The CEO Connection: Fall

The harvest of 2024 has presented challenges for our farmer-members and the cooperative. Multiple rain events slowed harvest, put rice on the ground, and increased soybean damage. Low milling yields will once again have a negative impact on our farmer members and the cooperative. But the positive side of harvest, once again, was Riceland employees in the Drier Division, the milling and crushing operations working together to keep trucks dumping and getting them back to the field as quickly as possible.

During my harvest tour of the Drier Division, I was very impressed with our Riceland staff and their ability to squeeze every bit of capability out of aging plants to service the membership at a high level. Without fail, a line of trucks was dumped out early in the morning and on their way back to the farm in short order. The next time you are at your local drier location, let the staff know how much you appreciate their hard work.

The Senior Leadership Team and their respective teams are working on major restructuring efforts in the Rice Division to improve financial performance. Remaking departments within the division that have struggled over the last few years will be critical to future success.

Our Government Affairs Team has also been busy working directly with the delegations in Washington to advocate for financial assistance and a stronger safety net in the new Farm Bill. With high input costs and low commodity prices, financial stress for our farmer-members is a significant issue that our leaders in Washington need to address as soon as possible.

I look forward to seeing many of you on November 14 in Stuttgart for our Annual Meeting at the Grand Prairie Center. Planning is underway for a new format that will include breakout sessions. Our goal is to provide you with valuable information from industry experts to help you succeed in your operation in 2025. GO BIG BLUE!

‍