Representatives of farmer-owned cooperatives and companies that grow, mill, process and market most of the rice produced in the United States focused on improving the quality of their products at an Industry Alliance Meeting in May.
 
The conference, sponsored by the University of Arkansas Rice Processing Program (UARPP), was at the Fayetteville Town Center May 27-28.

Dr. Terry Siebenmorgen, UA professor of food science and UARPP coordinator, said the annual meeting includes representatives of rice growers, millers and end-users along with university and USDA researchers.

"The conference increases understanding of the needs of all industry segments and how each impacts the other, and it helps us design research and extension outreach projects to meet the needs," Siebenmorgen said. He coordinates UA Division of Agriculture projects that focus on the preharvest, drying, milling and storage factors that impact rice quality.

Dr. Jean-François Meullenet, UA associate professor of food science, is the leader for end-use and sensory quality characterization projects.

Arkansas farmers produce about half of all the rice grown in the United States. The nation's largest millers are Riceland Foods, Inc., and Producers Rice Mill, both farmer-owned cooperatives based in Stuttgart. Farmer's Rice Cooperative, owned by California farmers, also was represented.

End-users of rice represented at the conference included the Kellogg Company, Kraft Foods and Anheuser-Busch, Inc., which is the largest single customer for Arkansas rice.

Keynote speaker at the Industry Alliance Meeting was Dr. Melissa Fitzgerald, director of the Grain Quality and Micronutrient Center at the International Rice Research Institute in The Philippines. She said the Center screens rice breeding lines for enhanced quality traits that could be added to new varieties.

Of particular interest in Asia, where rice is a staple food, are efforts to increase levels of micronutrients such as magnesium and potassium, Fitzgerald said.

Don McCaskill, vice president for research at Riceland Foods, said Riceland has a new program to screen rice breeding lines and varieties for quality characteristics. He said the program will address needs of growers, millers, processors and consumers and will help breeders develop improved varieties.

Dr. Gary Hanning of Anheuser-Busch, Inc. gave a presentation on rice quality needs of the brewing industry. His responsibilities at Anheuser-Busch include evaluating rice and barley varieties for brewing quality and coordinating corporate support for research to develop computer-based systems for analysis of barley, malt, rice and corn.

Reports on UARPP research and extension projects included a study that provides new information on the importance of a timely harvest to avoid rewetting by rainfall once rice kernels reach the desired moisture content.

Rewetting makes kernels more likely to fissure during drying and break during milling. Siebenmorgen has found that the lower the initial moisture content before rewetting, the greater the fissuring and breakage of kernels, which reduces market value.

The UA Rice Processing Program is supported by rice milling and processing companies, manufacturers of equipment and agricultural chemicals, and by the Arkansas Rice Research and Promotion Board, which represents farmers.

Companies, universities and agencies represented at the Industry Alliance Meeting, in addition to those mentioned above, included Lundberg Family Farms, Catalytic Drying Technology, Foss North America, Grain Systems Inc., RiceTec, SuperBrix, Syngenta Crop Protection, Wenger, Butte County Rice Growers, Kansas State University, Texas A&M University and the USDA Agricultural Research Service.