up deadline not until June 30th, drier managers and district managers have been contacting many of you to get your planting intentions to estimate the bushels for the 2026 crop.
Based off these estimates, Riceland will open 13 facilities to member receipts this fall. Many factors were considered when determining which facilities to operate: bushel estimates, geographic location, dump speed, carry-in, and facility operating costs. While it is a difficult decision to close facilities temporarily, we cannot continue business as usual with a 1970’s rice crop. We realize these closures impact your operation and your community. The Riceland Team will continue to monitor carry-in and sign-up for potential service issues affecting the membership created by these closures. If needed, we will adjust.
Below is a chart outlining drier location status and crop accepted.
*denotes medium grain receiving location
++ denotes early soybean receiving location (harvest-ready soybeans)
Looking forward to serving the membership this fall as we work together through these extremely difficult times.
Be safe out there,
Kevin McGilton
President & CEO
Related Alerts
Keep up to date with current happenings and alerts.
May 2026 Medium Grain Announcement
In December 2025, Riceland announced that the cooperative would not take medium grain variety 3202 due to it not being approved by a major industrial user. The Riceland Team recently received an update from the industrial user, who has approved additional medium grain varieties.
Advance Notice
We have heard from many of you asking when the next advance on seasonal pool rice may be. Traditionally, there has been an additional advance in January. Obviously, this year has not followed traditional pricing patterns. Over the past few months, we have witnessed rice futures tumble from trading in the $6’s per bushel to the $4’s.
Medium Grain Rice Announcement
Today, we have an urgent update on medium grain and a decision that may impact your planting decisions this spring. Demand for southern medium grain is limited to a few industrial users and small export markets. Traditionally, new southern medium grain varieties would only be released for commercial production after being approved by the leading industrial user in the U.S. Unfortunately, RiceTec’s 3202 has not been approved by the major industrial user of southern medium grain, which limits a major outlet for this variety.